AIIMS NORCET-11 Notification 2026: Institute-Wise Vacancy, Eligibility, Exam Pattern and Apply Online Guide
The biggest nursing recruitment of the year is here, friends. AIIMS, New Delhi has released Notice No. 103/2026 for the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET-11), offering 2,218 Nursing Officer posts across 27 participating institutes and hospitals — including 18 AIIMS, ESIC, JIPMER Puducherry, Dr. RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and CIP Ranchi. You fill one form, write one exam, and become eligible for every one of these institutes. For a nursing student, no other exam gives this much reach in a single attempt.
The post carries Pay Level 7 (Group B) with a Grade Pay of ₹4,600, and registration is open from 24 July 2026 to 13 August 2026 (5:00 PM). If you hold B.Sc. Nursing, Post-Basic B.Sc. Nursing or a GNM diploma with nursing council registration, you should apply. Below you will find the complete institute-wise vacancy list, the exact Stage I and Stage II exam pattern, fee, age rules and every important date. Read it carefully, because GovtJobsAlert.in has put the full picture in one place for you.
Key Highlights — AIIMS NORCET 2026 Nursing Officer Recruitment
NORCET is the common entrance test that all AIIMS institutes and several central hospitals use to recruit Nursing Officers. Instead of writing separate exams for Bhubaneswar, Patna, Guwahati, ESIC and JIPMER, you write NORCET once and then choose your institute preferences later, based on your rank. It is conducted online in two stages and remains one of the most trusted routes into a permanent central government medical and healthcare job.
- Post Name: Nursing Officer
- Total Vacancies: 2,218 across 27 institutes
- Pay: Level 07 of the Pay Matrix, Group-B, Grade Pay ₹4,600
- Notice Number: 103/2026 dated 24 July 2026
- Job Location: All India — AIIMS institutes, ESIC, JIPMER and central hospitals
- Application Start Date: 24 July 2026
- Last Date to Apply: 13 August 2026 up to 5:00 PM
How Many Vacancies Are There in AIIMS NORCET 2026? Institute-Wise Vacancy List
Here is the complete institute-wise list from Annexure-V of the notification. Please note something important that confuses many candidates every year — ESIC (523) and JIPMER (39) are already counted inside this 2,218 total. They publish their own separate notices for the same recruitment, so do not add their numbers again.
| Institute / Hospital | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| ESIC, New Delhi | 523 |
| AIIMS Deoghar | 223 |
| AIIMS Patna | 201 |
| AIIMS Bhubaneswar | 197 |
| AIIMS Guwahati | 188 |
| AIIMS New Delhi | 121 |
| AIIMS Bilaspur | 89 |
| AIIMS Raebareli | 81 |
| AIIMS Avantipora | 75 |
| AIIMS Gorakhpur | 61 |
| AIIMS Raipur | 60 |
| AIIMS Kalyani | 53 |
| AIIMS Nagpur | 48 |
| AIIMS Bathinda | 47 |
| JIPMER, Puducherry | 39 |
| AIIMS Rishikesh | 38 |
| RHTC Hospital | 36 |
| AIIMS Mangalagiri | 32 |
| Dr. RML Hospital | 31 |
| AIIMS Vijaypur, Jammu | 29 |
| AIIMS Bhopal | 12 |
| AIIMS Rewari | 10 |
| NITRD | 7 |
| CAPFIMS, Maidangarhi | 6 |
| Safdarjung Hospital (SJH) | 5 |
| CIP, Ranchi | 4 |
| KSCH Hospital | 2 |
| Total | 2,218 |
The category-wise split across all institutes is UR 899, OBC (NCL) 599, SC 323, EWS 240 and ST 157. Do remember that the notification calls these vacancies tentative and liable to change — institutes that have not declared vacancies now may declare them later.
