How to prepare for NORCET: a practical plan
1. Start with a diagnostic, not a timetable
A timetable built before you know your weak areas spreads time evenly across subjects that don’t need it equally. Take a broad diagnostic first.
2. Know the shape of the paper
About nine in ten questions are nursing. Fundamentals, Medical-Surgical, Obstetric, Paediatric, Community Health and Mental Health Nursing, with Pharmacology across all of them, carry most of the marks. GK and aptitude are a small slice — don’t skip them, don’t over-invest in them.
Practise NORCET questions free
NORCET marking, timed mocks and practice that adapts to your weak topics.
3. Work in three phases
An example for a 4–6 month runway — adjust it to your exam date.
Foundation — the first ~40%
Subject by subject, concept first, then 30–50 questions per topic. Read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
Strengthening — the next ~40%
Mixed practice weighted towards weak topics; one full mock a week; keep an error log (“why did I get this wrong?” — concept gap, misread, or rushed).
Exam mode — the last ~20%
Two or three mocks a week at the real exam time of day; revise your error log; no new big topics in the final week.
4. Practise under the clock
Prelims gives you about 54 seconds a question. Untimed practice builds knowledge; timed practice builds the exam skill. Do both.
5. Use negative marking to your advantage
Never guess blind — on average it is worth nothing. Once you can rule out one option, a guess is worth taking. See the maths.
6. Clinical scenarios: read the last line first
Many questions describe a patient, then ask for “the first” or “the priority” action. Find what’s being asked before reading the details. Think airway–breathing–circulation and safety first.
7. Revise in loops, not lines
Revisit each subject at increasing gaps — after a day, a week, a month — rather than finishing the syllabus once.
8. Look after the basics
Sleep, food and short breaks are part of the plan, especially if you work shifts. If stress is becoming too much, talk to someone — Tele-MANAS, the national mental-health helpline, is free on 14416.
9. How Nursing Vidyarthi fits in
The diagnostic, adaptive practice, mocks and the speed dashboard map onto steps 1, 3, 4 and 5.
Practise NORCET questions free
NORCET marking, timed mocks and practice that adapts to your weak topics.
NORCET questions
All questionsWhat is NORCET?
The Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test, conducted by AIIMS New Delhi to recruit Nursing Officers for AIIMS institutions. Read the full guide.
Who can apply for NORCET?
B.Sc / B.Sc (Hons) / Post-Basic B.Sc Nursing graduates, or GNM diploma holders with 2 years’ experience in a 50+ bed hospital — registered as Nurse & Midwife, and aged 18–30 with category relaxations. Details.
Does NORCET have negative marking?
Yes: −⅓ mark for each wrong answer, +1 for a correct one, and 0 for unattempted. How to use it to your advantage.
When is the next NORCET?
AIIMS has recently held NORCET about twice a year. Dates are announced in each notification on aiimsexams.ac.in.
Can GNM diploma holders apply?
Yes, with registration as Nurse & Midwife and at least 2 years’ experience in a hospital of 50 or more beds after GNM.
How long should I prepare?
Most students plan 4–6 months, but it depends on where you start. Take a diagnostic to find out — then plan around your weak areas. Preparation strategy.