INI-CET November 2026: Confirmed Exam Date, Registration Timeline, Eligibility & How It's Different from the May Session

AIIMS has confirmed the INI-CET November 2026 exam date: 1st November 2026, with results expected on 7th November 2026.

This is the entrance exam for the January 2027 session at AIIMS (all campuses), JIPMER Puducherry, PGIMER Chandigarh, NIMHANS Bengaluru, and SCTIMST Trivandrum — the most competitive postgraduate medical seats in the country, admitting through a single combined entrance test.

If you sat for or missed the May 2026 session, or if you're a final-year MBBS student or intern planning your first attempt, this guide covers everything confirmed so far for the November cycle: the dates, the registration process, eligibility, what's changed from the May session, and how to plan your preparation window.

Key Takeaways

• INI-CET November 2026 is confirmed for 1st November, with results on 7th November, admitting for the January 2027 session at AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, NIMHANS, and SCTIMST.
• Registration is expected to open around September 2026, based on past cycles, but hasn't been officially notified yet — confirm on aiimsexams.ac.in.
• The exam pattern (200 questions, 4 sections of 50 questions each, 45 minutes per section) and syllabus are identical to the May 2026 session — only the admission cycle and internship cut-off date differ.
• Since the exam falls just weeks after NEET PG 2026 (30th August), your core subject preparation should stay shared between the two exams, with a dedicated INI-CET-format practice phase in the final 3-4 weeks.
• There's no cap on the number of INI-CET attempts, so a missed or unsatisfactory May session isn't a lost opportunity.

INI-CET November 2026: What's Confirmed So Far

Per the official AIIMS Examination Calendar 2026, released by AIIMS:

Event	Date
Exam date	1st November 2026
Result declaration	7th November 2026
Registration (expected, based on cycle pattern)	Around September 2026
Registration closes (expected)	2–3 weeks after opening
Admit card (expected)	Late October 2026
Session admitted for	January 2027

The exam date and result date are officially confirmed on the AIIMS calendar. The registration opening date follows the consistent pattern AIIMS has used in recent cycles but has not yet been formally notified — always verify against the official prospectus once released at aiimsexams.ac.in.

INI-CET: One Exam, Five Prestigious Institutes

INI-CET (Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test) is the single, unified entrance exam that replaced what used to be separate entrance tests for each institute. A single INI-CET score gets you into the counselling pool for:

• AIIMS — New Delhi and other AIIMS campuses
• JIPMER Puducherry
• PGIMER Chandigarh
• NIMHANS Bengaluru
• SCTIMST Trivandrum

Courses admitted through INI-CET include MD, MS, MDS, DM (6-year), and MCh (6-year) programmes.

INI-CET runs twice a year — a session around May (for the July admission cycle) and a session around November (for the January admission cycle). The November 2026 exam is for the January 2027 session.

INI-CET November 2026 Eligibility

To apply for the November 2026 session, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a recognised MBBS degree (or BDS for MDS courses) from an institution recognised by the National Medical Commission (or Dental Council of India for MDS).
• Have completed the mandatory one-year rotating internship by the specified cut-off date for this session — historically this has been set close to the exam or a few months after, and the exact cut-off for the November 2026 session will be confirmed in the official prospectus.
• No upper age limit applies for MD/MS/MDS courses generally, though certain super-specialty courses (DM, MCh) may carry specific age-related criteria — check the relevant institute's specific requirements.
• No limit on the number of attempts — candidates may appear as many times as they wish, as long as eligibility criteria are met each cycle.
• Indian nationals, OCI/PIO cardholders, and eligible foreign nationals with valid documentation can apply.

If you're a final-year MBBS student or currently completing your internship, check the exact internship completion cut-off in the official prospectus once released — this is the single most common eligibility trip-up for first-time INI-CET applicants, since the cut-off date can differ meaningfully from NEET PG's own internship deadline.

INI-CET November 2026 Application Process

The application is entirely online through the AIIMS Examination portal (aiimsexams.ac.in), and follows a two-step process:

Step 1: Basic Registration

• Personal details
• Photograph and signature upload
• Exam city preference selection

Step 2: Final Registration

• Educational and Unique Code (EUC) entry
• Document upload (MBBS/BDS degree, ID proof, internship certificate)
• Application fee payment
• Final submission

Application fee (based on recent cycles):

Category	Fee
General / OBC	₹4,000
SC / ST / EWS	₹3,200
PwBD	Exempt

Verify these figures against the official prospectus for the November 2026 session once released, as fees can be revised.

