AIIMS Nursing Officer Syllabus: NORCET Subject Guide
The AIIMS Nursing Officer syllabus for NORCET is built on the nursing curriculum at the level of the essential qualification, that is B.Sc Nursing and GNM. Stage I has 80 nursing questions and 20 general knowledge and aptitude questions. Stage II has 160 case-scenario nursing questions covering the full nursing syllabus. The exam is conducted by AIIMS New Delhi.
AIIMS names these areas in its notice but does not publish a topic-wise syllabus. The topic lists below are built from the official notice and the B.Sc Nursing and GNM curriculum. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list.
Table of Contents
NORCET Syllabus at a Glance
Nursing Subjects and Topics
Basic Sciences for Nursing
General Knowledge and Aptitude
How Stage II Questions Differ
How to Cover the Syllabus
NORCET Syllabus at a Glance
Stage | Questions | What is tested |
|---|---|---|
Stage I (preliminary) | 100 | 80 nursing questions at essential-qualification level; 20 general knowledge and aptitude questions |
Stage II (main) | 160 | Case-scenario questions on the full nursing syllabus at essential-qualification level |
Section timings and marking are on the AIIMS Nursing Officer exam pattern page.
Nursing Subjects and Topics
Subject | Topics to cover |
|---|---|
Fundamentals of Nursing | Vital signs, nursing process, infection control and asepsis, hygiene, bed making, positioning, drug administration routes, IV therapy, specimen collection, first aid, documentation |
Medical-Surgical Nursing | Cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal, neurological, endocrine, musculoskeletal and blood disorders; oncology; burns; perioperative care; critical care; emergency and disaster nursing |
Child Health (Paediatric) Nursing | Growth and development, immunisation schedule, newborn care, neonatal resuscitation, common childhood illnesses, IMNCI, congenital anomalies |
Obstetric and Gynaecological Nursing | Antenatal, intranatal and postnatal care, stages of labour, partograph, high-risk pregnancy, obstetric emergencies, family planning, gynaecological disorders |
Mental Health Nursing | Mental status examination, common psychiatric disorders, therapeutic communication, psychotropic drugs, ECT, Mental Healthcare Act |
Community Health Nursing | Epidemiology, national health programmes, primary health care, communicable and non-communicable diseases, health education, biomedical waste management |
Nursing Management and Research | Principles of management, staffing, ward management, quality and audit, basic research methods and statistics |
Start with fundamentals and medical-surgical nursing. They underpin most clinical questions in both stages, and a strong base there makes the specialty subjects faster to revise.
Basic Sciences for Nursing
Subject | Topics to cover |
|---|---|
Anatomy and Physiology | Body systems, normal values, structure and function of major organs |
Pharmacology | Drug classes, dosage calculation, antidotes, emergency drugs, side effects and nursing responsibilities |
Microbiology | Microorganisms, sterilisation and disinfection, hospital-acquired infections |
Biochemistry and Nutrition | Nutrients, deficiency disorders, therapeutic diets, normal lab values |
Psychology and Sociology | Behaviour, learning, family and community structure as they apply to patient care |
General Knowledge and Aptitude
Stage I has 20 non-nursing questions. They are a small share, but they can lift a borderline score.
General knowledge: Current affairs, national health schemes, Indian polity and geography basics, important days and health organisations.
Aptitude: Number series, percentage, ratio, averages, time and work, simple reasoning such as analogy, coding and direction sense.
How Stage II Questions Differ
Case scenarios: Most questions describe a patient and ask for the priority action, the likely complication or the correct nursing response.
Priority questions: Expect "first action" or "most important" questions, which test judgement rather than recall.
Visual questions: Candidates report image-based questions on equipment, procedures and clinical signs, so revise instruments and common clinical images.
Read every option before answering. In priority questions more than one option is often correct, and you must choose the one to do first.
How to Cover the Syllabus
Weeks 1 to 4: Fundamentals of nursing, anatomy and physiology, and pharmacology basics.
Weeks 3 to 8: Medical-surgical nursing system by system, with short notes on normal values and drugs.
Weeks 6 to 10: Child health, obstetrics, mental health and community health, plus 20 to 30 minutes of general knowledge and aptitude a day.
From week 8: Case-based question practice and sectional tests in the locked-section format.
Final phase: Full-length mocks for both stages, same-day analysis and revision from an error log.
For subject-wise and full-length practice, you can attempt nursing online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to see which subjects need more work. Once you know the syllabus, check the AIIMS Nursing Officer cut-off to set a target, and the AIIMS Nursing Officer overview for dates and eligibility.
Official source: AIIMS Examinations.
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