NEET UG Entrance Exam in India Conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) | Medical Entrance Exams in India

NEET UG Entrance Exam

With only 771500 candidates qualifying for the NEET UG Entrane Exam against the 1597435 registered candidates, NEET once again established itself as one of the most competitive and toughest entrance examinations in the world.

NEET UG Entrance Exam (National Entrance cum Eligibility Test-Undergraduate), conducted and overseen by NTA (National Testing Agency), is the sole route for the medical aspirants in India to grab a seat in the country's finest government and private run medical institutes. There were several colleges like AIIMS and JIPMER that used to conduct medical entrance examinations of their own. However, they now come under the common and uniform umbrella of NEET (UG). NEET (UG) is now the single route for all medical aspirants to pursue the flagship courses of MBBS and BDS across the country after their Std-12 graduation.

The rigor of the graduated medical students intensifies if they wish to pursue a postgraduate degree in MD (Doctor of Medicine), MS (Master of Surgery), or PG Diploma (Postgraduate Diploma). NEET-PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate) and INI-CET (Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test) are the examinations that the students must qualify to pursue Postgraduate courses in various reputed medical colleges of the country.

NEET-SS (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Super Specialty) is the examination that the candidates must qualify to pursue super-specialty medical courses after their postgraduation.

Below is the list of all the medical entrance examinations in India, along with all the necessary details to guide a medical aspirant if he/she wishes to pursue a career in medicine. These examinations are the gateway to ensure admission in the various undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, and super-specialty courses.

Medical Entrance Examinations

National-Level Examinations

A.   NEET UG Entrance Exam

Conducted by NTA, NEET UG Entrance Exam (National Entrance cum Eligibility Test-Undergraduate) is the sole national-level medical entrance examination whose score is accepted by all the government and privately run medical colleges all over the country. This examination is the crucial step to secure admission for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, veterinary, and other undergraduate-level courses in any medical college in the country. All the state-level medical entrance examinations and institute-level entrance examinations (previously conducted by AIIMS, JIPMER, etc.) have been scraped and merged with NEET UG Entrance Exam. This is done to ensure common and uniform testing of all the medical aspirants.

The syllabus of the NEET UG entrance exam is one of the most rigorous and challenging ones out there. But with the correct grasp of the subjects' concepts, dedication, practice, and smart preparation, cracking the NEET UG Entrance Exam is certainly achievable.

NEET UG Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria for Undergraduate (UG) courses (MBBS/BDS/BAMS/BSMS/BUMS/BHMS etc.):

1. Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: As of December 31, the candidates must be of at least 17 years of age to be eligible for the exam. The decision on the upper age is still pending. Therefore, provisionally all the candidates satisfying the minimum age criteria are eligible


2. NEET UG Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria for Academic Qualifications:

• Qualifying examination: Candidates must have qualified Higher Secondary School/Intermediate or equivalent examination from 10+2 education system from a recognized board with the core subjects of English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology.
• Minimum marks required:: An aggregate percentage in Std-12, taking only the PCB marks into consideration, must be calculated. Below are the minimum marks required across various categories:
• UR - 50%
• OBC/SC/ST - 40%
• PWD - 45%
• Appearing candidates: Candidates appearing for their Std-12 board examinations are eligible to apply for the NEET UG Entrance Exam. However, such candidates need to produce proof of passing Class 12th or equivalent exam at the time of admission. Candidates unable to produce the evidence shall forfeit their right of admission through the NEET UG entrance exam.

3. NEET UG Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria for the NRI/Foreign Nationals: NRIs, OCI, PIO, and foreign students are eligible to appear for NEET UG entrance exam, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.


4. NEET UG Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria for a number of attempts: The restrictions on the maximum number of attempts per candidate have been removed after the 2018 amendments in the NEET UG entrance exam eligibility criteria. As long a candidate meets the eligibility criteria, he/she can appear for the NEET UG entrance exam as many times as they want.


5. NEET UG entrance exam Eligibility Criteria for State Quota: 85% state quota has been allocated to all the medical colleges in the states and union territories counseling, subject to the fulfillment of the eligibility criteria laid down by the respective state and UT authorities. The rest 15% of the MBBS, BDS, and other undergraduate courses seats are allocated to for the national level pan India counseling.


