INI-CET is the common entrance test for postgraduate medical seats at India's Institutes of National Importance. It is administered by the Examination Section, AIIMS New Delhi, which is the sole authority for the application, the conduct of the test, the declaration of results and seat allocation; the admission rules themselves stay with each participating institute. The July 2026 session listed 23 participating institutes - AIIMS New Delhi and 18 other AIIMS, along with JIPMER Puducherry, NIMHANS Bengaluru, PGIMER Chandigarh and SCTIMST Trivandrum (INI-CET July 2026 session, AIIMS Prospectus Part-A). It feeds MD, MS, MDS, DM (6 years), MCh (6 years) and MD (Hospital Administration). Two sessions are held each year, for the January and July intakes.
Evidence note: Exam dates and rules change by cycle; confirm the current information bulletin before applying.
INI-CET is the common entrance test for postgraduate medical seats at India's Institutes of National Importance. It is administered by the Examination Section, AIIMS New Delhi, which is the sole authority for the application, the conduct of the test, the declaration of results and seat allocation; the admission rules themselves stay with each participating institute. The July 2026 session listed 23 participating institutes - AIIMS New Delhi and 18 other AIIMS, along with JIPMER Puducherry, NIMHANS Bengaluru, PGIMER Chandigarh and SCTIMST Trivandrum (INI-CET July 2026 session, AIIMS Prospectus Part-A). It feeds MD, MS, MDS, DM (6 years), MCh (6 years) and MD (Hospital Administration). Two sessions are held each year, for the January and July intakes.
An MBBS degree is required for MD, MS, the 6-year DM and MCh courses and MD (Hospital Administration), and a BDS degree for MDS, from a university recognised by the NMC and DCI respectively. The 12-month rotating internship must be complete by the cut-off date fixed for that session. Minimum aggregate across all professional examinations is 50% for SC/ST and 55% for every other category, including OBC and EWS. Provisional or permanent NMC, DCI or state council registration is mandatory (INI-CET July 2026 session, AIIMS Prospectus Part-A).
A computer-based test of 200 objective questions in 3 hours (180 minutes). Question types vary and include single-correct-choice and multiple-correct-choice items. A correct answer scores +1, an incorrect answer -1/3 and an unanswered question 0. The paper is split into four randomly assembled parts of 50 questions with 45 minutes each; once a part's time expires it locks and cannot be reopened. Results are reported as percentile scores (INI-CET July 2026 session, AIIMS Prospectus Part-A).
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