AIIMS NORCET 2027: Exam Date, Pattern, Eligibility | NPrep

NORCET (Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test) is the exam AIIMS New Delhi conducts twice a year to recruit Nursing Officers (Group B, Pay Level 7) for AIIMS institutes and other central government hospitals. NORCET 12 Stage I is on 10 April 2027 and Stage II on 30 April 2027. Stage I has 100 MCQs in 90 minutes; Stage II has 160 case-based MCQs in 180 minutes.

Updated 29 October 2026. Every rule below is from AIIMS Notice 103/2026 (NORCET 11) and AIIMS's 2027 exam calendar on aiimsexams.ac.in. Rules can change with the NORCET 12 notice, expected in February or March 2027.

NORCET at a glance

Item	Value	Source
Full form	Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test	Notice 103/2026
Conducted by	AIIMS New Delhi (Examination Section), aiimsexams.ac.in	Notice 103/2026
Post	Nursing Officer, Group B, Pay Level 7 (pre-revised PB-2 ₹9,300 to 34,800, Grade Pay ₹4,600)	Notice 103/2026
Frequency	Twice a year (April and September cycles)	AIIMS exam calendar
NORCET 12 dates	Stage I 10 April 2027 (result 21 April); Stage II 30 April 2027 (result 11 May)	AIIMS 2027 calendar
NORCET 13 dates	Stage I 11 September 2027; Stage II 27 September 2027	AIIMS 2027 calendar
Stage I	100 MCQs, 90 minutes, 5 locked sections of 18 minutes; qualifying only	Notice 103/2026, clause 31
Stage II	160 case-based MCQs, 180 minutes, 4 locked sections of 45 minutes; decides merit	Notice 103/2026, clause 31
Negative marking	Minus 1/3 per wrong answer in both stages	Notice 103/2026
Age limit	18 to 30 years on the closing date, with relaxation	Notice 103/2026
Fee (NORCET 11)	₹3,000 UR/OBC; ₹2,400 SC/ST/EWS; PwBD exempt	Notice 103/2026

What is NORCET?

NORCET is a common recruitment exam for the post of Nursing Officer, conducted by AIIMS New Delhi. One NORCET rank is used to fill Nursing Officer posts at participating AIIMS and at other recruiters named in each notice. In NORCET 11 these were all AIIMS and AIIMS-CAPFIMS, VMMC and Safdarjung and other central government hospitals in New Delhi, JIPMER Puducherry, ESIC New Delhi, NITRD New Delhi and CIP Ranchi.

The relationships are simple:

• NORCET is conducted by AIIMS New Delhi and is held twice a year.
• It recruits Nursing Officers in Group B at Pay Level 7.
• Stage I qualifies you; Stage II decides your All India Rank.
• Your rank, category and choices decide which institute you are allotted.
• You must be registered as a Nurse and Midwife with the Indian Nursing Council or a State Nursing Council.

When is NORCET 12?

AIIMS's 2027 exam calendar fixes the NORCET 12 and 13 dates:

Event	NORCET 12	NORCET 13
Stage I (CBT)	10 April 2027 (Saturday)	11 September 2027
Stage I result	21 April 2027	Not yet announced
Stage II (CBT)	30 April 2027 (Friday)	27 September 2027
Stage II result	11 May 2027	Not yet announced

The NORCET 12 notification is expected in February or March 2027, which is an estimate based on past cycles: the NORCET 10 notice (17/2026) was dated 24 February 2026. Full details are in our NORCET 12 and 13 exam dates page.

What is the NORCET exam pattern?

NORCET has two stages. Both are computer-based, both have four options per question, and both deduct one third of a mark for each wrong answer.

Feature	Stage I: NORCET Preliminary	Stage II: NORCET Main
Questions and marks	100 MCQs, 100 marks	160 MCQs, 160 marks
Content	80 nursing + 20 general knowledge and aptitude	Nursing, focused on case scenario-based questions
Duration	90 minutes	180 minutes
Sections	5 sections of 20 questions, 18 minutes each	4 sections of 40 questions, 45 minutes each
Can you go back?	No, each section locks when its time ends	No, each section locks when its time ends
Qualifying standard	50 percentile UR/EWS, 45 OBC, 40 SC/ST; 5 lower for PwBD	50% UR/EWS, 45% OBC, 40% SC/ST; 5% lower for PwBD
Role	Qualifying only; not used for merit	Decides merit rank

Only 5 times the seats in each category are called to Stage II, plus all qualified PwBD candidates and ties. That is why the real Stage I cut-off is far above the minimum. See the NORCET syllabus and exam pattern for the subject list.

Who is eligible for NORCET?

Notice 103/2026 accepts either route:

1. Degree route: B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing, B.Sc. Nursing, or B.Sc. (Post-Certificate) / Post-Basic B.Sc. Nursing from an INC or State Nursing Council recognised institute, plus registration as a Nurse and Midwife with a State or Indian Nursing Council.
2. Diploma route: GNM from a recognised institute, plus registration as a Nurse and Midwife, plus 2 years' experience in a hospital of at least 50 beds after the qualification. The notice states this for all participating AIIMS.

