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Nursing Officer Recruitment · Exam Guide

NORCET: pattern, syllabus and what to print.

Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test is the single biggest nursing officer recruitment exam in India. Here is the exam structure, the subjects it tests and the material candidates actually carry into the last month — plus printing and binding for whatever you have as a PDF.

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Exam pattern

Two computer-based stages, then document verification

Prelims screens the field; the Mains score builds the merit list. Both stages carry negative marking, which is why timed full-length practice matters more here than in most nursing exams.

StageQuestionsMarksDurationNegative marking
Stage I (Prelims)10010090 minutes-1/3 mark for each wrong answer; +1 for correct
Stage II (Mains)1601603 hours (180 minutes)-1/3 mark for each wrong answer; +1 for correct
Document Verification / Seat Allotment————
Selection. Two-stage Computer Based Test: Stage I (Prelims, 100 Qs/90 min) acts as a qualifying/shortlisting round; candidates clearing the Stage I cutoff (a multiple of vacancies, category-wise) are called for Stage II (Mains, 160 Qs/3 hrs). Final merit is based on Stage II (Mains) score alone, subject to category-wise qualifying cutoff percentiles. Merit-listed candidates undergo document verification, followed by online counselling/seat allotment to specific AIIMS institutes/hospitals based on rank and preference.
Syllabus

What NORCET actually tests

The overwhelming majority of the paper is clinical nursing. The weightings below are the pattern observed across recent AIIMS cycles, so use them to prioritise revision rather than as a fixed allocation.

  1. Nursing subjects (combined)~80 of 100 in Prelims; large majority of the 160 Mains questions are also nursing/clinical (the per-topic split within nursing subjects varies by cycle, so treat these as the observed pattern)Fundamentals of Nursing, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Midwifery/OBG Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Child Health Nursing, Nursing Management, Nursing Research & Statistics, Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Psychology, Nutrition
  2. General Knowledge / Current Affairs~20 of 100 in Prelims (reported as part of a combined GK+aptitude non-nursing section)Indian current affairs, Indian history, Indian polity, Geography (rivers, lakes, seas), General science, Static GK
  3. Quantitative Aptitude & ReasoningIncluded within the ~20 non-nursing questions in Prelims alongside GK (exact aptitude-only question count not separately published)Number system, Percentage, Time and distance, Profit and loss, Simple & compound interest, Logical reasoning
Eligibility

Who can apply

Registration. Must be currently registered as a Nurse & Midwife with a State Nursing Council or the Indian Nursing Council (INC), and registration must be active/valid.
Age. Base limit: 18–30 years as on the cutoff date fixed in each notification (varies slightly per cycle). OBC (non-creamy layer): +3 years (up to ~33); SC/ST: +5 years (up to ~35); PwBD: up to 10–15 years depending on category combination; Ex-servicemen and existing central/state government employees get relaxation per standard Government of India norms.
Exam material

Guides and question banks candidates use

These are the NORCET-specific titles in circulation. They are revision and drilling material — they do not replace the clinical textbooks below.

  1. Target High NORCET Exam – One Nation One Book for Nursing Officer and Staff Nurse (8th Edition)Muthuvenkatachalam S, Ambili M Venugopal · CBS Publishers & Distributors · 8th Edition editionA widely sold single-volume NORCET-specific exam prep book covering nursing subjects plus GK/aptitude, commonly recommended by Indian nursing-exam coaching sites and book depots.
  2. NORCET Nursing Officer One-Liners Mega Handbook (20000+ high-yield facts, unit-wise, for AIIMS/ESIC/DSSSB & state nursing exams)Vikash Kumar · Self-published (Kindle/Amazon) · Latest Kindle edition editionA one-liner/rapid-revision handbook aimed specifically at NORCET and similar CBT nursing recruitment exams; sold on Amazon.
  3. Lucent's General KnowledgeDr. Binay Karna and others · Lucent Publications · Latest edition editionStandard Indian competitive-exam GK book, recommended for the General Knowledge portion of NORCET Prelims.
  4. Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive ExaminationsR.S. Aggarwal · S. Chand Publishing · Revised edition editionWidely used aptitude/quant reference for the non-nursing (aptitude) portion of NORCET Prelims.
Underlying textbooks

The clinical books the questions come from

Nobody reads these cover to cover in the last month. Most candidates print the chapters that map to their weak subjects. The full subject-by-subject list is on our nursing textbook page.

