The INI CET exam has 200 questions worth 200 marks, split into 4 timed sections of 50 questions each. You get +1 for a correct answer and lose ⅓ mark for a wrong one. The paper covers the full MBBS syllabus, split across Pre-Clinical, Para-Clinical, and Clinical subjects.
| Direct Link to INI CET Exam Pattern 2027 (Official AIIMS Notification) |
- Each block is exactly 45 minutes for 50 questions. Once the time is up, that block locks automatically. One cannot go back to it, even if another block is finished early.
- Clinical subjects like Medicine, Surgery, and OBGYN carry the highest weightage, at 45–50% of the paper. This makes them your biggest priority while preparing for INI CET.
- Pre-Clinical Subjects like Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry carry 20% to 25%
- Para-Clinical Subjects like Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Forensic Medicine, Community Medicine carry a weightage of 25% to 30%.
- As per the analysis of INI CET previous years’ question papers, the weightage of topics like Medicine and Allied Subjects and Surgery and Allied Subjects is 60% and 25%, respectively.
INI CET exam happens twice a year. It is a bi-annual national entrance test conducted by AIIMS New Delhi to fill postgraduate medical seats for two distinct academic admission cycles: the January Session and the July Session.
Related Links:
- INI CET Syllabus 2027: Check Subject-wise Syllabus, Weightage, Important topics & preparation
- INI CET Sample Papers 2027: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Subject Wise Weightage
- INI CET Pathology Sample Papers 2026: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Chapter-wise Weightage
Key Summary
- INI CET has 200 MCQs for 200 marks, done in 180 minutes across 4 fixed 45-minute blocks.
- The marking scheme is +1 for a correct answer and -⅓ for a wrong one, with 0 for unattempted questions.
- Clinical subjects (Medicine, Surgery, OBGYN, Pathology) make up almost half the paper, followed by Para-Clinical and then Pre-Clinical subjects.
- Other topics like Anatomy, Microbiology, and Physiology have a weightage of 10% in the INI CET 2024 exam.
- Unlike NEET PG, INI CET includes multiple-correct and assertion-reasoning questions with zero partial credit, making accuracy far more important than speed.
INI CET Exam Pattern 2027: Overview
INI CET is a 3-hour computer test with 200 questions, split into 4 equal, timed blocks that you cannot skip between.
- The exam is only in English, and every question is a single-correct or multiple-correct MCQ. There are no essay or written-answer questions.
- Each of the 4 blocks has exactly 50 questions and exactly 45 minutes. This means your time per block is fixed, no matter how easy or hard that block feels.
- The syllabus covers the entire MBBS course, Pre-Clinical, Para-Clinical, and Clinical subjects together, so there's no way to skip a full subject area.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET) |
| Conducting Body | AIIMS, New Delhi |
| Mode of Exam | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Language | English only |
| Duration | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Total Questions | 200 |
| Type of Questions | Objective MCQs (single correct + multiple correct) |
| Sections / Parts | 4 sequential blocks |
| Questions per Block | 50 |
| Time per Block | 45 minutes (strict, auto-submit, no going back) |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Marking Scheme | +1 correct, -⅓ incorrect, 0 unanswered |
| Syllabus Coverage | Entire MBBS curriculum (Pre-Clinical, Para-Clinical & Clinical) |
Ques. What is INI CET?
Ans. INI CET is the entrance exam run by AIIMS New Delhi for PG medical seats (MD, MS, MDS) at AIIMS and other top government institutes.
Ques. What is the INI CET full form?
Ans. INI CET stands for Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test.
Also Check:
INI CET Exam Pattern 2027: What's New?
The INI CET exam pattern for 2027 stays the same as recent years. The biggest change is the strict 4-block, no-backtracking system.
- Total questions (200) and total time (180 minutes) haven't changed over the years. What changed is how that time is given to you, split into 4 fixed sections instead of one open paper.
- Before this system, students could move freely between all 200 questions. Now, once a 45 minutes for a block end, that block submits on its own. Students lose access to any question left unanswered in it.
