How to become a pilot with Commerce or Arts background?

“What do you want to become when you grow older?”, asked your parents. “Pilot!” came a reflex answer by the 6 year old innocent you.

Now that we have reached the decision point of your career, so lets see how to go about our dream career. But, there is one additional question I want to ask before we start our journey of becoming a pilot. “Did you opt for Physics and Maths in 12th?” If yes, then we can directly start your preparations, and here are the further steps to become a pilot. On the contrary, you get another big question in your mind, “What if I am from commerce/arts background instead of science? Will my dream of becoming a pilot be still alive? Because I have heard one needs Physics and Maths to become a pilot.” Well, you are absolutely right, but you are just missing a subset of information. Before I start explaining, let me inform you, *drumrolls* “You can become a pilot with Commerce or Arts background too. Don’t give up on your dreams.”

At this moment, I am assuming you have completed/about to complete your 12th with Commerce/Arts. So, one of the basic requirements to become a pilot is Maths and Physics in 12th. For detailed qualifications, you can click here. The most common way to have Physics and Maths (and mostly the only way without doing whole 12th again) is by giving their exams through NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) board.

On-demand examination home page

Here are the basic steps to register for On-demand Exam:

1. Go to the official NIOS website.
2. Enroll for the course by navigating to the “Admission” section and choose the appropriate level (Secondary or Senior Secondary) and select Maths/Physics as your subject.
3. Once admitted, log in to your account and register for the Maths/Physics exam under the “On-Demand Examination” section.
4. Choose an convenient examination center from the available options.
5. Pay the required examination fee online (Rs 600 for exams + Rs 250 for practicals (in any)).
6. On the scheduled exam date, visit the chosen examination center to take your Maths/Physics exam.

Or you can click here to go through the steps in easy manner or click here to directly proceed for registration.

NIOS On-Demand exams are conducted in regional centers and Kendriya Vidyalayas across every state. These exams are scheduled during specific months, each year. For example, you can choose to take exams in January, February and March (Block-2) 2025, or in June, July, August and September (Block-1) 2025. (If you are reading this blog in some othe year, please check the website for current information). You have the freedom to select any date among the given options according to your preparation timeline.

One important information is, there is no minimum percentage criteria to become a pilot. But if you are planning for a cadet program, you need about 60–70% aggregate to be eligible to apply for Cadet program. And past few years, a few flying clubs have added some minimum percentage criteria, just to filter out the students.

Additionally, once you clear this exam, wait for your marksheet (usually takes 45days) and then apply for Board verification (BVC). Only after your receive your BVC, you are all set to apply for the computer number.

Computer number Home page

To conclude, your childhood dream is still achieveable , it’s just you might have to give an exam or 2 more to start your journey. Once you have taken this hiccup out of your way, we have the clearance to start our take roll for our Pilot Journey. The immediate next step is to start the process for issuing the computer number, which is quite simple. I have written a blog here to explain the process.

Good luck for the journey and looking forward to having a new pilot onboard!