6. NEET UG entrance exam Eligibility Criteria for All India Quota: The aspirants who qualify for the NEET UG entrance exam will be eligible to apply for seats under the 15% All India Quota and for all the seats in Central Universities, deemed universities, ESIC, AFMC, etc. MCI will be conducting the counseling for the same.

NEET UG entrance exam Highlights:

Exam Name	NEET UG entrance exam
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Conducting Body	NTA
Exam Mode	Pen & Paper (Offline)
Exam Duration	3 hours
Subjects	Physics, Chemistry, Biology
Scope	Admission into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other undergraduate courses in all the government and private medical institutions.
Official Website	ntaneet.nic.in

NEET UG Entrance Exam Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Issue of Notification	March 12
Online registration begins	2nd week of May
Last date of application	4th week of June
Issue of Admit Card	1st week of July
NEET UG Entrance Exam	August 1,
Publication of Official Answer Key	3rd week of August
Declaration of result	4th week of August
Counseling starts	TBD

Institute-Level Examinations

A.   AIIMS Nursing

AIIMS Nursing is a national-level examination conducted by AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) which the aspirants must qualify to secure admission in a four-year professional course of Graduation in Nursing/B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing or a two-year specialization course of B.Sc. (Post-Basic) Nursing at AIIMS. The candidates qualifying for the first round of written tests will be called for an interview. A candidate will be eligible for admission only after qualifying both the written as well as the interview round.

AIIMS Nursing Eligibility Criteria for Undergraduate (UG) courses (B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing/ B.Sc. (Post-Basic) Nursing):

1. AIIMS Nursing Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: As of December 31, the candidates must be of at least 17 years of age to be eligible for the examination.


2. AIIMS Nursing Eligibility Criteria for the various courses:
   
   B.Sc. (Hons) Nursing:

• Qualifying examination: Candidates must have qualified Higher Secondary School/Intermediate or equivalent examination from 10+2 education system from a recognized board with the core subjects of English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Maths.
• Minimum marks required: An aggregate percentage in Std-12, taking only the PCB marks into consideration, must be calculated. Below are the minimum marks required across various categories:
• UR/OBC - 55%
• SC/ST - 50%
• Appearing candidates: Candidates appearing for their Std-12 board examinations in March/April are eligible to apply for the NEET UG entrance exam. However, such candidates need to produce proof of passing Class 12th or equivalent exam at the time of admission. Candidates unable to produce the evidence shall forfeit their right of admission through the AIIMS Nursing examination.
  
  B.Sc. (Post-Basic) Nursing:


• Qualifying examination: Candidates must have qualified Higher Secondary School/Intermediate or equivalent examination from 10+2 education system from a recognized board with the core subjects of English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Maths.
• Additional Requirements: The candidates should hold a diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery from any institution recognized by the Indian Nursing Council. Additionally, the candidates must be registered as RN (Registered Nurse) or RM (Registered Midwife) under any State Nursing Council. Male candidates should have six-month training in any of the below-mentioned subjects, besides being registered nurses.


• OT (Operation Theatre) Techniques
• Community Health Nursing
• Leprosy Nursing
• TB Nursing
• Ophthalmic Nursing
• Cancer Nursing
• Psychiatric Nursing
• Orthopaedic Nursing
• Neurological and Neuro Surgical Nursing

AIIMS Nursing Highlights:

Exam Name	AIIMS Nursing
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Conducting Body	AIIMS New Delhi
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	120 minutes (B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing) 90 minutes (B.Sc. (Post-Basic) Nursing)
Subjects	Physics, Chemistry, Biology, General Knowledge (B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing) Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Maths (B.Sc. (Post-Basic) Nursing)
Scope	Admission for B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing and B.Sc. (Post-Basic) Nursing courses at AIIMS.
Official Website	https://www.aiimsexams.ac.in/

AIIMS Nursing Entrance Examination Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Online registration begins	March 13
Last date of application	April 6
Issue of Admit Card	June 3
Issue of Admit Card	1st week of July
AIIMS B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing Entrance Exam	June 14
AIIMS B.Sc. (Post-Basic) Nursing Entrance Exam27	June 27
Publication of Official Answer Key	TBD
Declaration of result	TBD
Counseling starts	TBD