- Recent papers also lean more on complex, multi-step clinical cases instead of simple, direct questions. This trend is expected to continue in 2027.
| Feature | Pre-2024 Era | 2024–2026 Sessions | 2027 Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Questions | 200 MCQs | 200 MCQs | 200 MCQs |
| Total Duration | 180 minutes | 180 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Paper Structure | Single, continuous paper | 4 discrete blocks | 4 discrete blocks |
| Time per Question | Flexible | Strictly 45 min per 50 Qs | Strictly 45 min per 50 Qs |
| Navigation | Free across all 200 questions | Locked to active block | Locked to active block |
| Question Style | Traditional MCQs & images | More clinical integration | Heavy multi-step clinical cases |
Ques. Has the INI CET exam pattern changed for 2027?
Ans. No major change is expected. The 4-block, no-backtracking system introduced in recent years stays in place, and question style continues leaning toward complex clinical cases.
INI CET 2026 Question Paper
| Exam | Question Paper PDF | Solution PDF |
|---|---|---|
| INI CET 2026 Question Paper | Download PDF | View Solutions |
| INI CET 2025 Question Paper | Download PDF | View Solutions |
| INI CET 2024 Question Paper | Check Here | Check Here |
| INI CET 2025 Question Paper | Check Here | |
INI CET Marking Scheme 2027
Every correct answer in INI CET gets you +1 mark. Every wrong answer costs you ⅓ mark. Leaving a question blank costs nothing.
- The -⅓ penalty is higher than NEET PG's -¼ penalty. So blind guessing is riskier here than in most other PG medical exams.
- INI CET total marks are 200. Your raw score is calculated as:
| Raw Score = (Total Correct × 1) − (Total Incorrect × ⅓) |
Source: INI CET Prospectus 2026
| Candidate Action | Score Change |
|---|---|
| Correct Response | +1 mark |
| Incorrect Response | -⅓ mark (0.33) |
| Unattempted Question | 0 marks |
| Marked for Review | Scored normally, based on your answer |
Ques. What is the INI CET marking scheme?
Ans. +1 mark for a correct answer, -⅓ mark for a wrong one, and 0 marks for a question you leave unattempted.
Ques. What are INI CET total marks?
Ans. The exam is worth 200 total marks, based on 200 questions worth 1 mark each.
Also Check:
INI CET Subjects and Marks Distribution 2027
AIIMS does not publish a fixed number of questions per subject. Instead, marks follow a general pattern based on the 3 phases of the MBBS course.
- Clinical subjects carry the most weight, at 45–50% of the paper (90–100 marks). This makes Medicine, Surgery, and OBGYN your highest-priority subjects by far.
- Para-Clinical subjects come next at 25–30% (50–60 marks), followed by Pre-Clinical subjects at 20–25% (40–50 marks).
Source: INI CET Prospectus 2026
| Curriculum Phase | Approximate Weightage | Marks / Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Subjects | 45–50% | 90–100 marks |
| Para-Clinical Subjects | 25–30% | 50–60 marks |
| Pre-Clinical Subjects | 20–25% | 40–50 marks |
INI CET Subject-Wise High-Weightage Topics
Medicine & Allied Specialties and General Surgery & Allied Specialties are the two biggest single subjects, together making up close to a quarter of the whole paper.
- Within Anatomy, Neuroanatomy has high weightage. Within Physiology and Biochemistry, high-yield topics include Renal Physiology, Cardiovascular System (CVS), Metabolism, Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Immunology areas are important, even though these subjects carry fewer overall marks.
| Subject | Approx. Marks | Approx. Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine & Allied Specialties | 24–32 | 12–16% |
| General Surgery & Allied Specialties | 24–30 | 12–15% |
| Obstetrics & Gynaecology (OBGYN) | 16–20 | 8–10% |
| Pathology | 14–18 | 7–9% |
| Pharmacology | 12–16 | 6–8% |
| Microbiology | 12–15 | 6–7.5% |
| Community Medicine (PSM) | 12–16 | 6–8% |
| Anatomy | 10–14 | 5–7% |
| Pediatrics | 8–12 | 4–5% |
| Physiology | 8–12 | 4–5% |
| Biochemistry | 8–12 | 4–5% |
| Ophthalmology | 6–10 | 3–5% |
| ENT | 6–10 | 3–5% |
| Radiology / Radiotherapy | 6–10 | 3–5% |
| Forensic Medicine & Toxicology (FMT) | 4–8 | 2–4% |
Ques. Which subjects carry the most weight in INI CET?
