INI CET 2026: Exam, Counselling, Application, Syllabus & Preparation

INI CET exam, which is conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, is a national-level postgraduate medical entrance exam. It admits students into MD, MS, DM, MCh, and MDS programs at AIIMS and other top medical institutes. INI CET November 2025 results of Round-1 Counselling Seat Allotment were announced on December 18, 2025, and published in PDF format. The allotment list includes candidates' roll numbers, the respective institutes they were assigned seats to, the courses for which they are including an application, and their category. The seats were allocated to the students based on their rankings in the INI CET Exam, on the choices the students filled out on their applications, and on the number of seats. The reporting dates for Round 1 will be held from December 19 to 24, 2025.

INI CET stands for Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test, a national-level entrance exam. It is conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi for admission to postgraduate medical courses like MD, MS, MDS, DM, and MCh. INI CET is held twice a year for the January and July sessions. Check the table below for INI CET exam overview:

INI CET 2026 important dates are released by AIIMS separately for the January and July sessions. Candidates are required to keep track of the schedule to avoid missing any important deadlines related to registration, admit card, examination, and result. Check below the session-wise INI CET dates:

INI CET 2026 January Session

INI CET 2026 January session (November exam) important dates are provided below:

INI CET 2026 July Session 

INI CET 2026 July session exam is generally conducted in May, with registration beginning in March. Check the below table for INI CET July session expected dates:

Note: Candidates are advised to regularly visit the official AIIMS website for updates, as dates are subject to change.

Candidates that pass the INI CET 2025 exam with at least the minimum cutoff percentile are eligible for admission to AIIMS. After passing, they must register online and apply for four different rounds of counselling, such as mock & open. The allotment of seats is based on a set of criteria, including the preferences the candidate indicated when filling out their application, how many places there are in each specialty, the reserved status of the seat, etc.

INI CET Nov Seat Matrix

AIIMS Delhi has released the official final seat distribution for the November INI CET 2025 exam. A total of 1,643 seats are available across the various Institutes of National Importance. The details of the distribution of seats by institute for the November session can be found in the table below:

INI CET 2025 Seat Matrix for November exam 

INI CET Nov Cutoff 

INI CET 2025 cutoff will be published on the official AIIMS website after every round of counseling. The cutoff is categorized by category and represents the highest rank used for assignment in that category. The cutoffs are released separately for each MD/MS/DM/MCh and MDS program.

INI CET Nov 2025 Cutoff: Qualifying Percentile

INI CET 2025 May Exam Cutoff (Round-1 Counselling)

INI CET 2026 result will be declared online on the official AIIMS portal. The result determines eligibility for counseling. Only candidates who qualify are allowed to participate in counselling. Below are the details mentioned in the INI CET result:

• Candidate’s score

• All India Rank (AIR)

• Category-wise rank

• Qualifying status

INI CET Toppers List 2025 (November) 

INI CET 2025 November toppers list highlights candidates who get the top All India Ranks in the examination based on their performance. This list has been created from the data provided from the latest results through the AIIMS information. Furthermore, the names and percentiles of the toppers will be added to this list once published by AIIMS. For now, the INI CET 2025 November Toppers List serves as a reference point for the top-scoring candidates of the November 2025 exam:

INI CET exam feedback from students who took the INI CET 2025 indicates that the overall difficulty level of the question paper could be considered to be at a moderate difficulty when comparing the question paper from this year to previous years. The number of questions that were repeated from prior years was actually significantly less than that of previous years (almost 50% of questions), and most of the exam questions were easy to attempt. Some topics had many questions to study, including Medicine, Anatomy, Physiology and Dermatology with most of the exam questions being clinically based (not just theoretical).

AIIMS, the conducting body of INI CET exam, does not provide the official INI CET question papers. Many coaching institutes release memory-based INI CET question papers from students’ recollections. By going through the above question papers, candidates will understand the normal pattern of the INI CET, what type of questions will be asked, and how difficult those questions will be. Candidates should go through previous years’ question papers to better understand the structure of the INI CET exam, which will help improve their performance in the exam.