Female and Male Reservation (80:20)
This is a rule unique to nursing recruitment and you must know it. The participating AIIMS and ESIC apply a strict 80:20 female-to-male split for Nursing Officer posts — at ESIC the 523 posts are divided as 418 female and 105 male. JIPMER reserves at least 80% of its posts for women, which this year works out to 34 female and 5 male out of 39. Either way, male candidates should plan for tougher competition on a much smaller share of seats.
What is the Eligibility for AIIMS NORCET 2026? Qualification and Age Limit
Educational Qualification
There are two separate routes to eligibility, and you only need to satisfy one of them.
Route I — Degree route (no experience needed):
- B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing or B.Sc. Nursing from an Indian Nursing Council or State Nursing Council recognised Institute or University, OR B.Sc. (Post-Certificate) / Post-Basic B.Sc. Nursing from a recognised Institute or University
- Registered as Nurses and Midwife with the State or Indian Nursing Council
Route II — Diploma route (experience needed):
- Diploma in General Nursing Midwifery (GNM) from an Indian Nursing Council or State Nursing Council recognised Institute, Board or Council
- Registered as Nurses and Midwife with the State or Indian Nursing Council
- Two years’ experience in a minimum 50-bedded hospital, acquired after obtaining the essential qualification
Please read this last line very carefully. The notification says the experience is valid only if it was gained after completing the residency period of the course, declaration of result and registration with the Nursing Council. One important difference — ESIC asks for only one year of experience on the diploma route, while AIIMS and JIPMER ask for two years.
Age Limit
The crucial date for age is 13 August 2026, which is the closing date of online registration. The upper age limit is not the same in all three notices, so check the one that applies to you.
| Institute Group | Age Limit |
|---|---|
| Participating AIIMS | 18 to 30 years |
| ESIC | Not exceeding 30 years |
| JIPMER, Puducherry | Up to 35 years |
🎂 Not sure if you meet the age criteria? Use our free Age Calculator for Government Exams to find your exact age on the cut-off date and instantly check your eligibility — including SC / ST / OBC / PwBD age relaxation. →
Age relaxation is available as follows: OBC 3 years, SC/ST 5 years, PwBD 10 years, PwBD + OBC 13 years and PwBD + SC/ST 15 years — in every PwBD case the age on the crucial date must not exceed 56 years. Ex-Servicemen get length of military service plus 3 years (plus 6 years for OBC and plus 8 years for SC/ST). Central Government civilian employees with three years of regular service get 5 years relaxation (8 years for OBC, 10 years for SC/ST). ESIC additionally relaxes the limit by up to 5 years for its own employees and for government servants.
What is the Salary for AIIMS NORCET Nursing Officer 2026?
The notification states the pay structure in one clear line, and we are quoting it exactly as printed rather than adding figures of our own.
- Pay Level: Level 07 in the Pay Matrix
- Pre-revised scale: Pay Band-2, ₹9,300 – ₹34,800
- Grade Pay: ₹4,600
- Post Classification: Group-B
The notice fixes the post at Level 07 with Grade Pay ₹4,600 (Group-B). It does not print a rupee band for Level 7, so please rely on the Pay Matrix applicable at your allotted institute rather than any figure circulating on social media.
On top of basic pay, a central government Nursing Officer receives Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, Transport Allowance, night duty allowance where applicable, medical facilities under CGHS or the institute’s own scheme, pension under NPS, gratuity and leave encashment. It is a permanent Group-B post with a clear promotion ladder — that stability is exactly why lakhs of nursing graduates chase NORCET every year.
What is the Selection Process for AIIMS NORCET 2026?
Selection happens through a two-stage online computer based test. Understanding how the two stages differ is half your preparation.
Stage I: NORCET Preliminary Examination
Held on Saturday, 12 September 2026. This stage is only for shortlisting — its marks do not decide your final rank.
| Detail | Preliminary Exam |
|---|---|
| Total questions / marks | 100 / 100 |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Section pattern | 5 sections × 20 questions × 18 minutes |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark per wrong answer |
The paper carries 20 questions of General Knowledge and Aptitude and 80 questions from Nursing subjects. The qualifying percentile is 50 for UR and EWS, 45 for OBC and 40 for SC and ST, with a 5 percentile relaxation for PwBD candidates. Candidates equal to about five times the number of seats in each category are called for Stage II.
