DGCA process and fees checked on 16 September 2026. Sources below.
Quick Answer
Are online DGCA ground classes as good as classroom ones?
For the part that ground school covers, the honest answer is that the format is not what the regulation cares about. Every step of the DGCA examination process is already location-independent: the computer number is applied for online, the papers are booked on DGCA's own portal and sat as a computer-based test, the syllabus is published by DGCA rather than by any institute, and each of the 5 papers needs 70% on its own whoever taught you. What online cannot cover is the flying, the medical and RTR (A), none of which any ground school covers anyway.
What the regulation actually requires
- •No rule requires classroom attendance for the DGCA written papers
- •The syllabus is published by DGCA, so it is identical whoever teaches it
- •5 papers, each needing 70% on its own — no aggregate
- •Fees are DGCA's: ₹2,500 regular, ₹5,000 on demand
- •Not doable online, by anyone: the flying, the medical, RTR (A) practical, the skill test
- •No ground school is on DGCA’s approved list — that list is for organisations operating aircraft
Most of this was already online
This is the part that reframes the question. The DGCA examination process does not have a classroom in it anywhere — it has a portal, a computer number and a computer-based test. Studying online is not a workaround for a system built around attendance; it fits a system that was already location-independent.
The computer number application
Applied for online, from anywhere, from age 16. Through DigiLocker it is allotted immediately; the manual route takes 15 working days. No medical certificate and no flying school are needed for it.
Booking the papers
Done on the DGCA Pariksha portal against that computer number, at ₹2,500 a paper in a regular session and ₹5,000 in an Online On-Demand Examination, paid through Bharatkosh.
The examination itself
A computer-based test with multiple-choice questions. The format does not change according to how you prepared for it.
The syllabus
Published by DGCA rather than set by any institute, so what has to be learned is identical whoever teaches it and wherever you sit.
Results and the licence application
Results come through the portal; the licence application itself is made on eGCA, which is a separate portal from Pariksha and is also online.
What cannot be done remotely — by anyone
Worth stating plainly, because it is the honest limit of any ground school and not a limitation of online study specifically. A classroom in Delhi cannot do these either.
- ×The flying. Two hundred hours in an actual aeroplane at a flying training organisation, and no part of that is remote.
- ×The medical. A DGCA medical is conducted in person at an approved centre — Class 2 to begin with, Class 1 for a Commercial Pilot Licence.
- ×RTR (A). Examined separately under its own rules, and it includes a practical component.
- ×The skill test at the end, conducted by an authorised examiner.
Three things to hold any online provider to
- –A ground school is not on DGCA’s approved list, online or offline. That list covers organisations that operate aircraft. If any coaching institute calls itself DGCA approved, ask which list it appears on and go and look.
- –Online or classroom changes how you are taught. It changes nothing about the threshold: 70% per paper, set by regulation, marked by DGCA.
- –Nobody can promise you a pass. The paper is DGCA’s and so is the marking.
How to check any academy, online or otherwise, against documents rather than claims is set out on our page on checking an academy.
What you will actually be studying
The 5 papers: Air Navigation, Aviation Meteorology, Air Regulations, Technical General and Technical Specific. Examined separately from the DGCA written papers, and required for CPL issue under Section J paragraph 1(g). Each carries its own 70% threshold rather than an aggregate, so a strong paper does not carry a weak one, and they are cleared one at a time — which is what makes self-paced study practical.
Subject by subject: Air Navigation, Aviation Meteorology, Air Regulations, Technical General and RTR (A). The published syllabus and the study material DGCA itself names are on the syllabus page.
The portal side — applying for a computer number, the session calendar, what a rejection looks like and how it is appealed — is on the computer number guide and the Pariksha page.
People also ask
Are online DGCA ground classes as good as classroom ones?
For the part that ground school covers, the honest answer is that the format is not what the regulation cares about. Every step of the DGCA examination process is already location-independent: the computer number is applied for online, the papers are booked on DGCA's own portal and sat as a computer-based test, the syllabus is published by DGCA rather than by any institute, and each of the 5 papers needs 70% on its own whoever taught you. What online cannot cover is the flying, the medical and RTR (A), none of which any ground school covers anyway.
Can I clear the DGCA exams studying online?
Yes. There is no regulation requiring classroom attendance for the written papers, and the examination is a computer-based test against a published syllabus. The papers are cleared one at a time rather than in a single sitting, which suits self-paced study.
Do I need to join a flying school before starting the DGCA papers?
No, and starting first is usually the cheapest decision in the whole plan. The computer number application needs no medical certificate and no flying school. But count backwards from your licence application rather than forwards from today: Theoretical knowledge papers must be completed within two and a half years immediately preceding the date of application. For the issue of a CPL or an ATPL, that period is five years.
What does the DGCA exam cost if I study online?
The same as it costs anyone. ₹2,500 per paper in a regular session, ₹5,000 on demand, paid to the government through Bharatkosh. Those are DGCA's fees and no institute sets or discounts them.
Is an online ground school DGCA approved?
DGCA's published list covers organisations that conduct flying training. A classroom institute that does not operate aircraft is not on it — including ours. If a coaching institute calls itself DGCA approved, ask which list it appears on and check that list yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Which subjects do DGCA ground classes cover?
The 5 written papers: Air Navigation, Aviation Meteorology, Air Regulations, Technical General and Technical Specific. Examined separately from the DGCA written papers, and required for CPL issue under Section J paragraph 1(g).
Is the syllabus different for online study?
No. DGCA publishes the syllabus, so it is identical however you study. Our syllabus page sets out what DGCA specifies for each paper and the study material DGCA itself names.
How many attempts do I get?
Papers are cleared individually and a re-sit is a fresh booking with a fresh fee. What you have passed stands; what you have not, you sit again in a later session.
Can I switch between online and classroom?
Classroom batches run in Dwarka and students elsewhere study online. Which one you are in does not change what DGCA requires of you or how the examination is conducted.
Do I need Physics and Maths to start?
Class 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics from a recognised Board or University Students from a Biology or Commerce stream clear both subjects as private candidates through NIOS and then apply.
Does studying online delay my licence?
Not by itself. What governs the timeline is examination session availability and, far more, aircraft availability at your flying school once you get there.
What does We One Aviation actually provide?
We teach the DGCA ground subjects and arrange flight training with partner flying schools. We do not own aircraft or simulators, we do not employ pilots, and we do not place students into airline jobs — hiring decisions rest with the operator.