To crack INI-CET 2026 and secure a top rank at the elite INIs, build your preparation around four fundamentals:
Know the exact format. INI-CET is 200 single-best-answer MCQs in 180 minutes, split into four blocks of 50 with no backward navigation — about 54 seconds per question, so per-block pacing is non-negotiable.
Respect the marking maths. MD/MS scoring is +1 correct, −1/3 wrong, 0 unattempted (MDS uses −1/5). The penalty is mild but real — guess only when you can eliminate down to two options.
Train for applied reasoning, not recall. Widely regarded as harder than NEET PG, INI-CET leans on next-best-step framing, assertion-reason items, and clinical vignettes across most of the paper — depth beats breadth here.
Drill image-based questions deliberately. An estimated 15–25% of the paper is image-based (radiographs, ECGs, slides, clinical photos), a far higher visual load than NEET PG — train it as a separate skill.
This works because INI-CET, run by AIIMS New Delhi for AIIMS, PGIMER, JIPMER, NIMHANS, and SCTIMST, rewards depth, integration, and visual fluency over the speed-and-recall mode that lighter exams reward. You are not aiming to pass — you are aiming to out-reason a field of strong NEET PG-level candidates.
What INI-CET is and which institutes admit through it
INI-CET, the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test, is the single computer-based entrance exam that admits postgraduate medical candidates to India's elite Institutes of National Importance. It is conducted by AIIMS New Delhi, which administers the test on behalf of the participating institutes and publishes the merit list used for counselling.
The institutes that admit through INI-CET are the country's most sought-after medical centres: all AIIMS campuses, led by AIIMS New Delhi, together with PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER Puducherry, NIMHANS Bengaluru, and SCTIMST Trivandrum — roughly 23 institutes in the 2025 cycle. A single INI-CET rank gives you access to MD, MS, six-year DM and MCh, and MDS seats across this entire network, which is why competition concentrates at the very top of the rank list.
The exam exists to give the INIs a common, rigorous filter distinct from the all-India NEET PG counselling pool. Because the seats are limited and prestigious, the bar is set deliberately high — INI-CET is widely regarded as more demanding than NEET PG, and the candidates who succeed treat it as a step up rather than a parallel attempt. Note that SGPGIMS Lucknow is not an INI-CET institute; it conducts its own separate entrance, so do not fold it into your INI-CET planning.
INI-CET exam pattern and marking scheme
The INI-CET is a 200-question, computer-based, single-best-answer MCQ exam delivered in a single 180-minute session structured as four sequential blocks. Understanding this structure precisely is the first lever of a good plan, because the block format and the negative marking both shape optimal exam behaviour.
Parameter
INI-CET detail
Total questions
200 single-best-answer MCQs
Duration
180 minutes (3 hours)
Structure
4 blocks of 50 questions (~45 min per block)
Navigation
No backward navigation between blocks
Marking (MD/MS)
+1 correct, −1/3 (−0.33) wrong, 0 unattempted
Marking (MDS)
+1 correct, −1/5 wrong, 0 unattempted
Pace
~54 seconds per question
Frequency
Twice a year (May and November sessions)
Conducting body
AIIMS New Delhi
Two features should drive your strategy. First, the four-block, no-backtrack format means you cannot bank time from an easy block to rescue a hard one — each block is its own pacing exercise, so you must train per-block discipline through full-length mocks rather than relying on a single end-of-paper time buffer. Second, the −1/3 penalty (−1/5 for MDS) is mild compared with four-mark schemes, but it is real: a blind guess across four options is roughly break-even (its expected value is about zero), while a guess after eliminating even one or two options turns clearly net positive. Calibrated guessing — not blanket attempt-everything and not timid skip-everything — is the scoring sweet spot.
INI-CET eligibility and exam sessions
INI-CET eligibility requires an MBBS degree from an NMC-recognised college plus a completed 12-month rotating internship — or one that will be completed by the institute's stated cut-off date. The minimum qualifying aggregate is 55% for General, OBC, and EWS candidates and 50% for SC and ST candidates, and there is no upper age limit and no cap on the number of attempts.
The exam runs twice a year, aligned to the two admission cycles. The July-admission session is held in May, and the January-admission session is held in November of the preceding year. This twice-yearly cadence is a planning advantage: you can target the session that best matches your internship completion and your revision readiness, and a near-miss in one session leaves the next only months away. For the full breakdown of slots, blocks, and the marking maths, see our detailed guide to the INI-CET exam pattern, marking scheme, and syllabus.
How INI-CET differs from NEET PG
INI-CET differs from NEET PG less in syllabus than in the kind of thinking it demands — both draw on the MBBS curriculum, but INI-CET probes applied, integrated reasoning where NEET PG often rewards fast recall. Calibrating to the right exam matters, because preparing for INI-CET as if it were a slightly harder NEET PG leaves you under-trained on exactly the skills that separate the top ranks.
