AIIMS NORCET-11 Recruitment 2026; Apply Online for 2218 Nursing Officer Posts, Eligibility, Exam Pattern & Selection Process

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The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi has officially released the AIIMS NORCET-11 Recruitment 2026 notification for the recruitment of Nursing Officers across 27 participating AIIMS and other government healthcare institutes. Through the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET-11), a tentative 2,218 vacancies will be filled, making it one of the largest nursing recruitment drives of the year. Eligible candidates can submit their online applications from 24 July 2026 to 13 August 2026 through the official AIIMS examination portal.

In this article, you’ll find complete details about AIIMS NORCET-11 Recruitment 2026, including the latest notification, important dates, eligibility criteria, age limit, application fee, vacancy details, exam pattern, selection process, salary, required documents, and step-by-step online application process. Whether you are a B.Sc. Nursing graduate or a GNM-qualified candidate meeting the experience requirements, this comprehensive guide will help you understand the recruitment process and prepare effectively for one of India’s most competitive Nursing Officer examinations.

AIIMS NORCET-11 2026
Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test  |  Notice No. 103/2026  |  2218 Posts (Tentative)

NORCET-11 2026 — Quick Facts
Particulars Details
Conducting Body AIIMS New Delhi (Examination Section), for all participating AIIMS
Post Nursing Officer, Level-07 Pay Matrix (pre-revised PB-2 ₹9300-34800, Grade Pay ₹4600), Group-B
Tentative Total Vacancies 2218 across 27 participating AIIMS/institutes
Application Window 24 July 2026 – 13 August 2026 (5:00 PM)
Exam Stages Stage I Preliminary (qualifying) → Stage II Mains (merit-deciding)
Stage I Date 12 September 2026 (Saturday)
Stage II Date 30 September 2026 (Wednesday)
Gender Reservation 80% seats for Females, 20% for Males at participating AIIMS
Official Website www.aiimsexams.ac.in

Important Dates — Full Schedule
Event Date
Notification Released 24 July 2026
Online Registration Start 24 July 2026
Online Registration Close 13 August 2026 (5:00 PM)
NOC Upload (for Govt./PSU/Autonomous Body employees) 18 August 2026 (5:00 PM)
Application Status Published 24 August 2026
Exam City Intimation 3 September 2026
Admit Card Upload 9 September 2026
Stage I — NORCET Preliminary 12 September 2026 (Saturday)
Stage II — NORCET Mains 30 September 2026 (Wednesday)
Result To be announced in due course

Eligibility Criteria — Qualification Routes
Route Requirement
Route I — Degree Nursing B.Sc.(Hons.) Nursing / B.Sc. Nursing from an INC/State Nursing Council recognised Institute/University, OR B.Sc. (Post-Certificate)/Post-Basic B.Sc. Nursing from a recognised Institute/University — plus registration as Nurse & Midwife with State/Indian Nursing Council
Route II — Diploma + Experience Diploma in General Nursing Midwifery (GNM) from a recognised Institute/Board/Council + registration as Nurse & Midwife + 2 years’ experience in a minimum 50-bedded hospital acquired after obtaining the essential qualification
The 2-year experience clock for Route II starts only after residency completion, result declaration and Nursing Council registration — not from the date of joining a hospital job, which is a common misreading that leads to rejection.

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Age Limit & Category-wise Age Relaxation
Base age limit: 18-30 years, calculated as on the closing date of online registration (13 August 2026).
Category Relaxation Beyond 30 Years
SC/ST +5 years
OBC +3 years
PWBD +10 years (max age 56)
PWBD + OBC +13 years (max age 56)
PWBD + SC/ST +15 years (max age 56)
Ex-Servicemen/ECO/SSCO Length of military service + 3 years (see Ex-Servicemen table below for category add-ons)
Central Govt. Civilian Employee — UR (3+ yrs regular service) +5 years
Central Govt. Civilian Employee — OBC +8 years (5+3)
Central Govt. Civilian Employee — SC/ST +10 years (5+5)
Important: SC/ST/OBC candidates who opt for unreserved vacancies get no age relaxation or cut-off relaxation. This clause is easy to miss and can disqualify an otherwise-eligible candidate who ticked the wrong vacancy-type box.

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Ex-Servicemen Age Relaxation (Annexure-II)
Category Relaxation
Ex-Servicemen (General) Military service length + 3 years
Ex-Servicemen (OBC) Military service length + 6 years (3+3)
Ex-Servicemen (SC/ST) Military service length + 8 years (3+5)
Note: Age concession under this category is NOT admissible to sons, daughters or dependents of ex-servicemen — only the ex-serviceman personally.

Application Fee
Category Fee
General / OBC ₹3,000/-
SC / ST / EWS ₹2,400/-
Persons with Disabilities (PwBD) Exempted
Payment Mode Debit Card / Credit Card / Net Banking
Fee is non-refundable in general, with one exception: SC/ST candidates who actually appear in the examination get their fee refunded after result declaration and category-certificate verification — appearing in the exam is the trigger, not just applying.