Stage II: NORCET Main Examination
Held on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. Your final merit is decided on this stage alone.
| Detail | Main Exam |
|---|---|
| Total questions / marks | 160 / 160 |
| Duration | 180 minutes |
| Section pattern | 4 sections × 40 questions × 45 minutes |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark per wrong answer |
The qualifying marks here are 50% for UR and EWS, 45% for OBC and 40% for SC and ST, again with 5% relaxation for PwBD. After the Stage II result, qualified candidates are asked to submit institute preferences, and allotment follows merit and category. Build your revision plan around the detailed exam syllabus and pattern guides available on our site.
How to Apply Online for AIIMS NORCET 2026?
Everything happens on the AIIMS exam portal — one registration covers all 27 institutes. Keep ready a scanned photograph, signature, your nursing council registration certificate, degree or diploma certificates, experience certificate if you are applying through the GNM route, category certificate and a valid email and mobile number.
- Visit the official AIIMS examination portal (direct link given in the Essential Links section below)
- Complete the new candidate registration with your name, date of birth, email ID and mobile number
- Log in and fill the NORCET-11 application form with your personal, educational, registration and category details
- Upload your scanned photograph and signature in the prescribed format and size
- Pay the application fee online through debit card, credit card or net banking
- Submit the form, then download and print the confirmation page for your records
- If you work in a government, semi-government, PSU or autonomous body, submit your NOC by 18 August 2026 (5:00 PM)
Do not wait until the last afternoon — the window closes sharply at 5:00 PM on 13 August 2026, and portals are always busiest in the final hours.
What is the Last Date to Apply for AIIMS NORCET 2026? Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notice date | 24 July 2026 |
| Online registration starts | 24 July 2026 |
| Last date to apply | 13 August 2026, 5:00 PM |
| Last date for fee payment | 13 August 2026, 5:00 PM |
| Last date to submit NOC | 18 August 2026, 5:00 PM |
| Application status for exam | 24 August 2026 |
| Exam city intimation | 3 September 2026 |
| Admit card upload | 9 September 2026 |
| Stage I — Preliminary Exam | 12 September 2026 (Saturday) |
| Stage II — Main Exam | 30 September 2026 (Wednesday) |
| Result | To be announced in due course |
Save these dates in your phone right now. The gap between the two stages is only about 18 days, so your Stage II preparation really has to start alongside your Stage I revision. Track everything else on our exam calendar.
What is the Application Fee for AIIMS NORCET 2026?
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General & OBC | ₹3,000 |
| SC, ST & EWS | ₹2,400 |
| Persons with Disabilities (PwBD) | Exempted |
Payment is accepted online only through debit card, credit card and net banking. There is one welcome relief for reserved-category candidates — the fee paid by SC and ST candidates who actually appear in the examination is refunded after the results are declared, following verification of the SC/ST certificate. Please pay the fee well before the closing time, because an application without a successful payment is simply not considered.
Essential Links — AIIMS NORCET 2026 Nursing Officer Recruitment
- Download Official Notification PDF
- Download JIPMER Puducherry Nursing Officer Notice PDF
- Download ESIC Nursing Officer Notice PDF
- Apply Online for AIIMS NORCET 2026
- Visit AIIMS Official Website
- Join WhatsApp Channel for Government Jobs
- Join Telegram Channel for Government Jobs
2,218 permanent Nursing Officer posts through a single form is a chance that does not come twice in a year. If you have your nursing council registration in hand, sit down today, fill the form and start revising your fundamentals of nursing and medical-surgical nursing. The window shuts at 5:00 PM on 13 August 2026 — do not let a slow internet connection on the last day decide your career. For more medical and healthcare job notifications and admit card updates, keep visiting GovtJobsAlert.in.