INI CET 2026 Round 1 Choice Filling Begins Today After Mock Allocation Release

The crucial Round 1 Choice Filling for the INI CET January 2026 session is live from today, December 12, 2025, following the release of the Mock Allocation results. This phase is vital for all 32,000+ eligible aspirants seeking postgraduate seats (MD/MS/MDS/DM/MCh) in prestigious Institutions of National Importance (INIs) like AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, NIMHANS, and SCTIMST. Candidates must log in to the official AIIMS portal immediately to refine their preferences, considering the insights gained from the mock allotment. The deadline is strict, making meticulous choice submission an absolute priority for securing a desired specialty and institute.

The pursuit of a postgraduate seat in India's premier medical institutions has reached its most critical juncture. Following the highly anticipated announcement of the Mock Round Seat Allocation yesterday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has officially activated the portal for INI CET 2026 Round 1 Choice Filling. This phase, running from December 12 to December 13, 2025, is a high-stakes two-day window that will determine the fate of thousands of aspirants aiming for an MD, MS, DM, MCh, or MDS seat in the January 2026 session.

The Mock Allotment served as a crucial trial run, providing candidates with a provisional understanding of their likely allocation based on the choices submitted and their respective All India Ranks (AIRs). Now is the time to apply those learned lessons and finalize the choices that truly reflect both their professional aspirations and pragmatic rank-based possibilities.

Mock Allocation: A Crucial Learning Curve

The Mock Round Allocation, released on December 11, was strategically designed to give candidates a real-world preview of the allotment system. This data-driven glimpse is not the final result, but a powerful tool to refine your strategy for the actual Round 1.

• Rank vs. Allotment Reality: If the mock allotment provided a seat higher than expected, candidates should re-evaluate their subsequent preferences, potentially prioritizing more aspirational choices at the top of their Round 1 list.
• Re-evaluating Backup Options: If a desired institute/speciality was not allocated in the mock round, candidates must analyze the closing ranks and strategically place achievable backup options higher to ensure a guaranteed seat. The system always allocates the highest available preference.
• Validating Eligibility: The mock result subtly verified the candidate's eligibility based on their registration details. Aspirants from reserved categories like OBC and EWS, especially those on the merit border, must double-check that their valid, recent category certificates are correctly uploaded, as failure to do so could lead to disqualification in the actual rounds.

 Strategy for Round 1 Choice Filling and Locking

The choice filling for Round 1 is active for just two days, demanding speed, precision, and strategic thinking. Candidates must log into the official AIIMS counselling portal using their credentials to modify, add, or delete the choices submitted during the mock round.

• Prioritize Aspirations First: List your absolute dream institute/speciality combinations at the very top. There is no limit on the number of choices you can fill, and the computer-based system will only assign the highest available option based on your rank.
• The Power of Volume: Experts strongly advise candidates to enter every single eligible combination of institute and speciality, even those that seem less desirable. This serves as a vital safety net, drastically reducing the risk of remaining unallotted if highly preferred seats are unavailable.
• Strict Adherence to Deadline: The choice-locking mechanism will activate automatically after the deadline on December 13, 2025 (5:00 PM). Choices that are not explicitly locked by the candidate will be auto-locked based on the last saved entry. No changes will be permitted after this time, and the same list will be used for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the counselling.

 Key Dates and Next Steps for Aspirants

All eligible candidates must meticulously track the subsequent dates for a seamless admission process. The dates are non-negotiable, and missing a deadline can result in the forfeiture of a seat.

• Round 1 Seat Allotment Result: The official allocation result for the first round will be announced on December 18, 2025. This is the final list that determines the first set of admissions.
• Online Acceptance & Reporting: Candidates who are allocated a seat must complete the online acceptance and physical reporting, document verification, and security deposit submission between December 19 and December 24, 2025. Failure to report will not only lead to the cancellation of the allotted seat but may also render the candidate ineligible for subsequent rounds, depending on the rules of the specific round.
• Age and Document Verification: Note that specific INIs like NIMHANS, Bengaluru, and SCTIMST, Trivandrum, have introduced upper age limits for certain PG programs. All documents, especially category certificates (OBC-NCL/EWS must be valid for the current session), must be in original and ready for submission during the reporting period.

This two-day window is not a drill; it is the moment to transform your INI CET score into a coveted residency position. Log in now, execute your refined strategy, and secure your place in India's medical elite before the Round 1 Choice Filling window closes.