INI-SS exam refers to the Institute of Super Speciality Entrance Test conducted for speciality medical courses in India. It is a highly competitive exam for those who wish to secure residency positions in some of the top medical colleges in India.

In January and July sessions, the INI SS exam is held twice a year in online (CBT) mode for admission to DM, M.Ch, and MD (Hospital Administration) seats.

This examination represents the pinnacle of medical education in India, offering admission to some of the most sought-after super-speciality programs across the country’s premier medical institutions.

Read more to understand more about the INI-SS examination and its key details.

INI-SS Key Highlights

Here’s a brief overview of the key information about the INI-SS examination:

Exam Details	Information
Exam Name	Institute of National Importance Super Speciality Test (INI-SS)
Official Website	aiimsexams.ac.in
Conducting Body	All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
Exam Level	National Level Exam
Courses Offered	DM/ M.CH/ MD Hospital Administration
Exam Mode	Online Mode (CBT)
Application Mode	Online Mode

Important Dates for INI-SS Examination

The INI-SS entrance test is held twice a year, with January and July sessions. The entrance exam for the July 2025 session has already been conducted on 26th April, 2025, and the results were announced on 2nd May, 2025.

For the upcoming January 2026 session, the dates are given in the table below:

Event	Tentative Dates
	January 2026	July 2026
Application Form	4th week of September 2025	4th week of March 2026
Last Date to Apply	2nd week of October 2025	1st week of April 2026
Document Upload Deadline	3rd week of October 2025	2nd week of April 2026
Admit Card Release	4th week of October 2025	3rd week of April 2026
Stage I Examination	22nd November 2025	25th April 2026
Stage I Result Declaration	28th November 2025	2nd May 2026
Stage II Assessment	Dates will be declared later	Dates will be declared later
Final Result Notification	Dates will be declared later	Dates will be declared later

Eligibility for INI-SS

To apply for the INI-SS examination, the aspiring candidates must meet the following requirements:

1. Academic Qualification

• Candidates must have a postgraduate medical degree (MD, MS, DNB, or equivalent) in the relevant speciality from a recognised institute.
• The National Medical Commission (NMC) or the Medical Council of India (MCI) should recognise the qualification.

The speciality in which the candidate seeks admission must align with the qualifying degree. For instance, if the candidate wishes to apply for the DM course, they must hold an MD/DNB in the appropriate discipline; similarly, if the candidate wishes to apply for an M.Ch. Of course, they must hold an MS/DNB in the relevant surgical speciality.

The official prospectus uploaded by AIIMS provides a detailed list of qualifications required for each DM/M.Ch program.

2. Age Limit

The age criteria for the INI-SS examination are explained below:

Institute	Upper Age Limit (as on 1st July 2025)	Age Relaxation
AIIMS, New Delhi & Other AIIMS	35 years	The maximum age limit will be relaxed by 3 years for the OBC category, 5 years for the SC/ST category and up to 5 years for Ex-Servicemen.
PGIMER, Chandigarh	45 years
NIMHANS, Bengaluru	37 years
SCTIMST, Trivandrum	40 years
JIPMER, Puducherry	No upper age limit

INI-SS Application Process 

The INI SS Application Form 2026 will be available only in online mode. Candidates must carefully review the eligibility criteria before applying to avoid rejection.

While filling out the INI SS application form, candidates will need to provide the following:

• Personal information (name, date of birth, gender, etc.)
• Contact details and address
• Academic and qualification details
• Exam centre preferences

Additionally, applicants must upload:

• Recent passport-size photograph
• Scanned signature
• Left thumb impression (all in the prescribed format)

You are strongly advised to print the completed application form for future use.

Candidates must also pay an application fee:

• Application Fee: ₹4000 + bank charges (non-refundable)
• Exemption: Candidates under the PwD (Persons with Disability) category are exempted from paying the fee.

INI-SS Examination Scheme

Two stages of the INI SS examination are conducted online in CBT mode. 

• Stage I

Candidates are allotted 90 minutes to attempt 80 multiple-choice questions worth one mark. The questions are objective-type questions of a single correct choice. An incorrect answer leads to a negative scoring of ⅓ marks. No marks are given or deducted for unmarked answers. Candidates must score at least 50% to qualify for stage I of the examination.

The scores of this stage apply to all participating institutions. Non-AIIMS institutions like NIMHANS, JIPMER, and SCTIMST take into consideration the stage I scores for admissions. 

• Stage II

Stage II is applicable only for AIIMS and PGIMER, Chandigarh. In stage II, a departmental assessment is conducted by the respective speciality faculty and is a clinical/practical/lab-based evaluation. It carries 20 marks towards the final qualification and is held via video-conferencing or departmental interactions.

Only those students who have scored 50% or more marks in stage I are eligible for this stage. While applying, students must also meet the eligibility criteria for their chosen speciality/course and register for AIIMS/PGIMER.

A student must obtain 50% or more marks in both stages combined to qualify. Candidates who score 50% or more in stage I but less than 50% when the scores of both stages are combined would not be considered qualified.

Merit Lists of INI-SS

After the INI-SS examination is conducted, two merit lists are announced.

1. The first merit is the Common Merit List (CML). This list is for all candidates who qualified for stage I of the examination as per the scoring scheme. Every qualified candidate is assigned a rank. The list is based on this rank and the candidates’ overall performance.

