AIIMS MBBS 2018 - The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the exam conducting authority of AIIMS MBBS, has released the examination notification on February 1, 2018, on its official website. The online registrations for AIIMS MBBS will begin from February 5, 2018, and will continue till March 5, 2018. As per the notification, major changes have been introduced to the number of seats offered and the exam schedule of AIIMS MBBS 2018. For the first time ever, AIIMS MBBS will be conducted on two days, ie. May 26 and May 27, across a total of four shifts. Until 2017, the exam was held only on one day across two shifts. Also, from 2018 onwards, AIIMS MBBS will offer admissions to two more newly established AIIMS institutes – AIIMS Guntur and AIIMS Nagpur. The two new AIIMS institutes have been added to the list of existing seven AIIMS institutions. As a result, a total of nine AIIMS institutions have invited applications from aspirants, which comes as a good news for aspirants since it will increase the number of MBBS seats available in AIIMS.

Declared as institutions of national importance, the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences are much sought-after for MBBS admissions, with lakhs of aspirants applying each year from around the country. AIIMS is one of only two institutions, the other being JIPMER Puducherry, which are exempt from the ambit of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and are permitted to conduct their own MBBS entrance examinations.

What’s new in AIIMS MBBS 2018?

• Two new AIIMS campuses: This year onwards, two new AIIMS institutions, AIIMS Guntur in Andhra Pradesh and AIIMS Nagpur in Maharashtra, will offer MBBS examinations. This makes it a total of nine AIIMS institutions which will offer admissions for MBBS in 2018. Until last year, only seven AIIMS institutions used to offer admission for MBBS seats.
• Increase in MBBS seats: Establishment of the two new AIIMS campuses also means that there will be an increase in the number of MBBS seats available in AIIMS. As per various media reports, both of the newly added AIIMS campuses, i.e. AIIMS Guntur and AIIMS Nagpur, will have an initial intake capacity of 50 MBBS seats each, which will give a jump of 100 MBBS seats offered by AIIMS. The addition of new seats will bring the total MBBS seats in AIIMS to 807 (from 707 last year), with 107 MBBS seats being offered by AIIMS New Delhi, 100 seats each by the AIIMS campuses in Patna, Bhopal, Jodhpur, Bhubaneshwar, Rishikesh and Raipur and 50 MBBS seats each by AIIMS Guntur and AIIMS Nagpur.
• To be held across two days for the first time: For the first time ever, AIIMS MBBS will be held in a total of four slots stretched across two days, ie. May 26 and 27, with two slots being conducted on each day. Until now, AIIMS MBBS was held on a single day in two shifts.

About the two new AIIMS institutions

With the participation of the two new AIIMS institutions, AIIMS Guntur and AIIMS Nagpur, the total number of operational AIIMS institutions in the country has now risen to nine, with the other seven being located in New Delhi, Patna, Bhopal, Jodhpur, Bhubaneshwar, Rishikesh and Raipur. 

As per media reports, the campuses of AIIMS Guntur and AIIMS Nagpur are still under construction. Therefore, it is expected that till the infrastructure and facilities are fully functional in the new campuses, the upcoming academic session will run from temporary campuses.

The 2018-19 MBBS academic session for AIIMS Guntur will temporarily begin from the campus of Siddharta Medical College, Vijayawada, until the permanent AIIMS campus at the neighbouring district of Guntur comes up. Similarly, the academic session of AIIMS Nagpur will begin operations from the campus of Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, until AIIMS Nagpur becomes operational.

News reports also claim that the newly established AIIMS institutions will offer an initial intake of 50 MBBS seats each, thus making it a total of 807 MBBS seats being offered by the nine AIIMS institutions.

AIIMS MBBS 2018 to be held on two days

Breaking away from convention, AIIMS MBBS 2018 will be held across two days - May 26 and 27, 2018 - instead of only May 27 as was finalized earlier. Therefore, the AIIMS entrance exam this year will be held in a total of four shifts, with two shifts being held on each day. The increase in the number of days and shifts of AIIMS MBBS 2018 indicates that there will also be an increase in the number of aspirants appearing for the exam compared to previous years. As per media reports, more than 2 lakh aspirants are expected to appear for AIIMS MBBS exam in 2018.

By extension, the normalization procedure for determining the cutoff or qualifying percentile of AIIMS MBBS will be determined by comparing percentile scores of four shifts instead of two.

Important Highlights of AIIMS MBBS 2018 Exam Notification

• AIIMS MBBS 2018 Application Form – As per the official notification, online registrations of AIIMS MBBS 2018 will begin from February 5, 2018 (Monday) and will remain open for one month with the last date and time to fill the application form of AIIMS MBBS 2018 being 5.00 PM on Monday, March 5, 2018.
• AIIMS MBBS 2018 Eligibility – In order to become eligible for AIIMS MBBS 2018, candidates who have passed or appeared or are appearing in Class 12 or equivalent examination will be required to get at least 60% marks (50% for SC/ST/OPH category candidates) in the subjects of English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology taken together.
• Date and Time of Exam – AIIMS MBBS 2018 will be conducted in online mode across two days, ie. Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27, 2018. On each day, AIIMS MBBS will be held in two shifts with the morning shift between 9.00 AM and 12.30 PM and the afternoon shift between 3.00 PM and 6.30 PM.

Detailed information about the newly added seats and exam pattern of AIIMS MBBS 2018 will soon be released through the official prospectus of AIIMS MBBS, expected on February 5, 2018.