Similarly to the official question papers, AIIMS will not provide an official INI CET answer key. Coaching institutes will also provide unofficial INI CET answer keys that are made based on students’ memories. Candidates will be able to estimate their overall probable score based on the number of correct and incorrect answers they provided, according to the INI CET exam marking pattern

INI CET 2026 admit card is an important document to bring on the day of the exam. It also confirms that the candidate successfully registered for the exam and contains very important information about the candidate, including name, roll number, date and time of exam, and location of exam center. To get the INI CET admit card, candidates should log in to the INI CET 2026 official website and download their admit card. Once candidates have done that, they should print a copy of the admit card and also bring valid ID proof to their INI CET exam center on test day.

INI CET syllabus is released by AIIMS Delhi along with the official information brochure. The question paper is prepared based on the institute and course selected by candidates during the application process. Although the subjects, topics, and question papers may vary according to these choices, the core syllabus remains aligned with the MBBS curriculum.

Check the below table for INI CET syllabus:

AIIMS has released the INI CET November exam pattern along with the official information brochure. According to the INI CET November 2025 exam pattern, the INI CET exam will be conducted in computer-based mode, and candidates will be given three hours to complete the question paper. Check the below table for INI CET November exam pattern: 

Candidates preparing for the INI CET need to have a very dedicated approach to the examination because it is at the postgraduate level. A smart and consistent method of studying will certainly help improve a candidate's performance on the examination. Below are some practical and simple ways in which a candidate can utilise this information to maximise their chances of success:

• Remain informed of the current trends in INI CET format of exams

• Develop a study schedule to include ALL subjects without excluding areas of difficulty.

• Since the content of the syllabus is based on your MBBS studies, be very thorough when preparing for each subject.

• It’s not sufficient to skim through the content. You must fully understand the concepts in detail.

• Create a realistic study schedule and follow it without distraction.

• Spend the majority of your time studying for subjects or topics that you have difficulty with.

• Consistently work through all previous years’ exam questions.

• Take mock tests as a way of measuring your preparation and determining areas for improvement.

• Put special focus on ‘clinical’ practice and the importance of practical knowledge acquired through training.

INI CET 2025 Mock Test

Mock tests are the best way to assess the preparation level for the INI CET 2025 exam. When candidates complete all of their syllabus topics, begin taking practice tests to see how they prepared for the exam. Mock exams build self-confidence, improve educational areas, and enable identification of weak areas in candidates' knowledge. Mock tests are not officially provided by AIIMS. However, reviewing previous years' exam questions and sample exam questions gives good insight into future exams' format and difficulty.

INI CET 2025 November application process begins with One-Time Registration (OTR) on the official AIIMS website. During registration, candidates are required to provide basic details using a valid email ID and mobile number. After completing OTR, candidates should regularly check the provisional registration status within the timeline specified by AIIMS. Once basic registration is approved, candidates can proceed to fill the final application form by entering personal and academic details, qualifying examination information, registration number, work experience (if applicable), uploading required images, selecting the preferred exam city/state, and paying the application fee online.

INI CET November Eligibility Criteria

To appear for INI CET, candidates are required to fullfill the eligibility requirements set by AIIMS, as outlined below:

INI CET 2026 Admission Process

INI CET admission process is a multi-step process. To appear in INI CET, candidates must follow all the steps. Check below for the step-by-step INI CET admission process:

Registration & Basic Candidate InformationCandidates must complete a one-time registration by providing basic personal details using a valid email ID and mobile number.

Generation of Exam Unique CodeAfter successful registration, a unique exam code is generated, which is required for further application steps.

Completion of Application FormCandidates fill in personal details, academic qualifications, internship details, and exam city preference and upload required documents.

Download INI CET Admit CardEligible candidates can download the admit card from the official AIIMS website once released.

Check ResultAfter appearing for the exam, candidates can check their INI CET result online using their login credentials.