AIIMS CRE Exam Pattern 2026: CBT Structure, Marking Scheme and Selection Stages

The AIIMS CRE exam pattern is simple to state and easy to underestimate. One computer-based test of 100 questions, 90 minutes and 400 marks decides the merit list for every group, but the paper is split into five timed sections that lock behind you. That single rule changes how you attempt the paper, how you practise and how you handle negative marking. This page explains the AIIMS CRE exam pattern 2026 as laid down in the CRE-5 Detailed Recruitment Advertisement (DRA), including marking, qualifying marks, normalisation, tie-breaking and the skill tests that follow the written test for some posts.

AIIMS CRE Exam Pattern 2026 at a Glance

The test is common in structure but not in content. Every candidate sees the same format, yet the 80 domain questions come from the subject of the group applied for, so a nursing aspirant and a clerk aspirant face very different papers.

Section-Wise Structure of the CBT

The paper has two parts. A short common part tests general ability, and a larger domain part tests the subject linked to your group code.

The domain syllabus follows the level of the educational qualification and experience listed for the post. A 12th-pass post is tested at the 12th level, while a degree or engineering post goes deeper into its core subject.

Why the 20 and 80 split matters

Some third-party pages still show a 25 and 75 split, or a two-part table with 100 marks for general topics. Those figures come from older cycles. For CRE-5, the DRA states 20 questions on general knowledge, aptitude and computer knowledge and 80 on the domain. Plan around 20 and 80, and treat the notification as the final word if a group notice says otherwise.

The practical lesson is that about 80 percent of your marks depend on one subject. Candidates who spread their time evenly across general topics and the domain paper usually lose marks where it hurts most.

How the Five Timed Sections Work

The five-section design is the most important feature of the AIIMS CRE exam pattern. It behaves differently from the single 90-minute block most candidates are used to.

• One section at a time: Only the active section is visible. The others stay hidden until their turn.

• Fixed 18 minutes: Each section runs for exactly 18 minutes. Unused time in one section is not carried to the next.

• No return: After a section times out, the next one opens automatically and the earlier one never comes back for any action.

• Auto-submit: The test submits itself when the 90 minutes end.

• Review inside the section: Skipped questions and questions marked for review can be revisited only while that section is still active.

The DRA does not say which of the 20-question sections carries the general questions and which carry the domain questions, so do not assume an order. Read the instructions on your admit card and the on-screen guidelines on exam day, and settle your approach during mock practice rather than inside the exam hall.

What 18 minutes per section means in practice

Eighteen minutes for 20 questions gives about 54 seconds per question. Domain questions that are definition-based take far less, which leaves room for calculation or case-based questions. A workable rhythm is to take a first pass through all 20 questions in about 12 minutes, answering what you know and flagging the rest, and use the last 6 minutes to return to flagged questions. Because you cannot come back later, the review window is the end of each section, not the end of the paper.

AIIMS CRE Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

Every question carries equal marks. A correct answer earns 4 marks. A wrong answer costs one-fourth of the marks, which works out to 1 mark. An unattempted question carries no penalty. A few pages describe this as a 0.25-mark deduction, which is a misreading, because the penalty is a quarter of the question marks, not a quarter of one mark.

Three sample scores

The table below shows how attempts and accuracy combine. The figures are illustrative, not predictions.

Candidate B scores more than Candidate A despite a lower accuracy, because the extra attempts were answered correctly often enough to outweigh the penalty. Candidate C shows the opposite: attempting everything with weak accuracy loses to both.

When is a guess worth taking?

With a gain of 4 and a loss of 1, a guess pays off on average when your chance of being right is above 20 percent. With four options, a blind guess has a 25 percent chance and is slightly positive on average, and removing even one option improves the odds further. The sensible rule is to attempt a question when you can eliminate at least one option with a reason, and to skip a question when all four options look equally unfamiliar. Sectional timing makes this more important, because a long-stuck question costs time you cannot recover.

Medium of the Examination

The language of your paper depends on the qualification level of your group, as per the DRA.