Postgraduate Medical entrance Examinations

National-Level Examinations

A.   NEET-PG

Conducted by NBE (National Board of Examination), the NEET-PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Postgraduate) is the most widely accepted entrance examination for pursuing postgraduate courses in MD (Doctor of Medicine), MS (Master of Surgery), PG Diploma (Postgraduate Diploma), or MBBS DNB. Qualifying the NEET-PG examination will make the candidates eligible for the 10821 MS, 19953 MD, and 1979 PG Diploma seats which are offered by the various medical colleges in the country. NEET-PG examination saw a hike in application fees and the number of examination centers. Also, there has been a change in exam timings, tie-breaking rules, and changes in the exam pattern, with the number of questions decreasing from 300 to 200 and total obtainable marks reducing from 1200 to 800.

The NEET-PG syllabus will be based on the MBBS curriculum, as per the guidelines and regulations laid down by MCI. The question paper consists of 3 sections: Clinical, Pre-Clinical, and Para-Clinical subjects.

The colleges which do not accept NEET-PG scores for their Postgraduate courses are AIIMS (New Delhi), PGIMER (Chandigarh), SGPGIMS (Lucknow), NIMHANS (Bengaluru), JIPMER (Puducherry), Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (Trivandrum). Some of them conduct their examinations for admission into their postgraduate courses.

NEET-PG Eligibility Criteria for Postgraduate (PG) courses (MD, MS, PG Diploma, DNB Post-MBBS, etc.):

1. NEET-PG Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: NEET-PG has no prescribed lower and upper age limit. Candidates satisfying the other eligibility criteria can apply for the NEET-PG entrance examination.


2. NEET-PG Eligibility Criteria for Academic Qualifications:

• Qualifying examination:Aspirants must hold either an MBBS degree or Provisional Pass Certificate in MBBS, recognized as per the provisions of the Indian Medical Council.
• Additional Requirements: Candidates should also be permanently or provisionally registered and certified of MBBS degree, issued by the State Medical Council or Medical Council of India. Additionally, the candidates should have completed their rotatory internship as per the regulations laid down by the authority.

3. NEET-PG Eligibility Criteria for the NRI/Foreign Nationals: NRIs and foreign nationals do not have to hold a temporary registration certificate from MCI to appear in NEET-PG entrance examinations, but they must hold one during the tenure of their postgraduate course.

NEET-PG Highlights:

Exam Name	NEET-PG
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Conducting Body	NBE
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	210 minutes
Scope	Admission into MD, MS, PG Diploma, DNB post-MBBS, and other postgraduate courses in all the government and private medical institutions.
Official Website	https://nbe.edu.in/

NEET-PG Entrance Examination Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Issue of Notification	February 23
Online registration begins	February 23
Last date of application	March 15
Issue of Admit Card	April 13
NEET-PG Entrance Exam	Postponed
Publication of Official Answer Key	TBD
Declaration of result	TBD
Counseling starts	TBD

B.   INI-CET

Conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi, INI-CET (Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test) is a combined entrance examination. It serves as a common entrance examination for pursuing postgraduate medical courses such as MD, MS, DM (6 years), MCh (6 years), MDS in four institutes of national repute- AIIMS PG, JIPMER PG, NIMHANS, and PGIMER. A total of 815 seats are available in the 8 AIIMS, JIPMER, NIMHANS, and PGIMER for the candidates who qualify for the examination.

INI-CET Eligibility Criteria for Postgraduate (PG) courses (MD, MS, DM, MCh, MDS)

1. INI-CET Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: INI-CET has prescribed an upper age limit of 35 years. It is relaxable by a maximum of 3 years for OBC candidates and a maximum of 5 years for the SC/ST candidates. The upper age limit is applicable for sponsored candidates.


2. INI-CET Eligibility Criteria for Academic Qualifications:

• Qualifying examination: Aspirants must hold either an MBBS degree for MD/MS and a BDS degree for MDS from an MCI (Medical Council of India)/DCI (Dental Council of India) recognized institution.
• Minimum marks required: A minimum aggregate percentage in MBBS is required across various categories:
• UR/OBC - 55%
• SC/ST - 50%
• Additional Requirements: Candidates should also be permanently or provisionally registered and certified of MBBS degree, issued by the State Medical Council/State Dental Council or Medical Council of India/Dental Council of India. Additionally, the candidates should have completed their rotatory internship as per the regulations laid down by the authority.

