AIIMS nursing syllabus: every entrance and recruitment test

AIIMS nursing syllabus and exam pattern, test by test

Each correct answer is worth one mark, a blank or a question left marked for review scores zero, and a wrong answer subtracts 0.33. In the M.Sc test, giving more than one response to a question also counts as wrong.

B.Sc (Hons) Nursing: the class 12 science route

Ninety of the hundred marks come from senior secondary science, so your NCERT books are the syllabus in practice. The GK slice of ten questions covers current events, general science and static facts. The paper can be taken in English or Hindi.

• Physics: mechanics, heat, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics.
• Chemistry: physical, inorganic and organic chemistry from classes 11 and 12.
• Biology: botany and zoology, with human physiology, genetics, reproduction and ecology carrying many questions.

For chapter lists and a twelve week plan, go to the AIIMS BSc nursing syllabus page.

Post Basic B.Sc Nursing: written test and assessment

This course takes nurses who hold the GNM diploma and are registered with a State Nursing Council. First comes the 70 question online paper. Those shortlisted, about three per seat, then face a 30 mark personal assessment that weighs their 10+2 and nursing marks along with their ward experience. Failing either step ends the application.

The Stage I paper draws on:

• Fundamentals of nursing
• Medical surgical nursing, with anatomy, physiology and pharmacology
• Obstetric nursing and midwifery
• Paediatric nursing
• Community health nursing
• Psychiatric nursing
• Professional trends

Reports differ on whether the paper is in English only or also in Hindi, so read the prospectus.

M.Sc Nursing entrance in brief

The M.Sc test is one computer based sitting with 90 questions in 90 minutes, set in English. Questions are drawn from what you studied for your nursing degree. AIIMS does not spell out a detailed topic list in most summaries, so treat your B.Sc nursing subjects as the base and read the prospectus for any listed areas.

Eligibility reported for recent sessions: an undergraduate nursing degree of any of the three AIIMS recognised types (Hons, basic or Post Basic), at least 60 percent in aggregate, (the SC and ST minimum is 55), and registration as a nurse (RN or RM) with a State Nursing Council. Seats are filled through rounds of allocation after the result.

NORCET: the Nursing Officer route

NORCET is a recruitment test, not an admission test. Its prelims mix roughly four parts nursing with one part GK and aptitude, and the case based mains decides rank. Both stages run in timed sections that lock when their clock ends. The NORCET syllabus page has the section timings and a study plan.

Preparing for the right AIIMS nursing paper

The four tests ask different things of you, so plan for the one you sit:

• Hons aspirants: about 72 seconds a question. Biology is the quickest scoring area; physics numericals take longest, so leave them for a second pass.
• Post Basic and M.Sc aspirants: one minute or a little more per question. Start with medical surgical nursing, which also pulls in anatomy, physiology and pharmacology, then move through the other listed subjects one by one.
• NORCET aspirants: practise reading clinical cases fast, because the mains gives about 67 seconds a question.

Official sources

Prospectuses, registration links, admit cards and results for all four tests are posted on the AIIMS exams website. Each prospectus carries the eligibility rules, the category wise qualifying criteria and the seat matrix for its session, so download the one for your test and keep it with your notes. Older prospectuses are useful only to see how patterns have changed. For other medical entrances, browse the entrance exams section, the NEET syllabus and the AIIMS paramedical syllabus.