Medical entrance exams you must know!

Medicine as a career is a dream for many aspirants and thus is highly competitive. In the journey of becoming a doctor, candidates need to qualify for medical entrance tests at every step testing their knowledge, dedication, focus, and competence. The hurdles in the career path are not limited to just the undergraduate level, but they intensify manifold at the postgraduate level.

For a school pass out, to achieve his/her dream of pursuing MBBS/BDS, one must compete among lakhs of aspirants through the country's biggest medical entrance exam - The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Besides NEET, medical candidates can also appear for BSc nursing entrance exams and state-level veterinary exams. Aspirants must undergo these medical entrance exams to get admission to India’s finest medical institutions.

Medical graduates wishing to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Surgery (MS), and PG Diploma have to appear for PG medical entrance tests. National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG) and Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET) are entrance exams conducted for PG medical courses in AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, and other institutes across India.

Similarly, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super Specialty - NEET SS medical entrance exam is held for admission to Doctor of Medicine (DM) and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) courses. To aid this process, this CareersToday article presents a compiled and updated list of medical entrance exams for the upcoming session which every medical aspirant must appear to secure admission in undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma medical courses across the country. Read the article to know more about state level medical entrance exams, medical entrance exam other than NEET, others.

Medical entrance after 12th

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET

The most popular medical entrance examination in India - NEET is conducted to offer admission to candidates in the flagship MBBS and BDS courses across the country. Along with MBBS, NEET score is also accepted nationwide for admission to AYUSH, veterinary and other graduate-level medical courses. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA),

NEET is a single national-level entrance exam for UG medical courses in the country. Earlier AIIMS and JIPMER conducted separate entrance tests for MBBS/BDS admissions however, they have been merged with NEET. More than 21 lakh medical aspirants appeared for the NEET exam.

• NEET is a three-hour-twenty-minute-long exam and is conducted offline i.e. pen-paper mode.

• The NEET exam pattern is objective in nature and consists of 200 questions out of which 180 questions need to be attempted from biology (90), physics (45), and chemistry (45) for a maximum of 720 marks.

• There is a negative marking for every wrong answer in the entrance exam.

The table below provides key details about the NEET 2024 exam.

NEET exam 2024 highlights

• Nursing entrance exam - AIIMS Nursing

Premier medical institution of the country, All India Institute of Medical Sciences - AIIMS, New Delhi conducts AIIMS bsc nursing exams for admission to its undergraduate B.Sc (H) and B.Sc (post-basic) Nursing courses. AIIMS nursing is conducted annually and invites applications from eligible candidates from all over India.

• AIIMS nursing is conducted in an online mode.

• Exam patterns for both B.Sc (H) and B.Sc (post-basic) entrance tests are objective in nature.

• The B.Sc (H) Nursing course admits only female candidates while the B.Sc Nursing (post-basic) course admits both male and female candidates.

• Candidates who appear and qualify for the AIIMS Nursing exam for B.Sc Nursing (post-basic) are called for a personal interview. Those who qualify for both the written test and personal interview round become eligible for admission.

Candidates must go through the eligibility criteria and syllabus for the AIIMS Nursing entrance test for both courses. The table below provides key highlights about the AIIMS Nursing entrance exam.

AIIMS B.Sc Nursing 2024 exam highlights

• Veterinary Entrance Exam - Rajasthan Pre-Veterinary Test (RPVT)

As aforesaid, the score of the national level medical entrance test, NEET, is also accepted for admission to veterinary medical courses across the country. Therefore, the. Rajasthan Pre Veterinary Test is now merged with NEET. Candidates who want to take admission to the undergraduate Bachelor of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc & A.H.) course in Rajasthan must qualify for NEET.

• Veterinary Entrance Exam - UP Pre-Veterinary Entrance Test

UP Veterinary entrance exam is a state-level examination conducted for admission to a bachelor’s degree in veterinary sciences. The UP Veterinary entrance exam is conducted by Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Science University and Cattle Research Institute (DUVASU). The undergraduate entrance exam known as the Pre-Veterinary Entrance Test (PVT) is conducted for admission to the Bachelor of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc & A.H.) course.

• The exam is conducted in two phases namely, preliminary examination and main examination.

• The UP Pre-Veterinary Test consists of 200 questions.