Criterion
INI-CET
NEET PG
Conducting body
AIIMS New Delhi
NBEMS
Questions
200 (4 blocks of 50)
180 (5 sections of 36)
Duration
180 minutes
210 minutes
Negative marking
−1/3 (MD/MS), −1/5 (MDS)
−1
Navigation
No backtracking between blocks
No backtracking between sections
Image-based load
~15–25% of paper
Lower
What it rewards
Applied reasoning, recent advances, image reading
Broad, fast recall
Difficulty (consensus)
Regarded as harder, more applied
Standard ranked difficulty
The practical takeaway is that NEET PG-level mastery is the floor for INI-CET, not the target. INI-CET layers on assertion-reason items, next-best-step framing, a heavier image-based load, and a no-backtrack block structure that punishes loose pacing. The strong NEET PG candidate still needs a dedicated INI-specific layer — depth, recent advances, and visual drilling — to convert into a top INI rank.
The INI-CET syllabus and what to prioritise
The INI-CET syllabus mirrors the full MBBS curriculum across pre-clinical, para-clinical, and clinical subjects, so there is no separate body of content to chase — the differentiator is depth and how the same topics are framed. Because the paper rewards integration, you should prioritise the subjects that generate the most applied, cross-linking questions.
Medicine and allied clinical subjects carry the heaviest applied load — next-best-step management, integrated diagnosis, and recent-advances questions cluster here, so this block deserves your deepest preparation.
Surgery, OBG, and Pediatrics contribute high-frequency clinical reasoning and image-based items; train the named signs, staging logic, and emergency algorithms to a deeper level than NEET PG demands.
Para-clinical subjects — Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, and PSM — anchor mechanism-based reasoning that transfers directly into clinical vignettes, and PSM remains fact-dense and scoring.
Pre-clinical subjects — Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry — are tested through applied and image-based questions (radiological anatomy, instruments, specimens) rather than rote recall, so revise them with a clinical-application lens.
The organising principle is depth over coverage. At INI-CET difficulty, a superficial pass over every subject loses to deep, reasoning-ready command of the high-yield clinical and para-clinical core — because the hardest questions live precisely where subjects integrate.
A top-rank INI-CET strategy is a depth-first, reasoning-first plan layered on top of solid NEET PG-level foundations — it assumes you already know the basics and trains the four skills the INIs actually test. The phase logic below holds for most strong aspirants, flexing in length with your starting point and target session.
Phase 1 — Build the foundation to NEET PG mastery. Cover every subject with proper depth and solve daily MCQs on what you study. The goal is to reach reliable, fast command of high-yield fundamentals; INI-CET preparation cannot begin meaningfully until this floor is in place.
Phase 2 — Add the INI depth layer. Move beyond first-order recall into next-best-step management, assertion-reason practice, and recent advances. Read every wrong answer until you understand the reasoning trap, and deliberately seek out the harder, more applied questions that NEET PG-only prep skips.
Phase 3 — Drill image-based questions as a separate skill. With roughly 15–25% of the paper visual, set aside dedicated sessions for radiographs, ECGs, pathology slides, clinical photographs, and instruments. Visual diagnosis is a trainable skill that decays without practice — treat it like its own subject.
Phase 4 — Stabilise with full-length timed mocks. Take 200-question, 180-minute, four-block mocks under exam conditions, then audit each one for the topics and the pacing errors that cost you marks. Because INI-CET forbids backward navigation, you must rehearse per-block timing until it is automatic. Practising under real exam conditions with full-length pattern mock tests is the most reliable way to convert deep knowledge into a confident top rank.
High-yield focus and recent advances
High-yield INI-CET material is the deep, reasoning-ready core where the exam concentrates its hardest questions — applied management, integrated diagnosis, image interpretation, and the recent advances that distinguish the INIs from a standard recall exam. Because the field is strong, your edge comes from mastering these higher-order zones rather than from broad shallow coverage.
Recent advances deserve particular attention. INI-CET regularly tests updated guidelines, newer drugs, and current protocols that lag in older notes — so a reasoning-focused, up-to-date question source matters more here than for any other Indian PG exam. Pair that with deliberate image-based drilling and assertion-reason practice, and you cover the three skills that most reliably separate a top INI rank from a merely good NEET PG score. For a deeper tactical breakdown, see our guide on how to prepare for INI-CET with a top-rank strategy.
How NEETPGAI helps you crack INI-CET
NEETPGAI is an AI-powered MCQ practice platform built around the high-volume, depth-first, reasoning-focused drilling that INI-CET rewards — and it lets you train the exam's distinctive skills under conditions that mirror the real paper.
A free 31,500+ MCQ bank with full explanations, so both your NEET PG-level foundation and your INI depth layer run on the same verified, no-cost question pool.
INI-CET-pattern mock tests — 200 questions in 180 minutes with +1/−1/3 marking, so your timed practice mirrors the real exam's structure, pacing, and penalty exactly.
Diagnostic analytics and percentile tracking that surface per-subject mastery, accuracy trends, and where you stand against a top-rank target, so you always know your readiness rather than guessing.
An AI tutor tuned for higher-order reasoning that frames answers around next-best-step logic and recent advances instead of rote recall — useful for clearing integrated concepts and generating endless applied practice vignettes.