  1. Community Health NursingB.T. Basavanthappa · Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers · Multiple editions in print (e.g. 3rd, RP 2025, 2-volume set); exact edition varies by print run editionStandard Indian B.Sc Nursing community health nursing reference, frequently cited by NORCET aspirants for the Community Health Nursing portion of the syllabus.
  2. Stephanie's Principles & Practice of Nursing (Nursing Arts / Procedures), Vol. 1 & 2Sr. Nancy · N.R. Publication (also referred to as N.R. Brothers) · 8th Edition (combined Vol 1 & 2), 2024 print seen; a 7th edition (Vol 1 only) also in circulation editionLong-standing Indian nursing-procedures textbook, used by candidates for Fundamentals of Nursing and nursing-procedure questions.

We print files you send us. We do not host, sell or supply book PDFs — send us a file you are entitled to print and we print and bind it. Exam patterns change between cycles: always confirm against the current official notification before you rely on anything here.

Frequently asked

NORCET — questions

What is NORCET and who conducts it?

NORCET is a national-level computer-based recruitment exam conducted by AIIMS New Delhi to hire Nursing Officers for AIIMS institutes across India and several other central government/autonomous hospitals (e.g. CAPFIMS, CNCI Kolkata, NITRD, AIIPMR Mumbai) that route recruitment through AIIMS Exams. It runs roughly twice a year and has reached its 11th edition by mid-2026. Selection is a two-stage CBT (Prelims then Mains) followed by document verification, and is highly competitive — tens of thousands of B.Sc/GNM-qualified nurses compete for a few thousand posts each cycle.

What is the NORCET exam pattern?

Stage I (Prelims) is 100 questions in 90 minutes and Stage II (Mains) is 160 questions in 3 hours (180 minutes). Both carry negative marking of -1/3 mark for each wrong answer. Prelims is a screening stage; the merit list is built from the Mains score.

Who is eligible for NORCET?

B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing / B.Sc. Nursing, OR Post-Basic B.Sc. Nursing from an INC/State Nursing Council recognized institute; Diploma in General Nursing & Midwifery (GNM) — with minimum 2 years' experience in a 50-bedded (or larger) hospital after qualifying, required for this pathway (not required for B.Sc. Nursing pathway); M.Sc. Nursing candidates are also eligible per NORCET 11 aggregator summaries — confirm against the official notification. Registration: Must be currently registered as a Nurse & Midwife with a State Nursing Council or the Indian Nursing Council (INC), and registration must be active/valid.. Age: Base limit: 18–30 years as on the cutoff date fixed in each notification (varies slightly per cycle). OBC (non-creamy layer): +3 years (up to ~33); SC/ST: +5 years (up to ~35); PwBD: up to 10–15 years depending on category combination; Ex-servicemen and existing central/state government employees get relaxation per standard Government of India norms.

How competitive is NORCET?

For reference, NORCET 9 (2025) Prelims: 88,902 admit cards issued, 82,660 candidates appeared, 46,014 qualified per the scheme, 19,334 called to Stage II (Mains). against NORCET 9 (2025): 3,500 posts originally, revised upward to 3,625. NORCET 10 (2026): vacancy figure reported around 1,700–2,000+ across sources — confirm against the official notification. NORCET 11 (2026): 2,218 posts.. Figures move every cycle, so treat these as an order of magnitude rather than a current number.

Which books should I print for NORCET?

Most candidates print a nursing-subject one-liner or revision compilation, a full-length question bank, and selected chapters from their core textbooks rather than whole books. Send us the PDF and tell us the page range.

Can you print my NORCET coaching notes and test papers?

Yes. Send the PDF on WhatsApp with the page count and whether you want colour, black and white or mixed, and we print, bind and deliver anywhere in India. We do not supply copyrighted book files.

Checked against: official AIIMS Exams portal and published exam summaries, 2026-08.

Printing your NORCET material?

Send the PDF on WhatsApp — colour Rs 1/page, B&W 50p/page, binding Rs 40. Printed, bound and delivered anywhere in India.

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