• Questions are asked from four subjects - Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, and Botany.

• There is a negative marking for every incorrect answer.

The table below provides key details about the nature of the UP Pre-Veterinary Entrance Test.

UP Veterinary entrance exam highlights

In addition to the above-discussed entrance examinations, there are other state-level veterinary entrance exams as well.

Postgraduate Entrance Exams

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET PG

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET PG, is conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) for admission to postgraduate medical courses such as MD, MS, PG Diploma, and DNB CET. The score of NEET PG 2024 is accepted nationwide by medical colleges and hospitals.

• The NEET PG exam is 3 hours and 30 minutes in duration.

• There are 200 questions in total with negative marking for every wrong answer.

• The exam is conducted in a computer-based test mode in NEET exam centres across different parts of the country.

The table below provides details about the nature of the examination.

NEET PG 2024 highlights

• Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test - INI CET

INI CET is a national-level postgraduate medical entrance examination conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. The exam has replaced the postgraduate medical entrance exams of four institutes of national importance - AIIMS PG, JIPMER PG, PGIMER, and NIMHANS.

INI CET is a single entrance test for admission to postgraduate MD, MS, MDS, MCh, and DM courses across all AIIMS institutions, JIPMER, PGIMER, and NIMHANS. The exam will be conducted twice a year in January and July sessions.

The table below provides details about the INI CET examination.

INI CET highlights

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET MDS

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET MDS, is conducted once a year by the National Board of Examination (NBE) for admission to Master of Dental Surgery. The score of NEET MDS is accepted nationwide by 272 medical colleges.

• The duration of the NEET MDS exam is 3 hours and the mode of conduct is English.

• Similar to NEET PG, NEET MDS is a computer-based test i.e. conducted in an online mode.

• According to the NEET MDS exam pattern, there are a total of 240 questions, with negative marking for every wrong answer.

The table below provides details about the nature of the examination.

NEET MDS highlights

• All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test - AIAPGET

The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test - AIAPGET for admission to postgraduate courses. The post-graduate courses include MD/MS/PG DIPLOMA courses in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy medicine.

• Conducted annually, AIAPGET is a computer-based test i.e. is conducted in an online mode.

• The duration of the AIAPGET exam is 90 minutes.

• A total of 11 institutes in the country participate in this national-level examination.

• The AIAPGET exam pattern is objective in nature and has negative markings for incorrect answers.

The table below lists the key highlights of the exam.

AIPGET highlights

• Veterinary Entrance Exam - UP Postgraduate Entrance Test (PGET)

The UP Veterinary entrance exam is a state-level entrance test, conducted by Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Science University and Cattle Research Institute (DUVASU). UP Postgraduate Entrance Test (PGET) admits candidates to M.V.Sc. course.

• The duration of the postgraduate entrance examination is 2 hours

• UP PGET consists of 200 questions.

• There is no negative marking in the exam.

The table below provides key details about the nature of the UP Veterinary Entrance Exam.

UP Postgraduate Entrance Test highlights

Medical Entrance Exams after Postgraduate

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Super Specialty (NEET - SS)

Post completion of a master’s degree in medicine candidates become eligible to pursue super-speciality courses in medicine. NEET SS is the national-level entrance test conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE).

• Through NEET SS candidates become eligible for admission to DM/MCh Courses in government and private medical institutions, deemed universities, and AFMC.

• Admission to DNB super-speciality courses is also done based on NEET SS scores.

• NEET -SS entrance test is conducted in an online mode once a year.

• The NEET -SS application form can be submitted to NBE official website by paying the application fee of Rs. 3750.

• Candidates can apply for a maximum of two super-speciality courses in one application form.

• Only candidates with an MD/MS/DNB qualification are eligible to appear for NEET -SS. Candidates must go through the detailed NEET - SS eligibility criteria.

The table below mentions the highlights of the NEET SS exam.

NEET SS highlights

This list covers the most popular and widely accepted medical entrance examinations. Keeping an eye on the release of application forms, admit cards, deadlines, and other important news related to these examinations is crucial for medical aspirants. This list is updated as the release of the latest information pertaining to these examinations.

Government Competitive Exams after 12th Medical

• NEET
• Indian Army BSc Nursing
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences Nursing (AIIMS Nursing)
• AAU VET
• CUCET
• AEEL