AIIMS Pharmacist Exam Pattern 2026: Marks and Timing

The AIIMS Pharmacist exam pattern for the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE-5) is a single Computer Based Test (CBT) of 100 questions, 400 marks and 90 minutes. It applies to Pharmacist, Pharmacist Grade II and Dispensing Attendant posts (Group Code 12), and the merit list is built on this test alone.

The feature that changes how you plan is the section lock. The paper is split into five timed sections, and you cannot return to a section once its time ends. This page explains the structure, the marking, the qualifying marks and how to use your 90 minutes.

Table of Contents

• Exam Pattern at a Glance

• CBT Pattern and Section Rules

• Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

• Qualifying Marks

• What the Pattern Means for You

• Later Stages

• Merit and Tie-Break Rules

• Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

Exam Pattern at a Glance

CBT Pattern and Section Rules

The question paper has five sections of 20 questions, and each section runs for 18 minutes. The notification sets these rules for the sections.

• One section at a time: Only the active section is visible. When its 18 minutes end, the next section opens automatically.

• No return: You cannot view or answer a closed section again, so review any skipped or marked questions before the timer ends.

• Auto-submit: The exam submits itself after 90 minutes.

The notification does not say which topics fall in which section. It only fixes the split of 80 pharmacy and 20 general questions, so confirm the section layout in your own mock tests and on exam day.

Medium of the Paper

Papers are bilingual (English and Hindi) for groups with a 10th or 10+2 qualification. The notification sets English only for groups where technical domain knowledge is part of the essential qualification, which may include this group. Check the language shown on your admit card, since requests to change the medium are not accepted.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

Every question carries 4 marks. A wrong answer costs one-fourth of the question marks, so each wrong answer deducts 1 mark. The notification mentions no deduction for questions you leave unanswered.

A worked example: if you answer 70 questions correctly, 20 wrongly and leave 10 blank, your score is 280 minus 20, which is 260 out of 400.

Qualifying Marks

Ex-servicemen follow the qualifying marks of their own category. AIIMS can also limit the number of qualified candidates according to category-wise vacancies, so scoring the minimum does not guarantee a place on the list.

What the Pattern Means for You

• Pharmacy decides your rank: 80 questions are worth 320 marks, so every extra correct pharmacy answer moves you further than any general section.

• A wrong guess is expensive: A wrong answer costs 5 marks compared with a correct one (a 4-mark gain lost, plus 1 deducted). Guess only when you can remove at least two options.

• Plan 18 minutes per block: That gives about 54 seconds per question, which suits direct pharmacy questions but squeezes calculation items.

• Leave nothing unreviewed: Because a section never reopens, flag and settle doubtful questions inside the same 18 minutes.

Later Stages

After the CBT, qualified candidates are invited to choose institutes and set an order of preference. Seats are allocated in merit order against those choices, and the allocated institute verifies your documents. For Group Code 12, no skill test appears in the notification, but AIIMS reserves the right to add one to any group, so follow the official notices.

Merit and Tie-Break Rules

The merit list is prepared on CBT performance only. If the CBT runs in several shifts, AIIMS applies its published normalisation procedure. When two candidates score equal marks, the notification resolves the tie in this order.

1. Domain marks: The candidate with higher marks in the domain-specific part ranks higher.

2. Negative marks: The candidate with fewer wrong answers ranks higher.

3. Date of birth: The older candidate ranks higher.

4. Name: Alphabetical order of candidate name, then father's and mother's name if required.

Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

Log in early, because the admit card is released about 3 days before your exam date and you must carry it to the centre. Keep the first pass of each section quick: answer what you know, flag the rest, and use the last 3 to 4 minutes of the block to revisit flagged items.