DGCA Aviation Meteorology: Syllabus, Study Plan and Practice Questions
Weather decides whether a flight is safe. This paper tests whether you can read it.
Quick answer
DGCA Aviation Meteorology is one of five CPL theory papers. It covers the atmosphere, pressure and temperature, winds, clouds, air masses and fronts, thunderstorms, icing, fog and visibility, the Indian monsoon, and reading METAR and TAF reports. You need 70% to pass. Most of it is concept based, with fewer calculations than Air Navigation.
What is the DGCA Meteorology paper?
Aviation Meteorology tests how well you understand weather and how it affects a flight. Questions are mostly concept based.
A good share of the paper is about reading coded reports and forecasts, which you will use every day as a pilot.
- It is one of the five DGCA CPL theory papers. You need 70% to pass.
- Papers are taken online through DGCA's PARIKSHA system, in sessions DGCA announces through the year.
- You can sit it only after you register on eGCA and get your DGCA computer number.
See how all five papers fit together in the DGCA exams for CPL guide.
DGCA Meteorology syllabus by topic
The table groups the syllabus into the topics ground schools teach. Weightage changes between sessions, so cover every topic.
| Topic | What it covers |
|---|---|
| The atmosphere | Composition, layers, the International Standard Atmosphere, tropopause |
| Temperature and pressure | Lapse rates, inversions, pressure systems, isobars, altimetry effects |
| Humidity and stability | Dew point, saturation, adiabatic processes, stable and unstable air |
| Wind | Pressure gradient, Coriolis effect, geostrophic and gradient wind, local winds, jet streams |
| Clouds and precipitation | Cloud types and formation, rain, drizzle, snow, hail |
| Air masses and fronts | Warm, cold and occluded fronts, the weather each brings, western disturbances |
| Hazards | Thunderstorms, turbulence, wind shear, icing, microbursts |
| Visibility and fog | Radiation, advection and frontal fog, mist, haze, dust and sand storms |
| Tropical weather | The Indian monsoon, inter tropical convergence zone, tropical cyclones |
| Reports and forecasts | METAR, SPECI, TAF, SIGMET, significant weather charts, upper wind charts |
Source: DGCA CPL ground examination syllabus, as taught by DGCA approved ground schools. Checked on 1 Nov 2026.
Which parts of Meteorology do students find tricky?
Meteorology is often seen as easier than Air Navigation, but students still lose marks in a few places:
- Stability and lapse rates. Comparing dry, saturated and environmental lapse rates takes practice.
- Fronts. Knowing the cloud and weather sequence for each type of front is pure memory and easy to mix up.
- Coded reports. One wrong abbreviation in a METAR or TAF changes the answer.
- Indian weather. Questions on the monsoon and western disturbances need region specific knowledge.
How to prepare: a study plan for Meteorology
Most students prepare alongside ground school. This plan assumes about two hours a day.
- Week 1: the atmosphere and ISA. Memorise the standard values.
- Week 2: temperature, pressure, humidity and stability.
- Week 3: wind, from pressure gradient to local winds.
- Week 4: clouds, precipitation and visibility.
- Week 5: air masses, fronts and Indian weather systems.
- Week 6: thunderstorms, icing and turbulence.
- Week 7: decode 10 METARs and 5 TAFs every day.
- Week 8: timed practice papers and revision of wrong answers.
Common study material students use:
- Your ground school notes and question banks
- Aviation Meteorology by I.C. Joshi, the standard text in Indian ground schools
- Oxford ATPL Meteorology manual for deeper theory
Booking your training seat? Plan your loan
Find the loan that fits and what you pay each month, before you pay the school.
10 practice questions on Meteorology
Try each question before reading the answer. These match the style of the DGCA multiple choice paper.
What is the sea level temperature in the International Standard Atmosphere?
Options: 0°C / 10°C / 15°C / 20°C
Answer: 15°C. ISA sets sea level at 15°C.
What is the sea level pressure in ISA?
Options: 1000 hPa / 1013.25 hPa / 1020 hPa / 29.92 hPa
Answer: 1013.25 hPa. ISA sea level pressure is 1013.25 hPa, which is 29.92 inches of mercury.
What is the ISA temperature lapse rate in the troposphere?
Options: About 1°C per 1,000 ft / About 2°C per 1,000 ft / About 3°C per 1,000 ft / No change
Answer: About 2°C per 1,000 ft. The ISA lapse rate is 1.98°C per 1,000 ft, usually rounded to 2°C.