Category-wise Vacancy Overview (Annexure-V, Tentative)
Category Total Vacancies Approx. Share
UR (Unreserved) 899 ~41%
OBC (NCL) 599 ~27%
EWS 240 ~11%
SC 323 ~15%
ST 157 ~7%
Grand Total 2218 100%
PwBD candidates (roughly 53 total, per Annexure-V) are counted horizontally within these vertical category totals, not as a separate additional pool — so a PwBD-UR candidate is already inside the UR count above, not on top of it.

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Top Institutes by Vacancy Count
Institute Tentative Vacancies
ESIC, New Delhi 523
AIIMS Bhubaneswar 197
AIIMS Patna 201
AIIMS New Delhi 188
AIIMS Deoghar 223
AIIMS Guwahati 188
AIIMS Nagpur 81
AIIMS Raebareli 48
All figures are tentative and liable to change — institutes not currently declaring vacancies may add them later, and any published number can be withdrawn at any recruitment stage.

Exam Pattern — Stage I: NORCET Preliminary
Feature Detail
Nature Qualifying only — does not count toward final merit
Duration 90 minutes
Total Questions/Marks 100 MCQs / 100 marks
Composition 20 Q — General Knowledge & Aptitude  |  80 Q — Nursing syllabus (essential qualification level)
Negative Marking 1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer
Section Structure 5 sections × 18 minutes each, 20 Q per section, sequentially locked (no going back once a section’s time lapses)

Exam Pattern — Stage II: NORCET Mains
Feature Detail
Nature Merit-deciding — final selection is based on this stage only
Duration 180 minutes
Total Questions/Marks 160 MCQs / 160 marks
Composition Full Nursing syllabus, case-scenario-based questions testing nursing skill competency
Negative Marking 1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer
Section Structure 4 sections × 45 minutes each, 40 Q per section, sequentially locked
Stage II leans much more heavily on applied/case-scenario nursing judgment than Stage I’s straightforward recall-based questions — candidates who only revise theory for Stage I often struggle with the clinical-reasoning style of Stage II if they don’t shift preparation mode between the two.

Qualifying Marks — Stage I (Percentile) vs Stage II (Percentage)
Category Stage I (Percentile) Stage II (Percentage)
UR/EWS 50 percentile 50%
OBC 45 percentile 45%
SC/ST 40 percentile 40%
UR/EWS + PWBD 45 percentile 45%
OBC + PWBD 40 percentile 40%
SC/ST + PWBD 35 percentile 35%
Stage I uses a percentile cut (relative to that shift/session’s performance), while Stage II uses a flat percentage cut — a subtle but important difference: your Stage I bar moves with how tough your specific shift was, but your Stage II bar does not.

Shortlisting Ratio for Stage II
  • Candidates qualifying Stage I are shortlisted for Stage II in the ratio of 5× the total seats in each category (UR, OBC, SC, ST, EWS).
  • All qualified PWBD candidates are called for Stage II regardless of this ratio.
  • All tie cases at the last rank of the Stage-II-eligible list are also called forward.
  • Clearing the Stage I qualifying percentile does not automatically guarantee a Stage II call — the 5× cap still applies on top of the percentile cut.

Tie-Breaking Rules for the Final Merit List
Order Tie-Breaker Applied
1 Fewer wrong answers/negative marks in Stage II
2 Higher marks/score in Stage I
3 Fewer wrong answers/negative marks in Stage I
4 Older candidate (by date of birth) ranked higher
5 Alphabetical order of name, then father’s name, then mother’s name

Selection Process Flow — Application to Appointment
Step What Happens
1 Online registration + fee payment (24 Jul – 13 Aug 2026)
2 NOC upload for government/PSU/autonomous body employees (by 18 Aug 2026)
3 Admit card download & Stage I — NORCET Preliminary (12 Sep 2026)
4 Shortlisting for Stage II (5× ratio + all PWBD + ties)
5 Stage II — NORCET Mains (30 Sep 2026)
6 Final merit list based on Stage II score alone
7 Choice/preference filling by qualified candidates (single round)
8 Seat allocation strictly in order of merit and preference filled
9 Document verification at the allocated Institute
10 Medical fitness check & joining
There is no waiting list in NORCET — since AIIMS runs this exam twice a year, an allocated candidate who fails to join simply loses that seat rather than it going to the next-ranked candidate.

Why NORCET Uses a Two-Stage Exam Instead of One
  • With 2218 vacancies and typically lakhs of applicants nationwide, a single 160-question Mains exam for everyone would be an enormous logistics and evaluation load — Stage I filters the applicant pool down to a manageable multiple (5×) of the seats before the heavier Stage II is run.
  • Stage I’s lighter GK/Aptitude + basic nursing mix screens out clearly underprepared candidates cheaply, while Stage II’s case-scenario nursing questions do the real, more expensive job of testing clinical competency only on candidates who’ve already cleared a baseline.
  • Because only Stage II counts for merit, a candidate who barely scrapes through Stage I but performs strongly in Stage II is not penalised for a weak preliminary — the two stages serve different purposes (screening vs ranking) rather than being additive.

