Dare to fly high!

Career in civil aviation, especially as a commercial pilot attracts a number of youngsters due to good salaries as well as the thrill of flying. The job, however, is no cakewalk and it takes nerves of steel, top physical fitness and razor sharp reflexes to be able to withstand the pressures of the job. In case you have a passion for flying and all these mandatory requirements, you can surely look at this career. The next question is how to get a Commercial Pilot License? Well, that’s where The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) comes in. It was the first pilot training institute and was instituted in 1985; it is located at Fursatganj Airfield, in Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh, India.

The academy comes under The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, and conducts a standard entrance exam (IGRUA CPL) that offers Commercial Pilot License to both Undergraduates and Postgraduates. Around 1000 – 2000 aspirants apply for the exam and only 90 seats are available. The evaluation begins with an online exam and is closely followed by an interview round.

If you are interested in applying then this is the right time as the online payment should be made by July 6, 2020. The revised date for the test now is August 30, 2020; the Interview/ Viva and pilot aptitude test will start from September 28, 2020.  The delay of the exam could be used as an advantage for students to prepare well and put their best foot forward in giving the exam.

The following are some important pointers to clear IGRUA.

•  KNOW THE EXAM PATTERN
• The IGRUA CPL has updated its syllabus this year, besides general ability, it examines a student’s overall familiarisation to flying. The exam will take place online and is separated into 5 sections with equal weightage and comprises of objective type questions based on Class XII. There are 150 questions in this exam and there is no negative marking.
•  BE THOROUGH WITH THE SYLLABUS
• The first round is an online computer-based (Written) test which will be carried at the assigned exam center. The exam will include 150 questions which will be objective type questions from Class XII. The questions will be related to General English, Mathematics, Physics, Reasoning, and Current Affairs. All these five sections are obligatory and have even weightage in the exam. It is advised that one should be meticulous with class X,  XI, and XII NCERT books of mathematics, science and read a suitable book and a newspaper every day.

 ELIGIBILITY

To take the exam you have to be aged 17 years and above while joining the course and should have a minimum Class XII level of education which should incorporate English, mathematics, and physics. The minimum aggregate marks in maths and physics should be 55% for General category candidates and 50% for SC/ST/OBC candidates. In case SC/ST/EWS and OBC candidates do not qualify even after 5% relaxation in the Entrance Written-test, their seats would be de-reserved for the General Category.

You must comply with eligibility criteria by the given date for the Interview / Aptitude Test which will be carried on 28 September 2020.

•  You should study the Exam Pattern following the syllabus you are equipped with for IGRUA 2020 and should adhere only to the syllabus to prepare for the exam.
• As the syllabus for IGRUA accommodates Plus II level objective type questions, you must concentrate on the NCERT books of Physics and Mathematics of Class XII and should go through it methodically.
•  For current affairs, one could relate to General Knowledge and Current Affairs books available online along with some historical content. You should also develop a habit to read a newspaper every day so that you are updated with the current happenings.
• You should keep an eye over English grammar as it comes under the English section. One should also give more and more tests and read lots of decent books to improve your vocabulary and to improve your fluency.
• Lastly there comes the Reasoning section where practicing on a general level is sufficient. One should be familiar with argument and reasoning questions and coding-decoding, the only way to master the Logical Reasoning part is to practice as many questions as possible.

 TIME MANAGEMENT

• One should learn to manage time not only for IGRUA but for other lifelong practices as well. Some time management techniques are given below:
• It is advised to plan your day the day before; this can simply be done by setting reminders on your phones and laptops. The laborious and overriding part here is not to make the plan but to follow it every day.
• There should be at least 2 hours left at the end of the day to give the mock test. You should give at least one mock every day and should keep a check on the score.
• Other than studies you should take some time out for exercise and social interactions, this is to make sure than you are mentally relaxed.

 — Inputs by Sanjay Arora, Chief Mentor and CEO, Macen Career Coaching

and Jaskarn Singh Matharu