AIIMS entrance test: Here’s what aspiring doctors need to know
In a country of 1.38 billion population, the need for medical practitioners never ceases to exist. For this reason, medical is one of the most sought-after career options in India for students right after their class 12. But pursuing medical isn’t a piece of cake and students need to undergo several national level entrance tests before they get a chance to become a doctor. One such popular entrance exam is AIIMS entrance exam.
Every year the All-India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi, popularly called AIIMS conducts a national level admission test for medical aspirants for admission into their under graduate MBBS course across their 8 campuses. This year, the exam was conducted on 12th September. The tentative time for the 2022 exam is between May and June. Here’s everything aspiring candidates need to know.
Eligibility criteria
- Both Indian and foreign nationals are eligible to sit for AIIMS entrance exam.
- All candidates should have secured the cutoff marks in the respective year’s NEET exam.
- Students of the general category must be 17 years (as on or before 31st December of the exam year) or above. Students belonging to the quotas like SC/ST/OBC/PWD are given age relaxation of 5 years.
- NRIs, foreign aspirants, Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) – are all entitled under the All-India Quota Seats with a 15% reservation. However, candidates from Jammu & Kashmir are not eligible under this category.
- Candidates should have successfully passed their class XII board exams. Students of general and OBC category need to secure a minimum of 60%, while students of SC/ST and PWD must secure 50% and 45% respectively.
- Candidates should have studied compulsory Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English as part of their 10+2 curriculum.
Exam pattern
AIIMS entrance exam has a single paper with five sections: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, General Knowledge (current affairs and basic English) and Aptitude and Logical Thinking. There are a total of 200 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), 60 each from the first three sections and 10 each from the last two sections. The syllabus follows that of the 10+2 curriculum.
Marking scheme
The total marks of the AIIMS entrance exam are 200. The Biology, Physics and Chemistry sections have 60 marks each followed by 10 marks each for the last two sections. Candidates will be awarded with 1 positive mark for each correct answer. There’s no negative marking for unattempted questions. However, each wrong answer will be penalized with 1/3rd mark deduction.
Mode and duration
The mode of AIIMS entrance test is online computer based. Candidates can choose to answer their papers in either Hindi or English. The duration of the exam is 3 hours.