INI CET November 2026 Exam Analysis: Moderate Difficulty, Memory-Based Questions & What Candidates Need to Know
Published 1 Nov 20267 min read
AIIMS conducted INI CET November 2026 on November 1 for the January 2027 session admissions. Initial feedback indicates a moderate paper with lengthy stems and PYQ-heavy subjects. Memory-based questions are now available, but AIIMS will not release an official answer key.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi held the INI CET November 2026 examination on Sunday, November 1, 2026, for admission to postgraduate medical and dental courses at Institutes of National Importance for the January 2027 session .
According to early candidate feedback, the overall difficulty level was moderate. The primary challenge was not conceptual difficulty but time management: lengthy clinical scenarios consumed significant time, leaving candidates pressed to complete all sections .
INI CET November 2026 Exam Analysis: Difficulty Level Subject-Wise
The subject-wise difficulty pattern reported by candidates is as follows:
| Subject | Difficulty Level / Observation |
|---|---|
| Pathology | Easy to moderate; manageable questions |
| Dermatology | Heavily PYQ-based; familiar questions |
| Pharmacology | Tricky; some questions caught candidates off guard |
| PSM (Preventive & Social Medicine) | Select questions were tricky |
| Overall | Moderate, with lengthy question stems |
Candidates noted that the paper did not feel unusually hard, but the length of clinical vignettes made pacing critical. Many questions required reading the stem more than once before answering .
INI CET 2026 Memory-Based Questions
The following questions are recalled by candidates after the exam. They are not published by AIIMS and should be treated as unofficial. Answers are based on candidate recall and expert consensus, not an official key .
Dermatology Recall Questions
Q. A man develops tender inguinal and femoral lymph nodes after a small, painless genital ulcer has healed. A groove separates the enlarged nodal groups. What is the most likely diagnosis?
A. Lymphogranuloma venereum
B. Chancroid
C. Primary syphilis
D. Donovanosis
Reported answer: A (Lymphogranuloma venereum)
Q. Identify the transverse white nail bands that do not blanch with pressure and move distally as the nail grows.
A. Beau lines
B. Muehrcke lines
C. Terry nails
D. Mees lines
Reported answer: D (Mees lines)
Q. A young adult with hereditary angioedema develops an acute attack without wheals. Which subcutaneous drug treats the attack by directly inhibiting plasma kallikrein?
A. Icatibant
B. Ecallantide
C. Omalizumab
D. Cetirizine
Reported answer: B (Ecallantide)
Q. A patient develops transient itchy wheals after starting a new oral antidiabetic drug. The drug inhibits DPP-4. Which drug is the most likely culprit?
A. Metformin
B. Acarbose
C. Sitagliptin
D. Pioglitazone
Reported answer: C (Sitagliptin)
Q. A patient receiving H, R, and E for tuberculosis develops a photosensitive facial eruption with arthralgia and positive ANA. Drug-induced lupus is suspected. Which drug is the classic culprit?
A. Rifampicin
B. Ethambutol
C. Isoniazid
D. Pyridoxine
Reported answer: C (Isoniazid)
Pathology Recall Questions
Q. Which of the following best describes the oncogenic mechanism of an isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation in gliomas?
A. Increased production of α-ketoglutarate, leading to DNA hypomethylation
B. Accumulation of D-2-hydroxyglutarate, resulting in inhibition of α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases and widespread DNA hypermethylation
C. Increased histone acetylation due to activation of histone acetyltransferases
D. Activation of TET enzymes, leading to increased DNA demethylation
Reported answer: B (D-2-hydroxyglutarate accumulation with DNA hypermethylation)
Q. A 52-year-old woman presents with painful parotid gland swelling and facial nerve weakness. Histopathology reveals a malignant salivary gland tumour with cribriform architecture and prominent perineural invasion. What is the most likely diagnosis?
A. Pleomorphic adenoma
B. Warthin tumour
C. Adenoid cystic carcinoma
D. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma
Reported answer: C (Adenoid cystic carcinoma)
Q. Which autoantibody is most characteristically associated with drug-induced lupus erythematosus?
A. Anti-Smith
B. Anti-double-stranded DNA
C. Anti-histone
D. Anti-centromere
Reported answer: C (Anti-histone)
INI CET 2026 Exam Pattern: Key Details
AIIMS follows a specific exam pattern for INI CET that candidates should understand when evaluating their performance:
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mode | Computer-based test |
| Duration | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Total questions | 200 |
| Sections | 4 sections of 50 questions each |
| Time per section | 45 minutes (auto-submit; no return) |
| Marking scheme | +1 for correct; −1/3 for incorrect |
| Qualifying percentile (UR/EWS/Sponsored/Foreign) | 50th percentile |
| Qualifying percentile (OBC/SC/ST/PwBD) | 45th percentile |
Important: Each section is timed separately. Once a section closes, candidates cannot return to it .
Will AIIMS Release INI CET 2026 Answer Key?
No. AIIMS does not release an official answer key for INI CET. This has been the consistent practice for the examination. Candidates must rely on memory-based question papers and unofficial answer keys released by coaching institutes to estimate their scores .
The memory-based questions above are compiled from candidate recall and are not verified by AIIMS. Discrepancies between recalled questions and the actual paper are possible.
INI CET November 2026 Result Date
According to the tentative schedule released by AIIMS, the INI CET November 2026 result is expected on November 7, 2026 .
Candidates should note that this is a tentative date and may be subject to change. The result will be published on the official AIIMS examination portal.
Official website: https://www.aiimsexams.ac.in/
After the result is declared, qualified candidates will be eligible to participate in INI CET counselling for the January 2027 session. Counselling dates for mock round, Round 1, Round 2, and open round are yet to be announced .
INI CET 2026 Expected Cutoff: What Past Trends Suggest
No official cutoff has been released for INI CET November 2026. However, historical data from previous sessions provides context for competitive branches at AIIMS Delhi (General category):
| Course | 2026 Cutoff Rank (General) |
|---|---|
| MD Radiodiagnosis | 2 |
| MD Medicine | 6 |
| MS General Surgery | 12 |
| MD Orthopaedics | 21 |
| MD Paediatrics | 48 |
| MD Dermatology | 62 |
These ranks indicate the level of competition for top clinical branches. The actual November 2026 cutoff will depend on factors including paper difficulty, candidate performance, and seat availability.