Ans. Medicine & Allied Specialties and General Surgery & Allied Specialties carry the highest weightage, together making up nearly a quarter of the total paper.
This video explains a data-driven, high-yield approach to INI CET preparation, focusing on the topics that deserve deeper study rather than treating all 19 subjects equally. It highlights important areas such as Neuroanatomy, Embryology, Neurophysiology, CVS, Renal Physiology, Metabolism, Molecular Biology, Immunology, Genetics, and key clinical topics.
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What Types of Questions Are Asked in the INI CET Exam?
INI CET does not use only simple, single-correct MCQs. It also uses harder formats like multiple-correct and assertion-reasoning questions.
- Clinical vignette questions make up more than half the paper. These are long case-study questions that test how well you can diagnose and manage a patient, not just recall a fact.
- Multiple-correct questions asks to pick the exact right combination of options. If you miss even one part or pick one wrong option, you get zero score for the question.
- To join the centralised counselling for AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, and NIMHANS, students need a minimum percentile:
- 50th percentile for General/OBC/EWS/Foreign Nationals, and
- 45th percentile for SC/ST/PwD candidates.
| Question Type | Approx. Share | What It Tests | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Vignettes | 50–60% | Diagnosis & management choices | Medium |
| Single-Correct Conceptual | 15–20% | Direct memory recall | Low |
| Image-Based (IBQs) | 15–20% | Reading X-rays, scans, slides | High |
| Multiple-Correct Combinations | 5–10% | Elimination & full certainty | Very High |
| Assertion & Reasoning | 3–5% | Cause-and-effect logic | High |
Ques. Are there multiple-correct questions in INI CET?
Ans. Yes. Some questions ask you to pick the exact correct combination of options, and missing even one part means you get zero marks for that question.
Also Check:
- INI CET Forensic Medicine Sample Paper 2026: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Chapter Wise Weightage
- INI CET Community Medicine Sample Paper 2026: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Chapter Wise Weightage
- INI CET Medicine Sample Paper 2026: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Chapter Wise Weightage
What Is the Difficulty Level of INI CET?
INI CET is widely seen as one of the toughest PG medical entrance exam in India:
- Students get 54 seconds per question in the INI CET exam, and one can't move between blocks. If you finish one block early, that extra time is lost and you can't use it on a harder block later.
- Questions often combine several skills in one. Students may need to read a patient's history, understand a lab report, look at a scan, and then pick the next treatment step, all in a single question.
| Curriculum Phase | Difficulty Rating | Why It's Hard |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Clinical (Anatomy, Physio, Biochem) | Moderate to High | Tests specific clinical links, not just plain facts |
| Para-Clinical (Path, Pharma, Micro, FMT, PSM) | High | Heavy focus on lab images and drug mechanisms |
| Clinical (Medicine, Surgery, OBGYN, Peds) | Extremely High | Long case files needing multi-subject knowledge |
Ques. Is INI CET harder than NEET PG?
Ans. Most students and experts rate INI CET as harder. It has stricter time blocks, tougher question formats, and a bigger negative marking penalty than NEET PG.
INI CET Exam Pattern vs NEET PG Exam Pattern 2027
INI CET and PG NEET (NEET PG) both lead to postgraduate medical seats, but they differ a lot in format, timing, and difficulty:
- INI CET's negative marking is -⅓ per wrong answer, higher than NEET PG's -¼. This means guessing is riskier in INI CET.