PwBD Provisions — Scribe & Compensatory Time
Disability Category Facility
Blindness, Locomotor (Both Arms), Cerebral Palsy Scribe (own or AIIMS-provided) + 20 minutes/hour compensatory time
Other Benchmark Disabilities (≥40%) Scribe/compensatory time on production of a competent-authority certificate confirming writing difficulty
Below 40% Disability with Writing Difficulty Scribe/compensatory time only on production of the prescribed medical certificate
Reserved PwBD posts are limited to specific identified categories — OL (One Leg), AAV (Acid Attack Victims), Dw (Dwarfism), LC-OL (Leprosy Cured, One Leg) — with benchmark disability of 40% or more; candidates outside these identified categories are not eligible for the PwBD-reserved seats even with a valid disability certificate.

Required Documents for Verification
  • Downloaded Registration Slip of the online application.
  • Downloaded Admit Card.
  • Date of Birth certificate.
  • Caste/Income & Asset Certificate (SC/ST/OBC/EWS, as applicable).
  • Disability Certificate (PwBD applicants).
  • Certificate for age relaxation claimed on grounds other than caste/PwBD.
  • No Objection Certificate (mandatory for Government/PSU/Autonomous Body employees, including contractual staff).
  • Educational qualification certificates + Nursing Council registration proof.
  • Experience certificate (Route II candidates), stating bed count, duration and nature of duties.

Common Mistakes to Avoid
  • Registering with a new ID instead of an existing OTR/old registration ID — this gets the application rejected outright if the candidate has applied to any previous AIIMS exam.
  • Missing the 18 August NOC deadline for government-sector employees — late or missing NOC leads to automatic cancellation, with no further notice given.
  • Applying under a reserved category for an unreserved vacancy, not realising this forfeits age relaxation and cut-off relaxation entirely.
  • Assuming category can be corrected later — category cannot be changed once the fee is submitted.
  • Ignoring the choice-filling round when it opens — failing to exercise preference for an eligible organisation means automatic non-consideration for that organisation, even if otherwise eligible.
  • Submitting an OBC-NCL or EWS certificate outside the specific validity window prescribed for NORCET-11 (issued between 01.04.2026 and 13.08.2026) — an out-of-window certificate is treated as invalid.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How many total posts are there in NORCET-11 2026?
A tentative 2218 Nursing Officer posts across 27 participating AIIMS/institutes — the number is liable to change.
Q: What is the last date to apply?
13 August 2026, up to 5:00 PM, online at www.aiimsexams.ac.in.
Q: Does the Stage I Preliminary score count in the final merit?
No. Stage I is purely qualifying; the final merit list is based entirely on Stage II NORCET Mains.
Q: What is the negative marking scheme?
1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer in both Stage I and Stage II.
Q: What is the application fee?
₹3,000/- for General/OBC, ₹2,400/- for SC/ST/EWS, and exempted for PwBD candidates.
Q: Is there a waiting list if a candidate doesn’t join?
No. NORCET does not maintain a waiting list, since the test is conducted twice a year.

Important Links
Official Website / Apply Online click here 
Query/Support Dashboard → “Raise a Query” on aiimsexams.ac.in
official Notification  click here 
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AIIMS NORCET-11 2026: Vacancy Distribution Analysis

Unlike many government nursing recruitments where vacancies are concentrated in just a few hospitals, AIIMS NORCET-11 offers opportunities across 27 participating AIIMS and institutes. This wider distribution gives candidates the flexibility to secure appointments at different locations through a single examination. However, candidates should remember that institute allocation is based strictly on final merit and the preferences filled during choice filling, making a high Stage II score even more important.

The Biggest Advantage of NORCET-11 Compared to State Nursing Exams

One of the strongest advantages of NORCET-11 is that candidates do not need to prepare for multiple recruitment examinations conducted by different hospitals. A single selection process opens the door to several premier government healthcare institutions. This reduces the burden of submitting multiple applications while giving deserving candidates a broader range of career opportunities under one recruitment cycle.

Why Many Candidates Miss Final Selection Despite Clearing Stage I

A common misconception is that clearing the Preliminary examination almost guarantees selection. In reality, Stage I only acts as a screening test, while the final merit is prepared entirely from Stage II (Mains) performance. Candidates who stop serious preparation after qualifying Stage I often lose their competitive edge because the Mains focuses on advanced clinical reasoning and application-based nursing concepts rather than basic theoretical knowledge.

Choice Filling Strategy Can Influence Your Final Posting

Many aspirants focus only on the written examination and underestimate the importance of the choice-filling process. After the final merit list, institute allocation is done according to candidate rank and the order of preferences submitted. Researching participating institutes in advance and arranging preferences carefully can help candidates secure a posting that aligns with their career goals and preferred location.

Expert Analysis: Is AIIMS NORCET-11 Worth Preparing For?

From a career perspective, AIIMS NORCET-11 2026 remains one of the most attractive nursing recruitments in India because it combines a large number of vacancies, nationwide institute participation, and a transparent merit-based selection process. Candidates who begin preparation early, focus on nursing fundamentals, practise case-based questions, and maintain accuracy due to negative marking will have a stronger chance of securing a competitive rank. Since the examination is highly competitive, consistent preparation over several weeks is generally more effective than last-minute revision

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