For thousands of nursing graduates, engineers, pharmacists, and administrative professionals across India, AIIMS CRE genuinely represents one of the most attractive entry points into central government healthcare service — a single, centralised recruitment exam filling Group B and Group C non-faculty vacancies across AIIMS institutes nationwide and other participating central government healthcare institutions. With 1,484 posts announced under this cycle spanning roles like Nursing Officer, Assistant Engineer, Public Health Nurse, and Administrative Officer, this recruitment drive genuinely simplifies what would otherwise be dozens of separate applications into one unified process. But here’s what makes this exam genuinely important to understand correctly before you start preparing: 80% of your total marks come specifically from your domain-specific subject knowledge — nursing content for Nursing Officer posts, engineering concepts for Assistant Engineer roles — while the shared General Section covering GK, Aptitude, and Computer Knowledge accounts for just 20%. Candidates who treat the General Section as their main preparation focus while relegating domain knowledge to an afterthought are, quite literally by the numbers, preparing backwards.
Let’s break down everything you need to know.
AIIMS CRE 2026: Quick Overview
| Particulars | Details |
| Conducting Body | All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi |
| Exam Name | Common Recruitment Examination (CRE-5) |
| Total Vacancies | 1,484 Group B and Group C posts |
| Posts Covered | Nursing Officer, Public Health Nurse, Assistant Engineer, Administrative Officer, Operators, Lab Assistants, Multi-Tasking Staff, and others |
| Selection Stages | Computer-Based Test (CBT), Skill Test (where applicable), Document Verification, Choice and Preference Allocation |
| CBT Questions | 100, worth 400 marks (4 marks per correct answer) |
| CBT Duration | 90 minutes, divided into fixed sections |
| Negative Marking | 0.25 (1/4) marks deducted per wrong answer |
| Qualifying Marks | 40% (UR/EWS); 35% (OBC); 30% (SC/ST) |
| Marks Split | 20% General Section (Part A), 80% Domain-Specific Section (Part B) |
| Official Website | aiimsexams.ac.in |
Since a full 80% of your total score depends on your post-specific domain knowledge rather than general aptitude, understanding exactly how this weightage splits shapes precisely where your preparation intensity needs to concentrate.
Understanding the Selection Process
AIIMS CRE recruitment runs through a comprehensive, multi-stage process combining computer-based testing with practical skill assessment for applicable posts.
The complete process includes:
- Computer-Based Test (CBT) — the primary written screening stage, testing both general and domain-specific knowledge
- Skill Test — mandatory for select posts requiring practical, hands-on assessment
- Document Verification — confirming eligibility and academic credentials for shortlisted candidates
- Choice and Preference (Allocation) — the concluding stage where selected candidates indicate their preferred posting institutes
Since the Skill Test only applies to certain specific posts, confirming whether your target role requires this additional stage helps you understand your complete selection journey beyond just the written CBT.
Understanding Why AIIMS Uses a Single Centralised Exam
Rather than conducting separate recruitment drives for each individual AIIMS institute, AIIMS uses this single, centralised examination to fill vacancies across multiple campuses and participating central government healthcare institutions simultaneously. Given how genuinely efficient this consolidated approach is for candidates, one successful CRE attempt genuinely opens up opportunities across a wide network of institutions, rather than requiring you to apply separately to each individual AIIMS location.
CBT Exam Pattern: Understanding the Sectional Structure
The Computer-Based Test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions worth a total of 400 marks, with each correct answer earning 4 marks, to be completed within 90 minutes. Genuinely important to understand is that this isn’t one continuous 90-minute block — the exam is broken into fixed sections, meaning candidates need to manage their time within each section’s specific allocation rather than treating the full duration as freely distributable.
Negative marking applies at 0.25 marks (1/4) deducted per wrong answer, so candidates need to approach uncertain questions with genuine caution rather than guessing liberally throughout the paper.
The paper splits into two parts:
Part A: General Section — 20 MCQs covering General Knowledge, Aptitude, and Computer Knowledge/Awareness.
Part B: Domain-Specific Section — 80 MCQs testing subject knowledge directly tied to your specific applied post.
Part A: General Section Syllabus
This section, while comparatively smaller in question count, still deserves consistent, reasonable preparation, covering:
General Knowledge
This component covers current affairs, static general knowledge, and broader societal awareness expected of any competitive exam candidate.
Aptitude
This component tests logical reasoning, numerical ability, and analytical thinking through standard aptitude-style questions.
Computer Knowledge/Awareness
This component tests fundamental computer literacy relevant to modern administrative and healthcare work, covering basic hardware and software concepts, internet fundamentals, and common digital tools.
Given that this section accounts for just 20 questions out of the paper’s total 100, candidates should build consistent, moderate competency here without allowing it to consume disproportionate preparation time relative to its actual weightage.