3. INI-CET Eligibility Criteria for the NRI/Foreign Nationals: Foreign national candidates must obtain the grading system certificate from their universities or institutes, and an equivalent percentage must be obtained. Indian nationals who have graduated from foreign institutes should provide the percentage obtained in their MCI screening examination. A minimum of 55% for UR/OBC and a minimum of 50% for SC/ST should be secured by the candidates in the NBE conducted FMGE examination.

INI-CET Highlights:

Exam Name	INI-CET
Exam Frequency	Twice a year-January and July session
Conducting Body	AIIMS, New Delhi
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	3 hours
Scope	Admission into MD, MS, DM, MCh, MDS postgraduate courses at all the 8 AIIMS, JIPMER, NIMHANS, and PGIMER.
Official Website	https://www.aiimsexams.org/

INI-CET Entrance Examination Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Issue of Notification	April 23 (Revised)
Online registration begins	March 1
Last date of application	March 31
Issue of Admit Card	TBD
INI-CET Entrance Exam	Postponed
Publication of Official Answer Key	TBD
Declaration of result	TBD
Counseling starts	TBD

C.   NEET-MDS

NEET-MDS (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Master of Dental Surgery) is conducted by NBE for the aspirants to secure admission for the postgraduate course of Master of Dental Surgery, whose score is accepted across 272 medical institutes. It is the sole entrance examination for admission to all the postgraduate dental courses across the country.

NEET-MDS 2022 Eligibility Criteria for Postgraduate (PG) courses (MDS, PG Diploma (Dental))

1. NEET-MDS 2022 Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: NEET-MDS has prescribed a lower age limit of 20 years.


2. NEET-MDS 2022 Eligibility Criteria for Academic Qualifications:

• Qualifying examination: Aspirants must hold a BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) from a Dental Council of India recognized medical institute.

3. Additional Requirements: Candidates should also be permanently or provisionally registered with the State Dental Council or the Dental Council of India. Additionally, the candidates should have completed their one-year rotatory internship on or before March 31.
4. NEET-MDS 2022 Eligibility Criteria for the NRI/Foreign Nationals: It is no longer mandatory for foreign nationals to be temporarily registered with the DCI to apply for the examination

NEET-MDS 2022 Highlights:

Exam Name	NEET-MDS
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Conducting Body	NBE
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	3 hours
Scope	Admission into MDS. PG Diploma (Dental) postgraduate dental courses in all the medical institutes across the country.
Official Website	https://nbe.edu.in/

NEET-MDS 2022 Entrance Examination Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Issue of Notification	October
Online registration begins	TBD
Last date of application	TBD
Issue of Admit Card	TBD
NEET-MDS 2022 Entrance Exam	TBD
Publication of Official Answer Key	TBD
Declaration of result	TBD
Counseling starts	TBD

D.   AIAPGET

AIAPGET (All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test) is the gateway for the postgraduate courses, including MD, MS, and PG Diploma in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Siddha, and Unani medicine. The examination is conducted by NTA, under the directive of the Ministry of AYUSH. There are around 11 participating institutes that accept the scores of the AIAPGET examination.

AIAPGET Eligibility Criteria for Postgraduate (PG) courses (MD, MS, PG Diploma, etc.)

1. AIAPGET Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: AIAPGET has prescribed no upper age limit for the candidates.


2. AIAPGET Eligibility Criteria for Academic Qualifications:

• Qualifying examination: Aspirants must hold BUMS/BAMS/BHMS/Graded BHMS/BSMS degree, or an equivalent provisional certificate issued by state board/universities/deemed universities/CCIM/CCH.
• Additional Requirements: The candidates should have completed or will be completing their one-year internship on or before September 30.