- NEET PG only uses single-best-answer MCQs. INI CET adds multiple-correct and assertion-reasoning questions on top, making its formats harder to predict.
- INI CET gives you 54 seconds per question, while NEET PG gives slightly more at 63 seconds. That extra time in NEET PG gives you a bit more room to think through long cases.
| Feature | INI CET Pattern | NEET PG Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Conducting Body | AIIMS, New Delhi | NBEMS (National Board of Examinations) |
| Total Questions | 200 MCQs | 200 MCQs |
| Total Time | 180 minutes | 210 minutes |
| Time per Question | 54 seconds | 63 seconds |
| Sectional Time Lock | 4 blocks, 45 min each, no backtracking | 4 blocks, slightly longer time limits |
| Negative Marking | -⅓ (0.33) per wrong answer | -¼ (0.25) per wrong answer |
| Question Formats | Single-correct, multiple-correct, matching, assertion-reasoning | Single-best-answer only |
| Clinical Case Length | Long, detailed, multi-step | Moderate length |
Ques. What is the difference between INI CET and NEET PG?
Ans. INI CET is run by AIIMS for its own institutes and a few partner institutes, with stricter timing and tougher question types. NEET PG is run by NBEMS and covers most other medical colleges in India.
Ques. Is INI CET registration the same as NEET PG registration?
Ans. No. INI CET registration is run by AIIMS New Delhi through its own portal, while NEET PG registration is handled separately by NBEMS.
Also Check:
- INI CET Obstetrics and Gynaecology Sample Paper 2026: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Chapter Wise Weightage
- INI CET Paediatrics Sample Paper 2026: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Chapter Wise Weightage
- INI CET Ophthalmology Sample Paper 2026: Last 5 Years PYQs PDF Download and Chapter Wise Weightage
INI CET 2027 Preparation Tips
Since INI CET rewards accuracy over speed and blind guessing shouldn’t be preferred, your prep should focus on strong basics and careful practice.
- Study clinical subjects first. Since Medicine, Surgery, and OBGYN carry the most marks, give them the biggest share of your study time.
- Don't ignore high-yield sub-topics in smaller subjects. Areas like Neuroanatomy, Renal Physiology, CVS, Metabolism, Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Immunology are asked often, even though their parent subjects carry fewer total marks.
- Practice full 45-minute blocks, not just full mocks. Since each block locks on its own, get used to solving exactly 50 questions in exactly 45 minutes, without checking your progress against the other blocks.
- Be extra careful with multiple-correct questions. Since there's no partial credit, only attempt them when you are fully sure of every part of the answer — not just most of it.
- Practice image-based questions regularly. X-rays, scans, and pathology slides show up often, and misreading one image can cost you the whole question.
- Avoid blind guessing. With a -⅓ penalty, only attempt a question if you can rule out at least one or two options with real confidence.
- Review every mock test in depth. Since small mark gaps decide ranks, spend real time understanding why you got a question wrong, not just moving to the next mock.
Source: Reddit
INI CET Exam Pattern FAQs
Ques. What is INI CET exam?
Ans. INI CET is the entrance exam for MD, MS, and MDS seats at AIIMS New Delhi and a few other top government medical institutes.
Ques. What is INI CET full form?
Ans. Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test.
Ques. Who is INI CET exam for?
Ans. INI CET exam is for MBBS graduates applying for postgraduate medical seats at AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, and NIMHANS.
Ques. What is the INI CET exam pattern?
Ans. 200 MCQs worth 200 marks, done in 180 minutes across 4 fixed 45-minute blocks, with +1 for correct and -⅓ for incorrect answers.
Ques. When is the INI CET exam date for 2027?
Ans. The exact date is confirmed by AIIMS through its official notification closer to the exam cycle. Candidates should check the official AIIMS website for updates.
Ques. Is INI CET the same as PG NEET?
Ans. No. PG NEET (NEET PG) is run by NBEMS for most medical colleges in India, while INI CET is run separately by AIIMS for its own institutes and a few select partners.
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