• Bilingual (English and Hindi): for all groups where the qualification is 10th, Matriculation or 10+2.

• English only: for groups where specific technical domain knowledge is part of the essential qualification, or where the post needs a bachelor's degree or higher.

• English only for mixed groups: where a group combines posts of both kinds.

AIIMS has also stated that no request to change the medium will be entertained, so check the language listed for your group code before you start preparing material. For example, the clerical group of Junior Administrative Assistant and Lower Division Clerk is bilingual, while the administrative officer group and the nursing group are English only.

Domain Part by Group: Examples

The DRA lists 59 group codes. The table gives a small sample to show how domain subject, language and skill test vary. Use it as a pointer, and read your own group in the notification.

Qualifying Marks in the CBT

Scoring well is not enough unless you also cross the qualifying mark for your category. The DRA fixes the minimum percentages below.

Ex-servicemen follow the qualifying marks of their own category. These are only minimum qualifying marks. AIIMS may limit the number of qualified candidates according to category-wise vacancies, so the marks actually needed to reach the next stage are usually higher.

Normalisation for Multi-Shift Exams

When the CBT runs over several days or shifts, the papers differ slightly in difficulty. In that case AIIMS applies its published normalisation procedure (Notice No. 35/2023) so that scores from different shifts can be compared fairly. As a candidate, the takeaway is not to judge your result by a raw score alone. Two candidates with the same raw marks in different shifts may not end up with the same normalised score.

Merit List, Skill Test and Tie-Breaking

The merit list is prepared on CBT performance alone. Where a post carries a skill test, that test is qualifying in nature, and the merit list is drawn from candidates who clear it, ranked by their CBT marks.

How the skill test works

• Two stages: for groups with a skill test, stage one is the CBT and stage two is the skill test for the post.

• Mixed groups: where only some posts in a group need a skill test, a candidate who clears both stages is provisionally eligible for all posts in the group. A candidate who clears the CBT but not the skill test is considered only for posts without a skill test.

• Typical tests: typing for clerical posts, stenography for personal assistants and stenographers, a typing test for medical record posts, and physical tests for security and fire posts.

• Limited calls: AIIMS may limit the number of candidates called for the skill test according to the number of posts.

Tie-breaking order

When candidates tie on marks, the DRA resolves it in this order.

1. Higher marks in the domain-specific part.

2. Fewer wrong answers, which means fewer negative marks.

3. Older date of birth.

4. Alphabetical order of the candidate's name, followed by the father's and mother's names if needed.

The first two rules reward the same habits: depth in the domain subject and disciplined attempts.

Choice and Preference After the CBT

Because CRE-5 serves many institutes through one exam, qualified candidates are invited to fill their choice and order of preference for institutes later. A candidate who does not fill choices in time, or fills only a few, will not be considered for the organisations left out. Seats are then allocated in order of merit against the choices made.

How to Prepare According to the Pattern

• Build the domain paper first: It carries 320 of the 400 marks, so give it the largest share of study hours.

• Treat the 20 common questions as steady marks: Reasoning, basic maths, general awareness and computer basics respond well to short daily practice.

• Practise in 18-minute blocks: A full-length mock is useful, but sectional drills teach you to finish 20 questions and leave without regret.

• Track wrong answers separately: Since fewer wrong answers also help in tie cases, note every negative mark and find the reason.

• Prepare for the skill test early: If your group has a typing, stenography or physical test, start that practice alongside the written paper.

Testkart's online tests and test series follow the 100-question, 90-minute structure, which lets you practise the sectional rhythm before the actual exam.

The AIIMS CRE exam pattern rewards candidates who understand the paper as much as the subject. Remember that the test has 100 questions in five locked sections, that 80 of them come from your own domain, that a wrong answer costs 1 mark, and that qualifying marks and tie-breaking both lean on accuracy. Confirm every group-specific detail, including language and skill test, in the official notification on aiimsexams.ac.in before you finalise your plan.