Save your confirmation page after completing both steps — this is your primary proof of successful registration.

INI-CET Exam Pattern

The INI-CET exam follows a sectional format similar in spirit to NEET PG's structure, though with its own specific timing:

• Total questions: 200
• Sections: The paper is divided into 4 sections, with 50 questions per section
• Time per section: 45 minutes
• Total duration: 3 hours
• Mode: Computer-based test (CBT)
• Subjects covered: Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, and Clinical subjects (Medicine, Surgery, OBGY, Paediatrics, and allied specialties)

Like NEET PG, once a section's time expires, the exam moves to the next section automatically, with no return to a completed section. This makes sectional time management just as critical in INI-CET as it is in NEET PG.

Qualifying percentile for INI-CET:

• 50th percentile — UR (including OCI, EWS, Sponsored, and Foreign Nationals)
• 45th percentile — OBC, SC, ST, PwBD, and Bhutanese Nationals applying specifically to PGI Chandigarh

How INI-CET November 2026 Differs from the May 2026 Session

If you appeared in May 2026 or are comparing the two sessions, here's what's structurally different — and what isn't.

Aspect	May 2026 Session	November 2026 Session
Exam date	16th May 2026	1st November 2026
Admission cycle	July 2026	January 2027
Syllabus	Same	Same
Exam pattern	Same (4 sections, 50Q each, 45 min)	Same
Eligibility structure	Same core criteria	Same core criteria, different internship cut-off date
Seat availability	Full seat matrix for July intake	Full seat matrix for January intake (matrix composition can shift slightly session to session)
Competition level	Historically, session-to-session competition varies based on how many candidates defer or repeat	Same variability applies

The content and pattern of the exam itself don't change between sessions — what changes is the admission cycle you're entering and the specific internship completion cut-off date tied to that cycle. If you missed the May session or want another attempt, November represents a full, independent opportunity with the same syllabus and pattern.

INI-CET vs NEET PG: Should You Prepare for Both?

Given that INI-CET November 2026 (1st November) falls just weeks after NEET PG 2026 (30th August), many final-year MBBS students and interns are weighing whether to target both.

The case for preparing for both:

• The syllabus overlaps substantially — both exams draw from the same MBBS curriculum across pre-clinical, para-clinical, and clinical subjects.
• INI-CET's clinical-heavy, integrated question style is often considered excellent additional practice for NEET PG-style reasoning, and vice versa.
• AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, NIMHANS, and SCTIMST seats — accessible only through INI-CET — represent some of the most sought-after postgraduate training environments in the country, independent of your NEET PG outcome.

The case for caution:

• The roughly two-month gap between 30th August and 1st November leaves limited room for a distinct "INI-CET-specific" preparation phase if you're also managing NEET PG counselling logistics during that window.
• INI-CET's sectional format (4×50×45) is different enough from NEET PG's (5×40×42) that dedicated timed practice in the specific INI-CET format matters, not just content overlap.

A reasonable approach: Treat your core subject preparation as shared between the two exams — the same Medicine, Surgery, Pathology, and Pharmacology depth serves both. In the final 3–4 weeks before 1st November specifically, shift to INI-CET-format timed practice (4 sections, 50 questions, 45 minutes each) so the exam's specific rhythm isn't unfamiliar on exam day.

How to Plan Your Next Four Months

With 1st November 2026 now a confirmed date, here's a realistic way to think about the runway.

Now to 30th August: Your core preparation should be shared between NEET PG and INI-CET — the same Medicine, Surgery, Pathology, Pharmacology, and OBGY depth serves both exams. Don't split your syllabus coverage into separate "NEET PG prep" and "INI-CET prep" tracks at this stage.

30th August to late September: Once NEET PG is behind you, use this period for a genuine reset — review your NEET PG performance honestly (your error log from that exam is now a goldmine for INI-CET prep too), and begin layering in INI-CET-specific practice.

Late September to late October: This is your dedicated INI-CET runway. Shift into the exam's specific sectional format — 4 sections, 50 questions each, 45 minutes per section — for your mock practice, and complete your registration as soon as it opens (expected around September).

Final week before 1st November: Pure revision and format-specific mocks. No new topics.

The overlap between these two exams means the next four months are less about choosing one over the other, and more about sequencing your preparation so each exam gets a focused final stretch without wasting the substantial content overlap between them.