UP NHM CHO Exam Pattern 2026: CBT Marks, Sections and Timing

Selection for Community Health Officer posts under the National Health Mission, Uttar Pradesh, rests on a single computer based test followed by document verification. There is no interview and no second written paper, so your CBT score, plus any COVID experience weightage, decides your rank and, through it, the district you are likely to get.

This page explains the UP NHM CHO exam pattern as set out in the latest official advertisement (No. 652/SPMU/NHM/Appt./2024-25/4877, dated 25 October 2024): the two sections, marking, qualifying marks, normalisation across shifts, merit and tie-break rules. It also turns those rules into practical choices about where to spend your time before and during the test.

Table of Contents

UP NHM CHO Exam Pattern at a Glance

CBT Section-wise Pattern

The CBT has two sections in one paper. You can move between them freely within the two hours, because the notice sets no separate sectional timing.

The question paper is bilingual, in English and Hindi. If the two versions differ, the English version is treated as final. The test is held in major cities of Uttar Pradesh, and NHM UP may allocate your test city. No travel or daily allowance is paid for attending.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

Because a wrong answer costs nothing, a blank is the only real loss. Every question you leave unmarked is a mark you could have had on a lucky guess, and a sensible guess after eliminating one or two options raises your odds further.

Minimum Qualifying Marks

To enter the merit list at all, you must reach the minimum qualifying marks for your category.

These are thresholds, not cut-offs. Witet.

Normalisation Across Shifts

If the CBT runs in more than one shift, raw scores are normalised to adjust for differences in paper difficulty. The notice describes the method in an annexure. In short:

• Shift statistics: The average and standard deviation of scores are calculated for each shift.

• Base shift: Scores are scaled against a base shift, usually the one with the highest average.

• Attendance rule: A shift with attendance below 70 percent of the average shift attendance is not used as the base, so a small, unusual shift cannot set the scale.

For you, normalisation means a tough shift does not automatically hurt you. Your position relative to others in your shift matters, which is one more reason to attempt every question.

Final Merit: COVID Weightage and Tie-Break Rules

COVID experience weightage

Candidates who clear the minimum qualifying marks can add weightage for cumulative COVID service up to 31 March 2022, supported by a QR-based certificate in the prescribed format.

Worked example (illustration only): An OBC candidate scores 62 after normalisation, which clears the 30-mark threshold. She has one year of certified COVID service, so 10 marks are added and her merit score becomes 72. A candidate with the same 62 but no COVID service stays at 62. The bonus only applies after the threshold is cleared, so it cannot rescue a score below the minimum.

Tie-break order

1. Higher marks in Section I (professional knowledge)

2. Older candidate by date of birth

3. Alphabetical order of name

4. Higher percentage in B.Sc or Post Basic B.Sc (Nursing)

District allocation

Allocation follows merit and your district preferences, and you must rank all 75 districts in the form. PwD candidates are allocated first, then everyone else. There is no right to a particular district and transfer requests are not entertained, so a higher rank is the only real lever for a preferred district. Vacancies vary widely by district: the notice lists 309 posts in Kushinagar and 23 in Hathras, at the two ends of the range.

What the Pattern Means for You

• Section I is 80 percent of the paper: Each professional question is worth the same as an aptitude question, but there are four times as many. Most of your preparation hours belong to community health and nursing.

• Section I also breaks ties: With many candidates on similar totals, a stronger Section I score can move you ahead without a single extra total mark.

• Time per question is 1.2 minutes: 120 minutes for 100 questions leaves room to read carefully. Fact-based questions should take under a minute, leaving spare time for clinical scenarios.

• Section II is a quick 20: Basic arithmetic, reasoning and computer questions are usually short. Securing 15 or more here frees time and protects your total.

• Zero blanks: With no negative marking, your attempt count should be 100 in every mock and in the real CBT.

A sample score plan

The split below is an illustration of how to think about targets, not an official figure or a predicted cut-off.

How the CHO Selection Model Has Changed

The CHO recruitment in Uttar Pradesh has been run several times, and the model has shifted between cycles. Figures for 2021 and 2022 below come from news reports of the time, not from a notice we could re-verify.

The practical takeaway is that the current CBT is aimed at candidates who already completed the CCHN content in their degree, so community health questions can go deeper than in older papers.

Document Verification Stage

Shortlisted candidates are called for the Document Verification Process. It carries no marks, but failing it cancels your candidature. Verification is done against what you uploaded during the online application, so the time to get documents right is before you submit the form.

• Identity and age: Date of birth must match the matriculation or secondary certificate.

• Qualification: B.Sc or Post Basic B.Sc (Nursing) marksheets and the principal's and university certificates confirming integrated CCHN.

• Registration: UP Nurses and Midwives Council registration, or, for other-state registrants, an affidavit on Rs. 100 non-judicial stamp paper with UP registration due within 90 days of provisional joining.

• Category and weightage: Category, domicile and PwD certificates as applicable, and the QR-based COVID certificate if claimed.

Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

A simple two-pass plan

1. First pass, about 75 minutes: Go through all 100 questions. Answer what you know at once and mark anything that needs more thought.

2. Second pass, about 35 minutes: Return to marked questions. Eliminate options and commit to an answer.

3. Final 10 minutes: Check that no question is left unanswered and fill any blanks with your most likely answer.

Where to start

Many candidates prefer to open with Section II because its 20 questions are short and build momentum. Others start with Section I while they are fresh. Try both orders in mock tests and keep the one that gives you a higher total, not the one that feels more comfortable.

Exam-day checklist

• Admit card and ID: Download the admit card from the official website when released and carry a valid photo ID, as the admit card instructs.

• Test city: Check the allotted city early. NHM UP may allocate it, and no travel allowance is paid.

• Language choice: Decide in advance whether you will read in English or Hindi, and remember the English version prevails in case of a difference.

Practise the pattern before the real test

NHM UP does not host an official CHO mock test on its website, so rehearsal has to come from practice papers. You can take UP NHM CHO mock tests on Testkart in the 100-question, two-hour format to build pacing and check whether your two-pass plan holds under time pressure. Testkart's section-wise report shows separate Section I and Section II scores, which matters here because Section I also decides ties.

Older Pages and the Official Source

Some older pages still describe earlier CHO cycles, when selected nurses were trained in CCHN after the exam, or merit lists built from Class 10, Class 12 and nursing marks. Some also show different age ranges or call the centres Health and Wellness Centres. Follow the official notice for the current pattern. The advertisement and any later updates are published on the Opportunities page at https://nhm.up.gov.in/Home/Opportunities. As checked on 5 November 2026, no CBT date had been announced there for the 7,401-post cycle.