AIIMS Lab Technologist 2026: Syllabus Guide

The AIIMS Lab Technologist syllabus is set through the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE), where all laboratory posts sit in Group 17 with Medical Laboratory Technology as the domain subject. AIIMS New Delhi's Examination Section names the subject but does not publish a topic-wise syllabus. The CRE-5 notice (Notice No. 93/2026) says only that the 80 domain questions follow the level of the qualification and experience required for the posts, and that 20 questions cover general knowledge, aptitude and computers.

The topic lists below are built from that official line and from the standard DMLT and B.Sc MLT curriculum the posts demand. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list. You will also find how deep to go for each post, which subjects to start with and a week-by-week plan to finish the syllabus before your mocks begin.

AIIMS Lab Technologist Syllabus at a Glance

Key Points About the Syllabus

• Only the subject is official: The notice names Medical Laboratory Technology for Group 17 and gives no unit list, so any detailed syllabus you see online is a compiled one.

• Level follows the qualification: Questions are pitched at DMLT and B.Sc MLT level, with bench-level practical knowledge for posts that ask for experience.

• One paper for all lab posts: A Lab Attendant Grade II candidate and a Medical Laboratory Technologist candidate sit the same Group 17 paper, so prepare to the higher level if you are applying for senior posts.

• English medium: The notice makes the paper English-only where a technical qualification is essential, so learn terms, units and abbreviations in English.

• Older pages may differ: Some pages still describe pre-CRE institute papers with interviews or different section splits. Follow the current CRE notice.

General Section Syllabus (20 Questions)

The general part is one 18-minute section of 20 questions. It is small in marks but it is the easiest place to lose time, so prepare it lightly and regularly.

Medical Laboratory Technology Syllabus (80 Questions)

The domain part is where your rank is decided. It also breaks ties first, before wrong answers or age. Split it into the subject areas below, which match how a hospital laboratory is organised.

Basic Medical Sciences

• Anatomy and physiology: Blood and its composition, circulatory, renal, hepatic and endocrine systems at the level needed to understand test results.

• Medical terminology: Common prefixes, suffixes and lab abbreviations such as CBC, FBS, PPBS and LFT.

Clinical Biochemistry

• Basics: Units, molarity and normality, preparation of solutions and buffers, pH, dilutions.

• Carbohydrates: Blood glucose methods (GOD-POD), OGTT, HbA1c, diabetes markers.

• Organ function tests: LFT (bilirubin, ALT, AST, ALP, proteins), KFT (urea, creatinine, uric acid), lipid profile, cardiac markers.

• Electrolytes and enzymes: Sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium; enzyme kinetics and clinical enzymes such as amylase and lipase.

• Techniques: Colorimetry, spectrophotometry, Beer-Lambert law, flame photometry, ion-selective electrodes, electrophoresis, chromatography, ELISA basics, autoanalysers.

Haematology

• Blood collection: Venipuncture and capillary sampling, anticoagulants (EDTA, citrate, heparin, oxalate) and vacutainer colour codes.

• Routine tests: Haemoglobin estimation methods, TLC, DLC, RBC and platelet counts, PCV, red cell indices, ESR (Westergren and Wintrobe).

• Smears and stains: Peripheral smear preparation, Leishman and Giemsa stains, reticulocyte count, red cell morphology.

• Coagulation: Bleeding and clotting time, PT and INR, aPTT, fibrinogen, coagulation cascade.

• Disorders and automation: Anaemias, leukaemias, haemoglobinopathies, sickling test, cell counter principles.

Microbiology

• Sterilisation and disinfection: Autoclave settings, hot air oven, filtration, chemical disinfectants and indicators.

• Bacteriology: Gram and Ziehl-Neelsen staining, culture media, biochemical tests, antibiotic sensitivity testing (Kirby-Bauer).

• Other organisms: Parasitology (stool examination, malaria parasites), mycology (KOH mount), virology basics.

• Immunology and serology: Antigen and antibody, Widal, VDRL, RA, CRP, ASO, rapid card tests.