Part B: Domain-Specific Section — Where 80% of Your Marks Genuinely Lie
This is genuinely the section that deserves your most intensive, sustained preparation effort, since it contributes 80 out of 100 questions and correspondingly 80% of your total available marks. Questions here are drawn specifically from the concerned discipline or subject relevant to your applied post.
For Nursing Officer and Public Health Nurse applicants, this section tests core nursing concepts, clinical knowledge, and public health principles relevant to your professional qualification.
For Assistant Engineer applicants, this section tests engineering concepts specific to your discipline — whether Civil, Electrical, or Mechanical.
For Pharmacist applicants, this section tests pharmacy-related subject matter relevant to your professional training.
For Administrative Officer, Operator, Lab Assistant, and other posts, the domain-specific content aligns with the technical or administrative knowledge relevant to that particular role.
Given how directly this section determines the majority of your score, candidates need to revisit their core professional or academic coursework thoroughly, treating this component with the same seriousness they’d apply to a dedicated professional licensing exam in their specific field.
Why Candidates Genuinely Get This Weightage Balance Wrong
A consistent and genuinely important insight worth internalising is that treating the General Section — covering GK, Aptitude, and Computer Awareness — as the main preparation priority while relegating the domain-specific section to an afterthought is, by the numbers, fundamentally backwards for this exam. Given that four-fifths of your total marks come directly from subject knowledge tied to your specific post, candidates who spend the majority of their preparation time on generic aptitude and current affairs while under-preparing their actual professional subject matter genuinely undermine their own chances at a strong overall score.
Understanding Qualifying Marks by Category
AIIMS CRE sets minimum qualifying thresholds that vary by category — 40% for Unreserved and EWS candidates, 35% for OBC candidates, and 30% for SC and ST candidates. Since these percentages apply to your overall CBT score, candidates need genuine accuracy across both Part A and Part B combined, though given Part B’s dominant weightage, strong domain-specific performance naturally carries more influence over whether you clear this threshold comfortably.
Understanding the Skill Test Stage
For posts specifically requiring practical, hands-on evaluation, candidates who clear the CBT and meet the required cutoff move to a mandatory Skill Test. Since this stage tests genuinely practical competency relevant to your specific role, candidates targeting posts with this additional requirement should confirm the exact skill assessment format from their official notification and prepare accordingly, rather than assuming written exam success alone determines their entire candidacy.
Building an Effective Preparation Strategy
Given how significantly Part B’s domain-specific weightage dominates this exam’s overall structure, your preparation strategy needs to reflect this reality clearly from the very start.
Dedicate the substantial majority of your preparation time to your specific domain subject — whether nursing, engineering, pharmacy, or another discipline — revisiting your core professional coursework and qualification-level knowledge thoroughly, since this component alone determines 80% of your available marks. Solving previous year AIIMS CRE question papers specific to your target post genuinely helps you understand exactly how questions get framed within your particular discipline.
Simultaneously, maintain consistent, moderate preparation for the General Section, building steady competency in General Knowledge, Aptitude, and Computer Awareness through regular practice, without allowing this comparatively smaller-weighted section to consume time better invested in your domain-specific preparation.
Given the negative marking scheme applicable across both sections, practice attempting questions with measured confidence during your mock tests, and if your target post requires a subsequent Skill Test, begin building relevant practical competency alongside your written preparation rather than treating it as a separate concern to address only after clearing the CBT.
FAQs
Q1. Since the General Section only contributes 20% of my total marks, should I skip preparing for it entirely and focus purely on my domain subject?
Not entirely — while your domain-specific section genuinely deserves the bulk of your preparation time given its 80% weightage, completely neglecting the General Section risks leaving easy, accessible marks on the table, so maintaining moderate, consistent preparation here alongside your intensive domain-specific study remains worthwhile.
Q2. How do I know whether my specific target post requires a Skill Test after clearing the CBT?
This depends on the specific post you’ve applied for, so checking your official notification’s selection process details for your particular role clarifies whether a Skill Test applies, since this additional stage is mandatory only for select posts requiring practical, hands-on assessment.
Q3. Since the CBT is divided into fixed sections rather than one continuous 90-minute block, how should I manage my time during the actual exam?
Given this sectional structure, candidates need to complete each section within its specific allocated time rather than assuming they can freely redistribute time across the entire 90-minute duration, so practising mock tests that replicate this exact sectional format helps build the pacing skills this specific structure demands.
Q4. Is the qualifying marks threshold the same regardless of which specific post I’m applying for within AIIMS CRE?
The qualifying marks percentages — 40% for UR/EWS, 35% for OBC, and 30% for SC/ST — apply as general category-based thresholds across the exam, though candidates should still confirm any post-specific variations from their official notification, since exact requirements can occasionally differ based on the particular role and participating institute.