The age limit is 18 to 30 years on the closing date of the application. Relaxation in the NORCET 11 notice includes 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC and 10 years for PwBD. At participating AIIMS, 80% of seats are reserved for women and 20% for men. Read the full rules in our NORCET eligibility criteria guide.

What is the NORCET cut-off?

The Stage I cut-off is a percentile that changes every cycle. In NORCET 11 (Result Notification 276/2026) it was:

Category	NORCET 11 Stage I cut-off
UR	95.1589222 percentile
OBC	86.9062735
SC	84.1940796
EWS	82.2407840
ST	79.7051704

In NORCET 11, 1,00,804 candidates appeared, 12,638 were called to Stage II and 10,613 qualified Stage II. The Stage II qualifying marks are fixed at 50%, 45% and 40% by category. See the full trend in NORCET cut-off by category and the NORCET safe score guide.

How many marks do you need for a good NORCET rank?

NPrep read every rank in the last four Stage II results. The score needed for the same rank moved a lot between cycles:

Rank	NORCET 8	NORCET 9	NORCET 10	NORCET 11
AIR 1	76.667%	77.500%	86.667%	82.917%
AIR 100	66.250%	68.542%	79.167%	73.125%
AIR 1,000	60.000%	61.875%	73.750%	65.417%

Full tables are in NORCET marks vs rank.

How many NORCET vacancies are there?

NORCET 11 advertised about 2,200 posts, plus 30 AIIMS Madurai posts added by Addendum 35/2026. Further addenda added an AIIMS Rishikesh vacancy and final AIIMS Bhopal and Mangalagiri vacancies. The final seat position is published on 30 October 2026, before choice filling. In earlier cycles AIIMS allotted 1,939 seats (NORCET 8), 3,243 (NORCET 9) and 2,438 (NORCET 10). See which institutes take part in Is NORCET only for AIIMS?

What is an AIIMS Nursing Officer's salary?

Nursing Officers are appointed at Pay Level 7 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix, with an entry basic pay of ₹44,900. Dearness Allowance and House Rent Allowance are added, so in-hand pay depends on the city of posting. Our AIIMS Nursing Officer salary guide breaks this down.

How does NORCET seat allocation work?

After the Stage II result, qualified candidates fill institute choices online. Seats are allotted once, in order of Stage II rank, against choices and category seats. Notice 103/2026 says there is no waiting list and that not joining an allotted seat cancels your candidature for that NORCET. For the current cycle, NORCET 11 choice filling runs from 30 October to 6 November 2026 (5 PM). See NORCET 11 choice filling and seat allotment.

How to prepare for NORCET 12

• Plan backwards from 10 April 2027. Finish the core nursing subjects first, then move to previous year papers and full-length mocks.
• Practise in locked sections. Train in 18-minute blocks for Stage I and 45-minute blocks for Stage II.
• Prepare for Mains from the start. There are only 20 days between Stage I and Stage II.
• Use previous papers. Our NORCET previous year question papers show how questions are framed.

Read the full plan in NORCET preparation strategy and the NORCET Mains strategy for 160 questions in 180 minutes.

NORCET FAQs

What is the full form of NORCET?

NORCET stands for Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test. It is conducted by AIIMS New Delhi to recruit Nursing Officers for AIIMS institutes and other central government hospitals.

When is the NORCET 12 exam?

NORCET 12 Stage I is on 10 April 2027 and Stage II on 30 April 2027, according to AIIMS's 2027 exam calendar. The Stage I result is scheduled for 21 April and the Stage II result for 11 May 2027.

How many times is NORCET conducted in a year?

Twice. AIIMS holds an April cycle and a September cycle. In 2027, NORCET 12 is in April and NORCET 13 is on 11 and 27 September.

Is NORCET a two-stage exam?

Yes. Stage I (Prelims) has 100 MCQs in 90 minutes and only decides who goes to Stage II. Stage II (Mains) has 160 case-based MCQs in 180 minutes and decides your merit rank.

Is NORCET only for AIIMS?

No. NORCET 11 also recruited for JIPMER, ESIC New Delhi, Safdarjung and other central government hospitals in Delhi, NITRD New Delhi and CIP Ranchi, using the same rank.

Can GNM candidates apply for NORCET?

Yes. GNM holders registered as a Nurse and Midwife can apply if they have 2 years' experience in a hospital of at least 50 beds after qualifying. Notice 103/2026 states this for all participating AIIMS.

What is the age limit for NORCET?

18 to 30 years on the closing date of the application, with relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC and 10 years for PwBD under the NORCET 11 notice.

Is NORCET a government job?

Yes. A Nursing Officer selected through NORCET is a Group B central government post at Pay Level 7, with an entry basic pay of ₹44,900.

What to read next

• NORCET 12 and 13 exam dates
• NORCET eligibility criteria
• NORCET syllabus and exam pattern
• NORCET cut-off by category
• Is NORCET tough? Competition data
• AIIMS Nursing Officer salary
• NORCET preparation strategy
• NORCET previous year question papers
• Free NORCET sample tests on NPrep courses