AIAPGET Highlights:

Exam Name	AIAPGET
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Conducting Body	NBE
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	90 minutes
Scope	Admission into MD, MS, PG Diploma postgraduate courses in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Siddha, and Unani medicine.
Official Website	www.ntaaiapget.nic.in

AIAPGET Entrance Examination Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Issue of Notification	May 5 (Revised)
Online registration begins	TBD
Last date of application	TBD
Issue of Admit Card	TBD
AIAPGET Entrance Exam	Postponed
Publication of Official Answer Key	TBD
Declaration of result	TBD
Counseling starts	TBD

Insitute-Level Examinations

A.  AIIMS Nursing

AIIMS Nursing entrance examination is conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi, to secure admission for the postgraduate M.Sc. Nursing courses. There are seven specialty courses available under this postgraduate course at the various AIIMS.

AIIMS Nursing Eligibility Criteria for Postgraduate (PG) courses (MSc Nursing)

1. AIIMS Nursing Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: INI-CET has prescribed an upper age limit of 35 years. It is relaxable by a maximum of 3 years for OBC candidates and 5 years for the SC/ST candidates. The upper age limit is applicable for sponsored candidates.


2. AIIMS Nursing Eligibility Criteria for Academic Qualifications:

• Qualifying examination: Aspirants must hold a Bachelor's degree in B.Sc Nursing (Post Certificate)/ Post Basic/ B.Sc (Hons.) Nursing/B.Pharmacy/ B.V Sc/B.Sc Nursing/BDS/MBBS to be eligible for the examination.
• Minimum marks required:A minimum aggregate percentage is required across various categories:
• UR/OBC - 60%
• SC/ST - 55%

3. Additional Requirements: Candidates should be a registered nurses or midwives with any State Nursing Council.

AIIMS Nursing Highlights:

Exam Name	AIIMS Nursing
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Conducting Body	AIIMS, New Delhi
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	90 minutes
Scope	Admission into M.Sc postgraduate course in nursing at all the 8 AIIMS.
Official Website	https://www.aiimsexams.org/

AIIMS Nursing Entrance Examination Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Issue of Notification	March 13
Online registration begins	March 13
Last date of application	April 6
Issue of Admit Card	June 5
AIIMS Nursing Entrance Exam	June 14
Publication of Official Answer Key	TBD
Declaration of result	TBD
Counseling starts	TBD

Medical entrance Examinations after postgraduate

National-Level Examinations

A.   NEET-SS

NEET-SS (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Super Specialty), conducted by NBE, is the sole entrance examination conducted to secure admission for DM/MCh courses. All the private medical colleges and universities, along with the Armed forces medical services institutions, accept admission scores into their specialization and higher studies programs. AIIMS (New Delhi), PGIMER (Chandigarh), NIMHANS (Bengaluru), JIPMER (Puducherry), and SCTIMST (Thiruvananthapuram) do not accept the scores of NEET-SS.

NEET-SS Eligibility Criteria for Postgraduate (PG) courses (DM/MCh):

1. NEET-SS Eligibility Criteria for Age Limit: NEET-SS has no prescribed lower and upper age limit. Candidates satisfying the other eligibility criteria can apply for the NEET-SS entrance examination.


2. NEET-SS Eligibility Criteria for Academic Qualifications:

• Qualifying examination: Aspirants must hold a postgraduate degree in MD/MS/DNB or its equivalent from a reputed institution on or before September 25.
• Additional Requirements: Candidates should be registered with the Medical Council of India or the State Medical Council.

3. NEET-SS Eligibility Criteria for the NRI/Foreign Nationals: NRIs/ Foreign Nationals do not require an MCI registration to appear for NEET-SS. Still, they should be registered with the proper authority in their respective countries. A temporary MCI registration will be granted to the candidates during the tenure of their course after qualifying for the NEET-SS examination.

NEET-SS Highlights:

Exam Name	NEET-SS
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Conducting Body	NBE
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	210 minutes
Scope	Admission into DM/MCh postgraduate courses in all the government and private medical institutions.
Official Website	https://nbe.edu.in/

AIIMS Nursing Entrance Examination Important Dates:

Events	Dates (Tentative)
Issue of Notification	TBD
Online registration begins	TBD
Last date of application	TBD
Issue of Admit Card	TBD
NEET-SS Entrance Exam	TBD
Publication of Official Answer Key	TBD
Declaration of result	TBD
Counseling starts	TBD

NEET UG Entrance Exam in India Conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) | Medical Entrance Exams in India Vijay Pandey 4.9 of 5

Document NEET UG Entrance Exam With only 771500 candidates qualifyi...