INI-CET
INI-CET 2026: Syllabus, Exam Pattern and Subject-Wise Weightage
INI-CET 2026 is a 200-question, computer-based test conducted by AIIMS New Delhi for PG seats at India's premier Institutes of National Importance. This guide covers the full exam pattern, marking scheme, syllabus breakdown by subject group and how INI-CET differs from NEET-PG.
MedNext Editorial Team | Jul 18, 2026 | 7 min read
INI-CET 2026: Syllabus, Exam Pattern and Subject-Wise Weightage
INI-CET 2026 is a 200-question, computer-based test conducted by AIIMS New Delhi for PG seats at India's premier Institutes of National Importance. This guide covers the full exam pattern, marking scheme, syllabus breakdown by subject group and how INI-CET differs from NEET-PG.
INI-CET 2026 is conducted twice a year by AIIMS New Delhi for MD, MS, DM and MCh seats at India's Institutes of National Importance. The exam tests the full MBBS curriculum across 200 MCQs in three hours, with a negative marking scheme of minus one-third for each wrong answer. Knowing the pattern and syllabus structure from the start shapes how efficiently you prepare.
What Is INI-CET and Which Institutions Does It Cover?
INI-CET stands for Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test. It is the single gateway for postgraduate medical admissions across the following institutions: - All AIIMS campuses (New Delhi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, Rishikesh and others) - JIPMER, Puducherry - PGIMER, Chandigarh - NIMHANS, Bengaluru - SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram
Seats span MD and MS programmes as well as super-speciality DM and MCh programmes where applicable at each institute. Because these are among the most sought-after PG seats in the country, competition is exceptionally high even at a national scale.
The exam is administered by AIIMS New Delhi. For the 2026 session dates, registration windows, seat matrices and the official prospectus, visit aiimsexams.ac.in directly. Dates are published on that portal and should be treated as the authoritative source.
INI-CET Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
The exam format for INI-CET 2026 is as follows: - Total questions: 200 multiple-choice questions (single best answer) - Duration: 3 hours - Delivery mode: computer-based test - Structure: 4 sequential, time-bound parts of 50 questions each; candidates must move to the next part when the allotted time for a section expires - Marking: +1 for a correct answer, minus one-third (1/3) for a wrong answer, 0 for unattempted questions
The four-part structure is a defining feature of INI-CET. Unlike NEET-PG, where candidates can freely navigate all questions throughout the session, INI-CET locks you into each block of 50 questions for its allotted time. This means time management within each block is critical. A question left unattempted in part one cannot be returned to once part two begins.
The negative marking of minus one-third sits between the older NEET-PG structure and a pure no-penalty format. Blind guessing is inadvisable; an educated elimination strategy that narrows options to two choices before committing is the standard approach at this level.
Syllabus and Subject-Wise Groups
INI-CET does not publish a separate, subject-specific syllabus document distinct from the MBBS curriculum. The exam tests the entire undergraduate medical curriculum recognised by the National Medical Commission, which is conventionally divided into three broad groups.
**Pre-clinical subjects** - Anatomy - Physiology - Biochemistry
These subjects form the foundation. Questions here often test conceptual understanding: developmental anomalies in anatomy, physiological mechanisms underpinning clinical signs, and metabolic pathway defects that explain disease presentations. The proportion from this group is smaller than in para-clinical and clinical subjects combined.
**Para-clinical subjects** - Pathology - Pharmacology - Microbiology - Forensic Medicine and Toxicology - Community Medicine (Preventive and Social Medicine)
Para-clinical subjects carry a moderate share of the paper. Pathology and Pharmacology tend to demand the most revision time within this group because of the volume of classification-heavy content and the frequency of image-based pathology slides in INI-CET specifically.
**Clinical subjects** - Medicine and its allied specialities (Psychiatry, Dermatology, Venereology) - Surgery and its allied specialities (Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, ENT, Anaesthesiology) - Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Paediatrics - Radiology
Clinical subjects carry the largest share of the INI-CET paper. This is consistent across sessions and reflects the exam's orientation toward applied clinical reasoning rather than pure factual recall. Radiology questions, often presented as X-rays, CT images or MRI slices, appear with notable regularity and candidates who have not practised image interpretation are at a structural disadvantage.
Note: exact per-subject percentage weightages are not officially published for INI-CET. Analyses drawn from previous papers suggest that clinical subjects account for roughly half or more of total marks, but these figures vary session to session and should be treated as general orientation rather than fixed targets.
How INI-CET Differs from NEET-PG
INI-CET and NEET-PG cover the same broad MBBS curriculum but differ in character and therefore in what preparation looks like.
**Question style** - INI-CET carries a higher proportion of clinical vignettes. Questions frequently present a full case: age, sex, presenting complaint, examination findings and investigation results before asking for a diagnosis, next step or mechanism. This rewards synthesis across systems. - NEET-PG includes clinical scenarios but also retains a larger proportion of direct factual questions. Depth of detail in classification-based topics matters more for NEET-PG.
**Image-based questions** - INI-CET is well known for its image load. Slides, scans, ECGs, fundus photographs and clinical images appear across multiple subjects. Candidates preparing exclusively through text are at a disadvantage. - NEET-PG includes images but not to the same density.
**Exam navigation** - INI-CET locks candidates within each 50-question block for its allotted time. You cannot revisit earlier sections. - NEET-PG (under its current format) allows free navigation throughout the session.
**Negative marking** - Both exams carry negative marking. INI-CET applies minus one-third; confirm the current NEET-PG scheme at natboard.edu.in as it has changed in previous years.
**Frequency and intake** - INI-CET is held twice yearly (May and November sessions), giving candidates two attempts per year. - Total INI-CET seats are far fewer than NEET-PG seats, concentrating competition at the top.
Preparation Focus for INI-CET 2026
Given the above, the following priorities hold across all serious INI-CET preparation plans:
**Clinical reasoning above rote learning.** Questions in clinical subjects are structured to penalise surface recall. The ability to work through a vignette step by step, rule out distractors and arrive at the most defensible answer is the core skill the exam measures.
**Image-based practice from early in the preparation.** Do not leave radiology, histopathology slides or clinical photographs to the final month. Build recognition by returning to images regularly throughout revision.
**Block-based timed practice.** Replicate the four-part format in mock tests. Practice completing 50 questions in the allotted portion of time and moving on without reviewing earlier sections. This is a separate skill from general question-answering speed.
**Para-clinical depth, especially Pathology and Pharmacology.** Classification-heavy topics in these subjects appear in vignette form as well as direct recall form. Shortcuts in these areas accumulate into a meaningful marks gap at rank cutoff.
**Unattempt strategy.** With minus one-third marking, a blank is worth more than a random guess. Develop a clear personal threshold: attempt only when you can confidently eliminate at least one option, or when the question falls within your strong subjects.
Key Facts at a Glance
INI-CET is conducted by AIIMS New Delhi and covers PG seats at AIIMS (all campuses), JIPMER, PGIMER Chandigarh, NIMHANS and SCTIMST. The exam is held twice a year, in May and November. The paper has 200 single-best-answer MCQs delivered as a computer-based test over 3 hours, split into four time-locked parts of 50 questions each. Correct answers score +1; wrong answers score minus one-third; unattempted questions score zero. The syllabus covers the full MBBS curriculum across pre-clinical (Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry), para-clinical (Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, Community Medicine) and clinical subjects. Clinical subjects collectively carry the largest share of marks. INI-CET features a higher density of clinical vignettes and image-based questions than NEET-PG. For 2026 dates, registration deadlines and the official prospectus, visit aiimsexams.ac.in.
Frequently Asked Questions
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