By Planning to pursue a medical degree? Well getting into any medical college in India is quite challenging. To get admission into top medical courses i.e MBBS, BDS, BHMS, or BAMS, the basic eligibility is to qualify for the medical entrance exam. Some of the private engineering colleges organize their own entrance exams. Whereas there are some govt medical entrance exams conducted in India.
The score of govt medical entrance exams is accepted by the top government and private colleges for admission. Government medical colleges are more affordable than private colleges. Check the list of govt medical entrance exams at both state and national levels provided below.
- NEET UG:- National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG exam is the single MBBS and BDS entrance exam in India for admission in UG Medical and Dental courses. National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) / Exam is organized by the NTA and can be written in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, and Gujarati languages.
- NEET PG:- National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) PG exam is for admissions to various postgraduate medical courses across India organized by the National Board of Examinations (NBE). It is a computer-based exam that is processed online.
- NEET SS:- This exam is organized for taking admission in DM/M Ch courses in India. Government medical colleges as well as some private medical colleges accept the NEET SS scores. It is a computer-based entrance exam based on Multiple Choice Questions.
- INI CET:- All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) conducts its own entrance exam for Postgraduate courses twice a year. It offers courses like MD/MS/M Ch/DM/MDS Admission to these courses is conducted at the AIIMS institutes which are located in New Delhi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, and Rishikesh. It was conducted online in CBT mode and Multiple Choice question format.
- AIIMS SS:- AIIMS conducts its own entrance exam for getting admissions in SuperSpeciality DM and M Ch courses. In this exam, subjective questions are coming and it is held in online CBT mode.
- JIPMER PG:- JIPMER exam is for admission in is a central government institute organized by the Ministry of Health, India. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry conducts its separate entrance exam for Postgraduate courses, like MD and MS. This national-level Medical entrance exam has two sessions for the month of January & July.
- PGIMER:- Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research organized an entrance exam for admission to postgraduate medical courses such as MD and MS. Applications are opened for September/October and March/April for the January and July sessions respectively. This exam is held in December for the January session and in June for the July session. The exam is generally conducted in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ).
- DNB PDCET:- Post-Diploma Centralized Entrance Test organized for admission to various Post Diploma DNB (Diploma of National Board) courses is conducted by NBE. The paper contains an objective type and is held through online mode. In the medical field, the DNB Super Specialty course is considered equivalent to MD/MS courses.
- FET – Fellowship Entrance Test:- The Fellowship Entrance Test (FET) is organized for admission to postdoctoral courses which is conducted by NBE annually. It is a computer-based exam for a postgraduate medical degree.
Government Medical Entrance Exams: National Level
| Exam Name | Total seat offer | Conducting Body |
| National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) | 44555 | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| INI CET | – | AIIMS Delhi |
| All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS-MBBS) | 584 | National Board of Examinations (NBE) |
| Foreign Medical Graduate Examination(FMGE) | – | National Board of Examinations (NBE) |
| National Eligibility cum Entrance PG Test (NEET-PG) | total PG seats become around 44, 000 in 2021 of 36,192 MD/MS seats and 8000 DNB/FNB seats. | National Board of Examinations (NBE) |
| National Eligibility cum Entrance Super Speciality Test (NEET SS) | 2,447 Doctorate of Medicine (DM) and Master of Chirurgie (MCh) seats in 156 institutes in India. | National Board of Examinations (NBE) |
| National Eligibility cum Entrance MDS Test (NEET MDS) | 6,501 | National Board of Examinations (NBE) |
| AIAPGET (All India AYUSH Postgraduate Entrance Test) | around 2,274 | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Diplomate of National Board Post Diploma Centralized Entrance Test (DNB PDCET) | 1073 | National Board of Examinations (NBE) |
| Combined Medical Services Examination (CMSE) | 838 | UPSC |
Government Medical Entrance Exams: State Level
Tabulated below are the government medical entrance exams (with tentative dates) held in several states:
| Exam Name | Exam Date (Tentatives) |
| Assam CEE (MBBS) | 4th week of June 2022 |
| AP EAPCET (MBBS) | 3rd week of July 2022 |
| GCET | 11 & 12 May 2022 |
| JKCET- J & K (MBBS) | June 2022 |
| KEAM-Kerala (MBBS) | 5 August 2022 |
| MH-CET, Maharashtra | 10 May 2022 |
| WBJEE (MBBS) | 23 April 2022 |
| UPMT, Uttarakhand | 17 May 2022 |
| Chhattisgarh-PMT | 2nd Week May |
At the Undergraduate level, NEET-UG is considered the top MBBS entrance exam for admission to various medical and dental colleges across India. However, there are some entrance exams that are taken for Postgraduate and Superspeciality level courses. MBBS course is followed by MS, a post-graduation degree for surgical specialties, MS or MD, and DNB which is a highly qualified PG and for Super specialization.
