Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Nursing Officer

The PGIMER Nursing Officer exam is the entry route into Group B nursing posts at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, one of the best-known government medical institutes in the country. The current cycle is advertised under Advertisement No. PGI/RC/055/2026/2276 for 243 Nursing Officer posts (Post Code NUR/001), and selection depends on a single computer based test (CBT) followed by document verification.

This page brings the whole cycle together: key dates, vacancies, eligibility, fee, exam pattern, syllabus, selection steps, pay and a preparation plan. The online application window for this cycle (10 September to 3 October 2026) has closed, so the sections that matter most now are the exam date, pattern, syllabus and document rules. Details here follow the notification; always confirm the latest status on the official PGIMER website.

Table of Contents

PGIMER Nursing Officer 2026 at a glance

Important dates

The exam was first scheduled for 21 October 2026 and later moved to 18 November 2026 through a revised-date notice. Tentative dates come from the notification schedule and can change. Track the official recruitment page on pgimer.edu.in and your registered email for the admit card and exam city details.

Vacancy details

Ten of the posts are identified for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD), reserved horizontally within these totals. The notification states that vacancies are provisional and EWS posts are subject to government directions, so treat the numbers as the current position rather than a fixed count.

Eligibility in brief

A candidate must satisfy one of two qualification routes on the closing date of 3 October 2026.

• Degree route: B.Sc (Hons) Nursing, regular B.Sc Nursing or Post Basic B.Sc Nursing from a recognised university or institute, plus registration as RN or RN and RM with a State Nursing Council.

• Diploma route: Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) from a recognised board or council, State Nursing Council registration, and one year of experience in a hospital with at least 50 beds, gained after the diploma.

• Age: 18 to 35 years as on 3 October 2026. Upper age relaxation applies to SC/ST, OBC, PwBD and some other groups.

The full rules, relaxation table and common disqualifiers are on the PGIMER Nursing Officer eligibility page.

Application fee and documents

The fee is non-refundable and was payable online. Shortlisted candidates should keep these ready for document verification:

• Application printout: a copy of the submitted online form.

• Education records: Matriculation, 10+2 and the nursing qualification mark sheets and certificates, with originals.

• Registration and experience: State Nursing Council registration and, for the diploma route, experience certificates showing period, duties and pay scale.

• Category papers: caste, non-creamy-layer, EWS or disability certificates in the prescribed format, plus a No Objection Certificate for serving government employees.

Exam pattern and marking

The CBT is the only scored stage. It carries 100 multiple-choice questions for 100 marks, to be attempted in 100 minutes, in English only.

What this means for you: you get about one minute per question, so speed matters as much as knowledge. Because wrong answers cost marks, avoid pure guessing. A deeper breakdown is on the exam pattern page.

Syllabus summary

The notification does not publish a topic-wise syllabus. It points candidates to the qualification prescribed in the recruitment rules, so questions are expected from core nursing subjects. Use the table as a working checklist, not as an official list.

Topic lists and a study order are on the syllabus page.

Selection process

1. Computer based test: all candidates take the 100-mark CBT.

2. Shortlisting: category-wise, roughly three candidates per post, plus ties, based on CBT marks.

3. Scrutiny and document verification: eligibility, age, experience and category claims are checked against originals.

4. Medical fitness: the Institute's Medical Board examines selected candidates before appointment.

There is no interview. If candidates tie on marks, the notification applies tie-breakers such as fewer wrong answers and then an earlier date of birth. Candidates who qualify in the CBT but fall outside the shortlist are not called for verification.

Salary and career growth

The post is placed in Pay Level 7 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, with a pay range of Rs. 44,900 to Rs. 1,42,400. The starting basic pay is therefore Rs. 44,900 per month before allowances. Allowances such as dearness allowance and house rent allowance are paid under PGIMER and Central Government rules. In-hand salary varies with city, allowances and deductions, so treat any single take-home figure as an estimate.

How to prepare

With a single 100-mark test deciding merit, the plan is simple: cover every nursing subject once, then spend most of the remaining time on timed practice.

• Start with high-volume subjects: medical-surgical, fundamentals, community health, child health, obstetrics and mental health nursing carry most of the usual question weight in nursing officer tests.

• Revise basic sciences in short bursts: pharmacology, microbiology, nutrition and anatomy questions are often factual and quick to score.

• Practise in the CBT format: a screen-based, timed paper feels different from reading notes. You can attempt PGIMER Nursing Officer online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to decide what to revise next.

• Keep an error log: note every wrong or guessed answer with the correct concept. Revise this log before each new test.

• Use previous papers carefully: they show the style of questions, but verify any answer against a standard textbook.

If you want a structured set of reading material, the study notes page explains how to build compact subject notes for this exam.

What to expect in later cycles

PGIMER advertises Nursing Officer posts as and when vacancies are approved, so dates, vacancies and fees change with every notification. The pattern and eligibility principles on this page are a useful guide for future cycles, but verify each detail against the new notification. Use the cut-off page to understand how qualifying marks and shortlisting work.