NEET PG vs INI CET Exam: Know Difference and Overview
Candidates often get a little confused about NEET PG and INI CET as both are post-graduate-level entrance exams in the medical stream. Read the article to know the difference between NEET PG and INI CET exam.
NEET PG and INI CET, both are PG-level entrance examinations in the medical stream. Conducted by the National Board of Examination(NBE), NEET-PG is an annual exam for providing admission into various MD (Doctor of Medicine)/ MS (Master in Surgery) and PG Diploma courses across the country. The scores are also used for taking admissions into postgraduate MBBS DNB courses.
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Conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, INI CET, provides admission into PG courses such as Masters of Surgery (MS), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Dental Surgery (MDS), Doctorate of Medicine (DM), and Master of Chirurgie (MCh) at 23 Institutions including 19 AIIMS across the country as well as JIPMER(Puducherry), PGIMER(Chandigarh), and NIMHANS(Bengaluru), and SCTIMST, Trivandrum. As both are PG-level entrance examinations, candidates often get a little confused about the examination. Some candidates may not have an idea about the agency which conducts these exams, the pattern and marking system, and other necessary information related to both these entrance exams. Read the complete article to understand the difference and other details of NEET PG and INI CET exams.
- What is INI CET exam?
- What is NEET PG exam?
- NEET PG vs INI CET Exam Comparison: Overview
- INI CET and NEET PG: Latest Updates
- NEET PG vs INI CET: Difference in the application process
- NEET PG vs INI CET: Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- Institutions that accept NEET PG or INI CET score
What is INI CET exam?
INI CET full form is Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test. The exam is held for admission to Institutes of National Importance. INI CET is conducted twice a year, one for the January session and another for the July session. INI CET 2025 July session exam was held on May 17, 2025 and result was declared on May 24, 2025.
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What is NEET PG exam?
NEET PG full form is National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Post-Graduation. The exam is conducted annually in computer-based mode for admission to MD/MS courses in medical colleges. NEET PG 2025 exam was held on August 3, 2025. NEET PG 2025 result was announced on August 19, 2025.
NEET PG vs INI CET Exam Comparison: Overview
| Particulars |
NEET PG |
INI CET |
|---|---|---|
| Exam Name |
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Post-Graduate courses (NEET PG) |
Institute of National Importance combined Entrance Test |
| Competent authority |
National Board of Examination (NBE) |
AIIMS, New Delhi |
| Courses offered |
MD/MS/PG Diploma/DNB post-MBBS |
MD, MS, DM, M.Ch, MDS |
| Level of the examination |
Postgraduate |
Postgraduate |
| Frequency of the examination |
Once in a year |
Twice a year (January and July) |
| Mode of the examination |
Online |
Online |
| Duration of examination |
210 minutes |
180 minutes |
| Exam website |
neetpg@nbe.edu.in |
aiimsexams.ac.in |
INI CET and NEET PG: Latest Updates
NEET PG 2025 exam was to be held on June 15, 2025 but NBE postponed it after Supreme Court directed NBE to make arrangements to conduct NEET PG 2025 in single shift. NEET PG 2025 was held on August 3, 2025. Registration for NEET PG 2025 began on April 17, 2025. May 7 was the deadline to submit application form for NEET PG 2025. INI CET 2025 July session exam was held on May 17, 2025. Final registration for INI CET 2025 July session had to be done from April 3 to April 25, 2025. AIIMS uploaded INI CET admit card 2025 on May 10, 2025. INI CET 2025 result was announced on May 24, 2025.
NEET PG vs INI CET: Difference in the application process
While NEET PG application process is a simple one, INI CET application is bit complicated. INI CET application process involves basic and final registration followed by generation of Exam Unique Code (EUC). The exam conducting body has introduced the Prospective Applicants Advanced Registration (PAAR) process for INI CET registration which facilitates the selection of more than one course at a time.
For completing the application process for NEET PG exam, first go to the NBE official website to register for the NEET PG exam. After registration, log in to the website, upload scanned documents and pay the application fee. The application fee for NEET PG is non-refundable.
For INI CET basic registration, go to the official website of AIIMS Delhi, and register yourself. Check the provisional status of the registration. The next steps of the application process are - code generation and final registration. The EUC code can only be generated for those candidates whose basic registration was accepted.
NEET PG vs INI CET: Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
Candidates who want to appear for the NEET PG and INI CET exams should know about its exam pattern and marking scheme. Exam pattern comprises syllabus, type and number of questions, and timings. Last year, NBE introduced some important changes in NEET PG exam pattern. There were changes in the application fee, the number of test centers, the total number of questions, and tie-breaking parameters.
NEET PG syllabus is another important thing candidates should pay attention to. NEET PG syllabus comprises subject areas as per the Graduate Medical Education Regulations issued by the Medical Council of India. Candidates need to check subject-wise topics and weightage from each topic. NEET PG 2025 test paper will have 200 multiple-choice questions of 800 marks and candidates will get 3.5 hours to answer them. There will be negative marking for wrong responses.
Candidates appearing for the July session should have an idea about INI CET 2025 exam pattern. INI CET 2025 exam will be carried out in online mode with a test paper comprising a total of 200 multiple-choice questions. Candidates will be getting 3 hours to answer them. There will be the single correct answer and multiple correct answer type questions in the INI CET 2025 test paper. As per the marking scheme, candidates will be awarded 1 mark for right answer and -1/3 mark for wrong answer. Candidates must note that the NEET PG exam is conducted once a year while INI CET is held twice, January and July session.
Institutions that accept NEET PG or INI CET score
NEET PG score is valid for admission in all private and government medical institutions except AIIMS, JIPMER(Puducherry), PGIMER(Chandigarh), and NIMHANS(Bengaluru). SGPGIMS, Lucknow and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, also don’t accept NEET PG score NEET-PG is valid for admission to the following:
-
All India 50 percent quota seats for MD/MS/PG Diploma courses across all states, except Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Telangana
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State quota seats for MD/MS/PG Diploma courses for all States/Union territories of India, including the three mentioned above
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MD/MS/PG Diploma courses offered by Private Medical Colleges, Institutions & Universities/Deemed Universities across India
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MD/MS/PG Diploma courses offered by Armed Forces Medical Services Institutions
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DNB Broad specialty courses
INI CET scores are accepted for admission for PG courses at 19 AIIMS, and other Institutes of National Importance. The list of AIIMS includes AIIMS Delhi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Nagpur, Raipur, and Rishikesh, Bathinda, Bibinagar, Deoghar, and Manglagiri, AIIMS Raebareli, AIIMS Kalyani, AIIMS Bilaspur, AIIMS Gorakhpur, AIIMS Guwahati, AIIMS Rajkot, and AIIMS Jammu.
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