AIIMS INI CET Cut-Off 2027: Qualifying Percentile, Closing Ranks

The INI CET cut-off works differently from most entrance exams. AIIMS, New Delhi, which conducts the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test, does not set a fixed pass mark. Instead, it declares a qualifying percentile for each category, and the real competition is decided later, when seats at AIIMS institutes, JIPMER, PGIMER, NIMHANS and SCTIMST close at particular ranks during counselling.

This page explains both cut-offs for the January 2027 session (exam on 1 November 2026): the qualifying percentile you need to enter counselling and the closing ranks that decide an actual seat. It also covers previous session data, how marks translate into ranks, what moves the cut-off and how to set a realistic target score.

Table of Contents

1. INI CET Cut-Off at a Glance

2. Qualifying Cut-Off vs Admission Cut-Off

3. INI CET Qualifying Percentile by Category

4. Previous Session Closing Ranks

5. INI CET Marks vs Rank

6. What Affects the INI CET Cut-Off

7. How to Set Your Target Score

INI CET Cut-Off at a Glance

Qualifying Cut-Off vs Admission Cut-Off

Most confusion about the INI CET cut-off comes from treating two different numbers as one. Here is how they differ.

In simple terms, about half of all candidates clear the qualifying cut-off in each session, but only a small share of them get seats, because the number of seats is far smaller than the qualified pool.

INI CET Qualifying Percentile by Category

The percentile rule below has applied in the recent sessions, including the July 2026 session (exam held on 16 May 2026). Confirm it in Prospectus Part A for January 2027 before relying on it.

Last Qualifying Rank in Recent Sessions

Because the cut-off is a percentile, the last qualifying rank depends on how many candidates appear. The figures below are reported from published merit-list analyses, not taken from an AIIMS notice, so treat them as indicative.

The much larger July pool explains the gap: the percentile stays the same, but more candidates sit the paper.

Previous Session Closing Ranks

The table shows the overall last rank allotted a MD, MS, DM or MCh seat in Round 1, across all participating institutes and courses. It is the outer boundary of admission, not the rank for a popular branch.

Sought-after clinical branches close far earlier. MD General Medicine and MD Radiodiagnosis at AIIMS New Delhi, for example, have been reported to close within roughly the first ten UR ranks. Pre-clinical and para-clinical courses and newer AIIMS institutes account for most seats near the outer boundary. Ranks also move in later rounds as candidates upgrade or leave seats.

INI CET Marks vs Rank

AIIMS publishes ranks and percentiles, so the link between marks and rank has to be read from merit-list data. The ranges below are reported for the January 2026 session and are indicative only.

Two points stand out. Ranks are packed tightly in the middle of the distribution, so one or two marks can move you hundreds of places. And because a wrong answer costs one-third of a mark, cutting careless errors raises your score as reliably as adding correct answers.

What Affects the INI CET Cut-Off

• Number of candidates: A bigger pool pushes the last qualifying rank higher and makes every closing rank more competitive.

• Seats on offer: Seat numbers change from session to session and can be revised during counselling. Fewer seats mean earlier closing ranks.

• Paper difficulty: A harder paper lowers raw scores across the board, so the same rank needs fewer marks.

• Branch and institute preferences: Clinical branches at older institutes fill first, while pre-clinical seats and newer AIIMS institutes close later.

• Category-wise seats: Reservation applies seat by seat, so closing ranks differ sharply between categories.

• Counselling rounds: Upgrades and withdrawals in later rounds can open seats that closed at a different rank in Round 1.

How to Set Your Target Score

Cut-offs change every session with difficulty, seats and the number of candidates. Treat previous figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them rather than a bare pass.

1. Decide what you want, not just whether you qualify: List the courses and institutes you would accept and look at how they closed in the last two or three sessions.

2. Convert that rank into a score band: Use the marks-vs-rank reading above as a rough guide, then add a margin of 5 to 10 marks for session-to-session movement.

3. Split the target by section: With four sections of 50 questions, a 140 target means roughly 35 net marks per section. Check this against your sectional mock scores.

4. Track accuracy as well as score: A target is only reachable if your wrong answers stay low. Note how many marks negative marking costs you in every mock.

To test where you stand, take INI CET mock tests on Testkart in the real four-section, 45-minute format and compare your scores across attempts with the section-wise analysis. For the paper structure and marking rules in detail, see the INI CET exam pattern, and for dates and eligibility, the AIIMS INI CET exam overview.

The INI CET cut-off you should plan around is the closing rank for the seat you want, not the qualifying percentile. Set a score target with a margin, measure it in timed mocks, and check the official result notice on aiimsexams.ac.in once the January 2027 result is out.