The full question bank, mock tests, revision, and analytics are free for every registered user; the AI tutor and a few advanced tools are part of the Pro plan, which covers NEET PG, INI-CET, and FMGE together. To start a focused, top-rank INI-CET preparation from day one, begin on the INI-CET preparation hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is INI-CET and which institutes admit through it?
INI-CET is the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test, conducted by AIIMS New Delhi. It is the single gateway to PG seats at the elite Institutes of National Importance — all AIIMS campuses led by AIIMS New Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER Puducherry, NIMHANS Bengaluru, and SCTIMST Trivandrum, covering roughly 23 institutes in 2025. A strong INI-CET rank secures MD, MS, DM, MCh, or MDS seats at these institutes.
What is the INI-CET exam pattern and how many questions are there?
INI-CET is a computer-based test of 200 single-best-answer MCQs to be answered in 180 minutes — three hours. The paper is split into four blocks of 50 questions, each timed at about 45 minutes, with no backward navigation once you move to the next block. That structure gives you roughly 54 seconds per question and demands disciplined pacing from the first block.
What is the marking scheme for INI-CET 2026?
For the MD/MS stream, INI-CET awards +1 for every correct answer, deducts −1/3 (−0.33) for every wrong answer, and gives 0 for an unattempted question. The MDS stream uses a −1/5 penalty instead. The negative marking is milder than four-mark schemes, but it is real — reckless guessing on questions you cannot narrow down will cost you net marks.
How often is INI-CET held and when?
INI-CET runs twice a year, one session per admission cycle. The July-admission session is held in May, and the January-admission session is held in November of the prior year. Conducted by AIIMS New Delhi, the test gives aspirants two chances annually — many strong candidates plan their final revision blocks around whichever session matches their internship completion date.
Is INI-CET harder than NEET PG?
By widely-held coaching consensus, yes — INI-CET is regarded as harder and more applied than NEET PG, though no official difficulty rating exists. It leans on integrated clinical reasoning, assertion-reason items, next-best-step framing, and clinical vignettes across most of the paper, with image-based questions making up an estimated 15–25%. It rewards depth and reasoning over recall, which is why NEET PG-level preparation is the floor, not the ceiling.
What is the eligibility for INI-CET 2026?
You need an MBBS from an NMC-recognised college plus a completed 12-month internship — or one finishing by the cut-off date. The minimum aggregate is 55% for General, OBC, and EWS candidates, and 50% for SC and ST candidates. There is no cap on the number of attempts and no upper age limit, so eligible graduates can keep attempting INI-CET across multiple sessions.
How many image-based questions appear in INI-CET?
Image-based questions make up an estimated 15–25% of the INI-CET paper — meaning roughly 30 to 50 of the 200 questions can hinge on reading a radiograph, ECG, pathology slide, clinical photograph, or instrument. This is a far higher visual load than NEET PG, so dedicated image drilling is not optional for a top rank — it is a distinct skill you must train separately.
How is INI-CET different from NEET PG in strategy terms?
NEET PG rewards broad, fast recall across 180 questions with −1 negative marking; INI-CET rewards applied clinical reasoning, image reading, and recent advances under a milder −1/3 penalty and a four-block, no-backtrack format. Practically, you build the NEET PG foundation first, then add a layer of depth, assertion-reason practice, and timed image-based drilling calibrated to the INI standard.
How much time per question does INI-CET allow?
INI-CET gives about 54 seconds per question — 200 questions across 180 minutes. Because the paper is split into four blocks of 50 with roughly 45 minutes each and no backward navigation between blocks, you cannot bank time from an easy block to rescue a hard one. Per-block pacing discipline, trained through full-length timed mocks, is what protects your score.
Can I prepare for INI-CET and NEET PG together?
Yes, and most top aspirants do. The two share the MBBS syllabus, so a single foundation serves both. The difference is the final layer: INI-CET needs added depth, recent-advances reading, assertion-reason practice, and heavier image-based drilling. Build the common base, target NEET PG-level mastery, then add INI-specific reasoning and visual practice in the last preparation phase.
How does NEETPGAI help with INI-CET preparation?
NEETPGAI gives you a free MCQ bank with explanations, INI-CET-pattern mock tests of 200 questions in 180 minutes with +1/−1/3 marking, and analytics that track accuracy and percentile against a top-rank target. The AI tutor is tuned for higher-order, recent-advances reasoning rather than rote recall, and one Pro plan covers NEET PG, INI-CET, and FMGE together. Start your free INI-CET preparation now →
Build your INI-CET plan today. A top INI rank rewards the candidate who trains depth, reasoning, and image reading early — and the elite seats go to those who start that work before the field does.
Written by: NEETPGAI Editorial Team
Reviewed by: NEETPGAI Medical Advisory Board
Last reviewed: June 2026
Exam pattern, marking scheme, eligibility, and session schedule are summarised from AIIMS New Delhi (the conducting body, aiimsexams.ac.in) and the National Medical Commission (NMC); always verify your cohort's specific requirements and the current cycle's notification on the official AIIMS and NMC portals before planning. Difficulty and image-load figures reflect widely-held coaching consensus, not an official rating. This article is reviewed for accuracy and exam relevance. For corrections or updates, contact the editorial team.
