Medical entrance exams you must know!

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 medical entrance tests at every step testing their knowledge, dedication, focus, and competence. For a school passout, to achieve his/her dream of pursuing MBBS/BDS, one must compete among 15 lakh aspirants through the country's biggest medical entrance exam - 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.

The hurdles in the career path of a doctor are not limited to just undergraduate level, but they intensify manifold at the postgraduate level. Medical graduates wishing to pursue 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, 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 Careers360 article presents a compiled and updated list of medical entrance exams for the 2020- 21 session which every medical aspirant must appear for to secure admission in undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma medical courses across the country.

Medical entrance exams after 12th

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET

The most popular medical entrance examination of the country - 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, now they have been merged with NEET. More than 13 lakh medical aspirants appeared for NEET exam last year.

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

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

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

The table below provides key details about the NEET 2021 exam.

NEET exam 2021 highlights

• Nursing entrance exam - AIIMS Nursing

Premier medical institution of the country, All India Institute of Medical Sciences - AIIMS, New Delhi conducts AIIMS nursing exam 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 2021 will be conducted in an online mode.

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

Candidates must go through the eligibility criteria and syllabus for AIIMS Nursing entrance test for both the courses. The table below provides key highlights about the AIIMS Nursing exam 2021.

AIIMS Nursing 2021 exam highlights

• Indian Army B.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam

The Indian Army B.Sc Nursing is a national level medical entrance exam conducted by the Directorate General of Medical Services to admit nursing aspirants to its 4 year UG nursing course. The score of Indian Army B.Sc Nursing exam is accepted by 6 Indian Army institutions.

The exam admits only female candidates and is conducted annually in an online mode. Candidates who qualify the Indian Army B.Sc Nursing 2021 exam are called for a personal interview followed by a medical examination. The table below provides key details about the nature of the Indian Army nursing examination.

Indian Army nursing 2021 exam highlights

In addition to the aforementioned medical entrance examinations, there are other nursing entrance exams conducted by states and universities such as JIPMER Nursing, Lady Hardinge Nursing entrance exam, Jamia Hamdard Nursing, BHU Nursing, and Uttarakhand Nursing entrance exam, among others.

• 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. However, in addition to NEET, states also conduct state level veterinary exams. Rajasthan Pre Veterinary Test is one such state level entrance exam conducted by Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (RAJUVAS) for admission to undergraduate Bachelor of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc & A.H.) course.

• The RPVT exam is conducted in an offline mode.

• The duration of the RPVT 2021 exam is 3 hours.

• The exam tests students' knowledge of science based on class 11 and 12th curriculum.

• There are a total of 180 questions in the test with negative marking for every wrong answer.

The table below provides key details about RPVT 2021.

RPVT 2021 highlights

• Veterinary Entrance Exam - UP Pre-Veterinary Entrance Test

UP Veterinary entrance exam is a state level examination conducted for admission to 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 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 negative marking for every incorrect answer.

The table below provides key details about the nature of the UP Pre-Veterinary Entrance Test 2021.

UP Veterinary entrance exam 2021 highlights

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

Postgraduate Medical Entrance Exams

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET PG

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - NEET PG, is conducted by the National Board of Examination (NBE) for admission to postgraduate medical courses such as MD, MS, PG Diploma, and DNB CET. The score of NEET PG is accepted nationwide by medical colleges and hospitals. NEET PG 2021 exam date was earlier released as January 10, 2021. However, the NEET PG exam 2021 has been postponed until further notice for now.

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

• There are 300 questions in total with negative marking for every wrong answer.

• The exam is expected to be conducted in a computer based test mode in NEET exam centres across 162 cities in different parts of the country.

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

NEET PG 2021 highlights

• Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test - INI CET

INI CET is a national level post graduate medical entrance examination conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. The exam introduced in 2020, has replaced the postgraduate medical entrance exams of four institutes of national importance - AIIMS PG, JIPMER PG, PGIMER, and NIMHANS.

INI CET 2021 will now be 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 INI CET exam date 2021 for the January session is November 20, 2020. The exam will be conducted across 129 test cities in an online - computer based mode. The table below provides details about the INI CET 2021 examination.

INI CET 2021 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 2021 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 NEET MDS exam pattern, there are 240 questions with negative marking for every wrong answer.

The application form for NEET MDS 2021 has been released. The NEET MDS exam date 2021 is December 16, 202o. The table below provides details about the nature of the examination.

NEET MDS 2021 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 2021 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 marking for incorrect answers.

The table below lists the key highlights of the exam.

AIPGET 2021 highlights

• Nursing entrance exam - AIIMS Nursing

All India Institute of Medical Sciences - AIIMS, New Delhi conducts the AIIMS Nursing entrance test for admission to postgraduate M.Sc Nursing course. Candidates who have completed their bachelor’s in nursing are eligible to appear for the AIIMS nursing 2021 exam. Candidates should also be registered as a nurse or midwife with any State Nursing Council.

• AIIMS Nursing exam is conducted for admission to 7 specialities.

• AIIMS Nursing is conducted annually in an online mode.

• The duration of the exam is 1 hour 30 minutes.

• There are 90 multiple choice questions in the AIIMS Nursing exam, carrying one mark each.

The table below provides key details about the AIIMS Nursing exam.

AIIMS Nursing 2021 exam 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 2021 highlights

Medical Entrance Exams after Postgraduate

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

Post completion of master’s degree in medicine candidates become eligible to pursue super specialty 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-specialty 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 2021 application form can be submitted at NBE official website. Applicants are required to pay an application fee of Rs. 3750.

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

• Only candidates with a 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 2021.

NEET - SS 2021 highlights

This list covers the most popular and widely accepted medical entrance examinations. Keeping an eye for 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 latest information pertaining to these examinations.