• Molecular methods: Nucleic acid extraction, PCR and RT-PCR principles, and sample transport for molecular testing.

Histopathology and Cytology

• Tissue processing: Fixatives (formalin and others), dehydration, clearing, embedding, decalcification.

• Section cutting and staining: Microtome types and knives, H and E staining, special stains such as PAS and reticulin.

• Cytology: Pap smear and Pap stain, FNAC basics, body fluid cytology, frozen sections.

Clinical Pathology

• Urine: Physical, chemical and microscopic examination, reagent strips, Benedict and ketone tests.

• Other fluids: Stool for occult blood, semen analysis, CSF and other body fluid examination.

Blood Banking and Transfusion

• Grouping: ABO and Rh typing, forward and reverse grouping, weak D.

• Compatibility: Cross-matching, direct and indirect Coombs test, antibody screening.

• Donors and components: Donor selection, anticoagulant solutions (CPDA-1), component preparation, storage temperatures and shelf life, transfusion reactions.

Lab Safety and Instrumentation

• Biosafety: Universal precautions, PPE, biosafety levels and cabinets, needle-stick injury steps, spill management.

• Waste: Biomedical waste colour coding and segregation, and how each category is disposed of.

• Instruments: Microscope parts and care, centrifuge, incubator, water bath, pH meter, analytical balance, calibration.

Quality Control

• Internal QC: Mean, SD and CV, Levey-Jennings charts, Westgard rules.

• External QC and accreditation: EQAS, NABL basics, ISO 15189.

• Errors: Pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical errors, sample rejection criteria.

Question Types to Expect

Knowing the topics is half the job; the other half is knowing how a topic is asked. Domain questions in lab technology papers usually fall into four types, and each needs a slightly different kind of revision.

Common Syllabus Mistakes

• Studying only one stream: Many candidates know their own bench well, say biochemistry, and neglect blood banking or histopathology, which still carry direct questions.

• Skipping units and normal values: Options often differ only in the unit or range, so learn them exactly.

• Ignoring the general section: Twenty questions worth 80 marks can lift a borderline score above the qualifying line.

• Reading without testing: With under a minute per question, recall speed matters as much as knowledge.

How Deep to Go for Your Post

All posts take the same paper, but the qualification behind each post tells you the depth AIIMS expects. Use this table to set your level, and prepare to the highest post you are applying for.

High-Weight Areas to Start With

AIIMS does not publish a topic weightage. From the way hospital laboratories run, haematology, clinical biochemistry and microbiology together cover most daily work, so they deserve the biggest share of your time. Blood banking, histopathology and QC are smaller but often produce direct, factual questions, such as storage temperatures, fixative names and Westgard rules, that are quick marks if you have revised them.

Treat this as a preparation priority, not an official split. Your own mock results should decide how you rebalance time after the first month.

Where General and Domain Topics Overlap

What to Study From

• Your course textbooks: Standard DMLT and B.Sc MLT textbooks remain the base, since the paper is pitched at qualification level.

• Workplace SOPs: If you work in a lab, its standard operating procedures and QC records show how tests are done in practice, which helps with situation questions.

• Official rules and standards: The Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 for segregation and colour codes, and NABL documents for quality terms.

• Previous papers: Questions from earlier AIIMS and other central lab recruitments show the level and style, even where the pattern differed.

Is There a Skill Test or Interview Syllabus?

No separate syllabus applies. The CRE-5 scheme table lists no skill test for Group 17, and there is no interview; selection runs on CBT merit, choice filling and document verification. AIIMS reserves the right to add a skill test to any group, so check the notice of your cycle.

How to Cover the Syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 4: Haematology and clinical biochemistry from your DMLT or B.Sc notes, with a normal-values and formula sheet.

2. Weeks 5 to 8: Microbiology, clinical pathology and blood banking, plus 30 minutes a day of general section practice.

3. Weeks 9 to 10: Histopathology, cytology, safety, instruments and QC, then topic tests on every subject.

4. Weeks 11 onward: Full-length mocks in the five-section format, same-day analysis and error-log revision.

Official notices and the latest advertisement: aiimsexams.ac.in.