NursingNext Team
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AIIMS NORCET is held in two computer-based stages: a 100-question Prelims that you only need to qualify, and a 160-question Mains that decides your rank. Both have negative marking, and both lock you into timed sections you cannot go back to. This post explains the pattern as written in the latest advertisement (NORCET-11, Notice No. 103/2026), the qualifying marks, and the official cut-offs from the two 2026 editions.
NORCET exam pattern in one table
| Stage I: NORCET Prelims | Stage II: NORCET Mains | |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Online CBT | Online CBT |
| Duration | 90 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Questions | 100 MCQs, 4 options each | 160 MCQs, 4 options each |
| Marks | 100 (1 per question) | 160 (1 per question) |
| Content | 20 General Knowledge & Aptitude + 80 Nursing | Entire nursing syllabus, mostly case/scenario based |
| Sections | 5 sections × 20 questions, 18 minutes each | 4 sections × 40 questions, 45 minutes each |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark per wrong answer | 1/3 mark per wrong answer |
| Purpose | Qualifying only, not used for rank | Merit list and rank |
Sectional timing: the part most people miss
In both 2026 editions (NORCET-10 and NORCET-11), each stage is split into locked sections. In the Prelims you get 18 minutes for each block of 20 questions. When the 18 minutes are over, the next section opens automatically and you cannot go back. The Mains works the same way with four 45-minute blocks of 40 questions.
What this means in practice:
- You cannot "save" time on an easy section and spend it on a harder one later.
- Review your marked questions before the section clock runs out, not at the end of the paper.
- Practise mocks with the same section timer. A full-length test without section locks trains the wrong habit.
Marking scheme and negative marking
Each correct answer is worth 1 mark. Each wrong answer costs 1/3 mark. Unanswered questions get zero.
A quick way to think about guessing: if you can rule out two of the four options, picking between the remaining two gives you an expected score of +1/3 per question (a half chance of +1 and a half chance of −1/3). A blind guess among all four options is worth exactly zero on average, so it only adds risk.
Tie-breaking in Stage II (from the NORCET-11 advertisement), in this order:
- Fewer wrong answers in Stage II
- Higher Stage I score
- Fewer wrong answers in Stage I
- Older candidate ranks higher
- Alphabetical order of name, then father's name, then mother's name
So careless wrong answers can cost you rank even when your total is the same as someone else's.
Qualifying marks
Stage I (Prelims): 50 percentile for UR/EWS, 45 for OBC, 40 for SC/ST. PwBD candidates get 5 more percentile points of relaxation (UR/EWS-PwBD 45, OBC-PwBD 40, SC/ST-PwBD 35).
Clearing that minimum is not enough. AIIMS calls only five times the number of seats in each category to Stage II (plus all qualified PwBD candidates and ties at the last rank). That is why the real Stage I cut-offs below are much higher.
Stage II (Mains): 50% for UR/EWS, 45% for OBC, 40% for SC/ST, with an extra 5% relaxation for PwBD candidates.
If a stage is held in more than one shift, AIIMS applies the normalisation procedure in its Notice No. 35/2023.
NORCET cut-off: official 2026 figures
Stage I cut-off percentile (called for Stage II)
| Category | NORCET-10 (exam 11 Apr 2026) | NORCET-11 (exam 12 Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| UR | 93.5887683 | 95.1589222 |
| EWS | 78.9831134 | 82.2407840 |
| OBC | 84.2077239 | 86.9062735 |
| SC | 81.9605328 | 84.1940796 |
| ST | 74.4746050 | 79.7051704 |
PwBD cut-off percentiles for NORCET-11 were UR 45.52, EWS 91.03, OBC 40.64, SC 35.64 and ST 36.33.
Stage I numbers
| NORCET-10 | NORCET-11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Candidates (allotted / applied) | 97,149 allotted | 1,22,099 applied |
| Appeared | 92,026 | 1,00,804 |
| Qualified as per scheme | 51,451 | 55,967 |
| Called for Stage II | 14,527 | 12,638 |
The Stage I cut-off went up in every category from NORCET-10 to NORCET-11, and fewer candidates were called to Stage II. A score that cleared Stage I in April would not necessarily have cleared it in September.
Stage II cut-off percentage (qualified)
| Category | NORCET-10 | NORCET-11 |
|---|---|---|
| UR/EWS | 50.000% | 50.000% |
| OBC | 45.000% | 45.000% |
| SC/ST | 40.000% | 40.000% |
| UR-PwBD | 45.625% | 45.417% |
| EWS-PwBD | 51.667% | 52.917% |
| OBC-PwBD | 41.042% | 41.042% |
| SC-PwBD | 35.833% | 37.708% |
| ST-PwBD | 35.000% | Nil |
Qualified in Stage II: 13,963 in NORCET-10 and 10,613 in NORCET-11. Qualifying Stage II is not the same as getting a seat. NORCET-10 had 2,779 final vacancies (Notice No. 49/2026), so your rank and your institute choices decide whether you are allotted a post.
What the Prelims actually contains
The advertisement fixes the Prelims split at 20 GK & Aptitude questions and 80 nursing questions. In the four most recent Prelims papers in our question bank (NORCET-8 to NORCET-11), the non-nursing part averaged roughly 8 GK, 5 English, 3 reasoning, 1 maths and 1 computer question per paper. Most of your Prelims score still comes from nursing subjects. For the subject-wise breakdown, see our NORCET syllabus and weightage post.
The Mains has no separate GK section. In the four recent Mains papers we have, Medical-Surgical Nursing alone made up about 44 of 160 questions, followed by Paediatrics and Obstetrics at about 25 each.
How to use this in your preparation
- Take at least a few full mocks with sectional timers: 5 × 18 minutes for Prelims and 4 × 45 minutes for Mains.
- Track your wrong-answer count, not just your score. It affects both your marks and the tie-breaker.
- Practise case-based questions for the Mains. Recall-only practice does not prepare you for scenario questions. Our Q-Bank has past-year questions sorted by subject and chapter.
FAQ
How many questions are there in NORCET Prelims and Mains? Prelims has 100 questions in 90 minutes. Mains has 160 questions in 180 minutes.
Is there negative marking in NORCET? Yes. 1/3 mark is deducted for each wrong answer in both stages.
Are Prelims marks counted in the final NORCET rank? No. Prelims is only qualifying. Rank is based on Stage II marks, and the Stage I score is used only to break ties.
What was the NORCET-11 Prelims cut-off? 95.1589222 percentile for UR, 82.2407840 for EWS, 86.9062735 for OBC, 84.1940796 for SC and 79.7051704 for ST (Result Notification No. 276/2026).
Can I switch between sections in NORCET? No. Each section opens for a fixed time (18 minutes in Prelims, 45 minutes in Mains) and closes for good when the time is up.