NORCET Syllabus — Complete Topic List
Last updated 2 November 2026. Always confirm with the official notification on aiimsexams.ac.in.
The AIIMS Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET) is a national-level competitive examination. The syllabus is broad by design: it tests clinical nursing knowledge, foundational sciences (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, pharmacology), community health, administration and research, and general aptitude including computers in nursing. Recent NORCET cycles continue to emphasise competency-based, application-oriented items rather than pure recall. This guide maps those expectations to our free daily quiz and sample questions, so you can judge the quality before paying; the full question bank is ₹999 a year, with no forced registration for the free part.
Core clinical nursing (highest weight)
Nursing foundations cover the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation), infection prevention, asepsis, vital signs, safety, communication, and documentation. These concepts appear across every shift in hospital practice and therefore recur heavily in MCQs. Our Nursing Foundations MCQ bank (77 questions) targets hand hygiene duration, sterile field rules, catheter and wound care, and patient identification.
Medical–surgical nursing typically dominates item distribution: cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, endocrine, gastrointestinal, neurology, oncology, emergencies, and critical care (including ventilator basics and shock). High-yield topics include electrolyte imbalances, pain management, pre- and post-operative care, and interpretation of common clinical scenarios. Practice with our Medical-Surgical module (118 questions).
Pediatric nursing stresses growth charts, developmental milestones, immunization as per India's national schedule, breastfeeding and weaning principles, and common childhood illnesses. See Paediatric MCQs.
Obstetric and gynaecologic nursing includes antenatal care, labour stages, postpartum complications, haemorrhage, eclampsia, family planning, and legal dimensions (e.g., MTP in exam-oriented framing). Use OBG MCQs.
Psychiatric nursing focuses on therapeutic communication, major disorders, crisis intervention, and psychotropic medication side effects and nursing responsibilities. See Psychiatric nursing practice.
Community health & public health programmes
Community health nursing (CHN) integrates epidemiology basics, levels of prevention, national health programmes (NHM, UIP, RNTCP/TB control, NVBDCP for vector-borne diseases, NPCB, mental health programmes), the role of ASHA and primary health centre services, and vital registration. NORCET often asks applied questions on programme targets and field logistics. Our Community Health MCQs align with these themes.
Basic sciences & pharmacology
Examiners expect working knowledge of pharmacology (drug classes, antidotes, adverse effects, nursing implications), anatomy and physiology (organ systems, homeostasis, ABG and volume concepts), microbiology (sterilization, common pathogens, TB/HIV/hepatitis), and biochemistry/nutrition (vitamins, minerals, therapeutic diets, basic lab values). Dedicated free banks: Pharmacology, Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Biochemistry & Nutrition, and First Aid & Clinical Pathology.
Aptitude, GK, research, administration, computers
Stage 1 style papers commonly include general knowledge, reasoning, and quantitative aptitude. Nursing officers also need familiarity with research methods and biostatistics (hypothesis, sampling, p-values, sensitivity/specificity at conceptual level), hospital administration (leadership, staffing, quality), and computers in nursing / health informatics (EMR, data privacy, telemedicine basics). We provide: GK & Current Affairs, Reasoning & Aptitude, Research & Statistics, Administration & Management, and Computers in Nursing.
How to use this syllabus with our site
- Read the official PDF notification and syllabus table.
- Start with high-weight clinical topics, then add sciences and CHN.
- Solve previous-year style MCQs weekly.
- Take timed full-length mocks with exam scoring (+1 / −1/3).
- Revise mistakes using explanations — our items include short rationales.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is NORCET syllabus the same every year? Core nursing domains stay stable, but emphasis shifts with exam trends. Always download the latest notification PDF for your cycle and compare with prior years.
Do I need coaching if I use free MCQs? Coaching provides structure and doubt support; disciplined self-study with standard textbooks plus high-quality MCQs can also work. Use free banks to diagnose weak chapters, then read theory deeply.
How many questions should I solve daily? Quality beats quantity. A realistic plan: 40–80 sourced MCQs with full review, or 1 timed mock twice weekly as the exam approaches.
Are image-based questions included? Our foundations bank includes text-tagged image-style prompts; real CBT may show figures. Supplement with atlas and clinical skills videos.
What about Hindi vs English medium? NORCET is typically conducted in English. Build vocabulary for medical terms and avoid rote translation errors.
How do I revise pharmacology fast? Use one-page antidote tables, drug class prototypes, and our pharmacology topic guide, then drill MCQs.
Can I trust GitHub-hosted prep sites? Treat every third-party item as "practice only." Verify against textbooks and official sources; report errors to the repository maintainer if the project is open.