The standard merit list is applicable for all participating institutions except for AIIMS and PGIMER, for which the AIIMS merit list is considered. 

2. The AIIMS Merit List (AML) is for those candidates who have opted for AIIMS or PGIMER, Chandigarh. These candidates should have also successfully qualified both stage I and stage II for examination, with 100 marks (80 marks in stage I and 20 in stage II). Qualified candidates are ranked according to their overall scores.

INI-SS Counselling Process

The open round seat allocation result of INI-SS 2025, July session counselling, has been released online. AIIMS published the result PDF on August 22, 2025. Candidates may download the results of INI-SS 2025 counselling from the official website.

There are three rounds of INI SS counselling 2025 for the allotment of seats. The candidates can opt for multiple seat preferences in the desired order. It should be known that the seat allotment depends upon the candidate’s declared choice, the INI-SS rank, and the seat’s availability. AIIMS uploads a separate PDF for each counselling round.

The steps involved in the counselling process are discussed below:

Step 1: Registration

• Log in: Registration can be done on the official website. Eligible candidates must log in to the official AIIMS website using the credentials they created during the application process.
• Navigate to the counselling portal: The online seat allotment link will be activated on the candidate’s “My Page” as per the official schedule released by AIIMS.

Step 2: Choice Filling and Locking

• Select and prioritise: The INI-SS counselling has three rounds in total, where the aspirants need to select the institutes and specialisations of their choice from the options available. There are no restrictions on the number of choices a candidate can make.
• Arrange preferences: The candidates are required to rank their choices. Seat allocation for the INI SS exam takes place based on INI SS rank, candidate preferences filled in counselling, and availability of seats.
• Lock choices: Candidates are required to lock their options before the stated deadline. Options can be edited and rearranged various times before locking. If candidates do not lock their possibilities, the previously saved preferences will be closed automatically.

Step 3: Seat Allotment

Seat allotment is published based on filled institute and course choices, merit obtained in AML (AIIMS Merit List) and CML (Common Merit List), and entrance exam performance. Candidates who are allotted a seat in Round 1 must log in to the portal and actively choose one of two options:

• Option 1: Accept and do not participate in further rounds: This guarantees the seat, and the candidate will not be eligible for further rounds.
• Option 2: Accept and participate in Round 2: This guarantees the allocated seat but makes the candidate eligible for an upgrade in the subsequent round.

Step 4: Reporting and Document Verification

• Mandatory reporting: The candidates being allotted seats in the counselling round must report at the allotted institute, present all the required documents, and pay the fee on the specified date and time.
• Document submission: All mandatory original documents for verification have to be brought along by the candidates. Candidates who do not submit their documents and appear at the institute allotted to them are not eligible for further rounds (except the open round).
• Security deposit: Students who select Option 2 and opt for an upgraded seat in Round 2 must take their relieving letter from the college of Round 1 before joining the upgraded seat in the newly assigned institute. Failure to report to the upgraded seat may attract penalties of Rs. 3 Lakh and loss of the seat.

Documents Required for Counselling Process

Candidates are requested to bring the following documents for the counselling process:

• Offer letter
• Institute allocation letter
• Final registration slip
• Admit card issued by AIIMS
• 10th passing/ Birth Certificate showing their date of birth
• MBBS degree & all years’ mark sheet
• MD/MS degree/provisional pass certificate
• OBC/SC/ST/EWS or Ex‐Serviceman certificate, if you have taken any age relaxation
• Medical Council Registration

FAQs about INI SS Exam

1. What is the difference between INI-CET and INI-SS examinations?

INI CET is conducted at the postgraduate level, and INI SS is undertaken at the post-doctoral level. INI-CET is an entrance test to get admission in MD/MS (Doctor of Medicine/Master of Surgery) courses, and INI-SS is an entrance test to get admission in DM/MCh (Doctorate of Medicine/Master of Chirurgiae) courses, which are super-speciality courses.

2. How does the tie-breaking work if multiple candidates score the same marks in INI-SS?

If two or more candidates score equally in INI-SS, the age factor is considered for tie-breaking. The rule gives preference to the older candidate. Older candidates will be placed higher on the merit list than younger candidates with equal scores.

3. How many counselling rounds are conducted, and what’s the seat allocation process for INI-SS?

The INI-SS counselling is done in 3 rounds to fill around 625 participating institutes’ seats. Candidates must first register for counselling, select their desired colleges and specialities, and lock their choices. The allotment takes place based on merit rank, category, and available seats.

4. How many attempts can I give for the INI-SS Exam?

There are no restrictions on the number of times a candidate can give the INI-SS exam as long as they meet the age limit and other eligibility criteria.

Conclusion

The INI-SS examination is the initial and most significant step for those who wish to be admitted to superspeciality courses at top institutions such as AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, and many more. Ensure that you keep track of the deadlines, prepare all documents, and go through the step-by-step process in detail so there are no last-minute mistakes.

Candidates can increase their odds of success by having adequate planning and an appropriate preparation strategy. Preparing for competitive exams like INI SS requires more than effort – it calls for the proper guidance, structured study methods, and consistent practice.

DocTutorials bridges this gap by offering a specialised INI SS course designed by expert faculty and live interactive classes that make complex topics easier to understand. DocTutorials ensures that aspirants stay confident and well-prepared.