INI-CET
The combined entrance for postgraduate seats (MD, MS, MDS, 6-year DM/MCh) at the Institutes of National Importance — all AIIMS campuses, JIPMER Puducherry, PGIMER Chandigarh, NIMHANS Bengaluru and SCTIMST Trivandrum. These seats sit outside NEET-PG counselling entirely.
Eligibility
Requires an MBBS (or BDS for MDS seats) from a recognised university with at least 55% aggregate for General/OBC/EWS and 50% for SC/ST/PwBD, plus completion of the one-year internship by the session's notified cut-off date. Qualifying percentiles apply: 50th for General/EWS, 45th for OBC, 40th for SC/ST/PwBD. There is no age limit and no attempt cap, and candidates can appear in both sessions each year.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-based test of 3 hours with 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions, including a substantial share of image-based and case-cluster questions. Each correct answer earns 1 mark; each wrong answer deducts one-third of a mark. Merit is percentile-based within the session. The exam is held at AIIMS-run centres, and registration is a two-step process (basic followed by final registration) on the AIIMS exams portal.
Syllabus at a glance
The full MBBS curriculum, but with a distinctly applied flavour: questions test mechanisms, clinical reasoning and interpretation of images (radiographs, specimens, instruments, fundus photos) more than rote recall. Pre- and para-clinical subjects carry noticeably more weight than in NEET-PG, so Physiology, Pathology and Biochemistry concepts matter.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Final registration window (January 2027 session) | Sep–Oct 2026 | expected |
| Admit card download | Late Oct 2026 | expected |
| INI-CET exam (January 2027 session) | 1 Nov 2026 | confirmed |
| Result declaration | 7 Nov 2026 | confirmed |
| Online seat allocation / counselling | Nov–Dec 2026 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Review of Preventive & Social Medicine — Vivek Jain
- Review of Pathology and Genetics — Devesh Mishra
- Review of Pharmacology — Gobind Rai Garg & Sparsh Gupta
- ACROSS: A Complete Review of Short Subjects — Saumya Shukla
- Surgery Essence — Pritesh K. Singh
- Self-Assessment & Review of Medicine — Mudit Khanna
How toppers play it
- AIIMS never releases question papers — recall compilations discussed on Marrow/PrepLadder channels after each session are your de-facto previous-year bank; study them.
- Expect concept and mechanism questions rather than NEET-PG-style fact recall — strengthen Physiology, Pathology and pharmacodynamic reasoning.
- Negative marking is only one-third of a 1-mark question, gentler than NEET-PG's effective penalty — a moderately aggressive attempt strategy pays here.
- Image-based questions are plentiful: drill radiographs, instruments, gross specimens and ophthalmology/dermatology photographs daily.
- Appear in both the May and November sessions — the syllabus is common with NEET-PG, so a November INI-CET attempt costs little extra preparation.