Which cloud is associated with thunderstorms?
Options: Stratus / Cirrus / Cumulonimbus / Altostratus
Answer: Cumulonimbus. Thunderstorms grow from cumulonimbus clouds with strong vertical development.
Fog that forms over land on a clear night with light winds is called what?
Options: Advection fog / Radiation fog / Frontal fog / Steam fog
Answer: Radiation fog. The ground cools by radiation and cools the air above it to its dew point.
Warm moist air moving over a cold surface forms which fog?
Options: Radiation fog / Advection fog / Upslope fog / Ice fog
Answer: Advection fog. Advection fog forms when moving air is cooled from below by a colder surface.
In the northern hemisphere, how does wind blow around a low pressure area?
Options: Clockwise / Anticlockwise / Straight in / Straight out
Answer: Anticlockwise. The Coriolis effect turns wind anticlockwise around lows in the northern hemisphere.
In a METAR, what does BR mean?
Options: Haze / Mist / Smoke / Blowing rain
Answer: Mist. BR comes from the French word brume and means mist.
What is a TAF?
Options: An actual weather report / An aerodrome forecast / A route forecast / A hazard warning
Answer: An aerodrome forecast. TAF stands for terminal aerodrome forecast.
Large supercooled water droplets that freeze slowly on the airframe form which ice?
Options: Rime ice / Clear ice / Hoar frost / Mixed ice
Answer: Clear ice. Large droplets spread before freezing and form heavy, glassy clear ice.
What this costs
The theory papers are a small part of the total. The flying is where most of the money goes.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Meteorology paper, regular session | ₹2,500 per attempt |
| Meteorology paper, on demand | ₹5,000 per attempt |
| All five CPL papers, regular session | ₹12,500 per attempt |
| Full CPL in India, all stages | ₹55 lakh to ₹75 lakh |
Source: DGCA PARIKSHA fee as listed in October 2026. Confirm on the DGCA portal before booking. CPL total from The Flying Engineer, updated 22 Oct 2026. Checked on 1 Nov 2026.
Ground school fees vary by school and are often bundled into the CPL package. Ask each school for an itemised fee sheet before you pay.
The other DGCA CPL papers
How to pay for pilot training
Most families use an education loan. There are three ways to do it, and the right one depends on two things: whether you have property for collateral, and whether a sponsoring airline has given you an LOI.
| Government bankWith property as collateral | NBFC, with an airline LOINo property needed | NBFC, without an LOINo property needed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest rate | Around 9.5%, linked to the RBI repo rate. Around 8.5% if you pay simple interest during the course | Around 11% to 13%, based on income | |
| During training | Nothing to pay (full moratorium), or monthly simple interest for the lower rate | A fixed partial EMI each month | The full EMI on the amount paid out so far |
| After training | Full EMI starts | The same EMI continues | |
| How much is funded | 85% of the fees. You pay 15% yourself (the margin) | 100% of the fees, up to ₹1.5 crore | |
| Processing fee | 1%, refunded later apart from about ₹10,000 | About 1% | |
| Loan insurance | About 1% to 2.5% of the loan | About 2% to 8% of the loan | |
| Co-borrower income | Checked by the bank | A minimum yearly income, set by the loan amount | Monthly income about ₹30,000 more than the EMI |
| Speed | Slow (weeks) | Faster | |
What is an LOI, and why does it matter?
An LOI (Letter of Intent) is a conditional pre-employment letter from a sponsoring airline. It promises you a future role with that airline once you finish training and meet its conditions.
Because a job is lined up, lenders see the loan as low risk. So they offer a partial EMI without collateral: a fixed amount each month during training, with the full EMI only after you finish. Without an LOI, the full EMI starts from the first payment to the school.
Not every government bank gives a full moratorium on pilot training loans, and government banks are usually slow because of property checks. If you need a fast sanction and an easier process, talk to the FundMyCampus team first.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what students and parents ask us about pilot training
Plan your pilot training loan
Tell us where you will train, whether you have property and whether you have an LOI. A counsellor will call you with the loan that fits and what you pay each month.
FundMyCampus is a loan facilitation platform. Loans are sanctioned by the lending bank or NBFC at its discretion. Rates are approximate and change with the RBI repo rate and your profile. We never promise approval or a rate.