INI CET vs NEET PG: The reality of dual exam pressure on medical graduates

New Delhi: For India’s postgraduate medical aspirants, the journey after MBBS has never been easy. But in recent years, the coexistence of two major entrance examinations, NEET PG and INI-CET, has added a new layer of pressure that goes beyond academics. What was meant to widen opportunities has, in practice, created a system of dual exam stress, duplicated preparation, and prolonged uncertainty.

The NEET PG is the summation of many students’ MD/MS and diploma available seats as well as on most private and government college campuses in India. Contrarily INI-CET, a smaller but highly renowned institution pool through AIIMS, encompasses institutions such as AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, and NIMHANS. The significant overlap in syllabi combined with the competitive aspect, exam- preparation techniques, and psychological aspects vary significantly between both sets of candidates, making it mandatory for candidates to prepare for both high stake exams at the same time, creating a need for them to develop two separate and competing strategies.

In an exclusive conversation with TV9English, Gaurav Tyagi, medical counsellor, Career Xpert, explains that the fragmentation of time is one of the biggest challenges for the dual-exam system, as candidates initially prepare with NEET PG as the primary aim and subsequently prepare with INI-CET's more concept-heavy and clinically based format.

"Therefore, switching between exams disrupts the preparation/revision cadence for each exam. Rather than creating a single effective preparation timeframe, students typically develop separate preparation/distribution schedules, revise in conjunction with mock testing, and develop a separate strategy for each exam — all of which reward fundamentally varied approaches," Gaurav Tyagi said.

"The examination calendar timeline itself increases stress. For the majority of instances, candidates are required to peak for both exams within a relatively short timeframe. For those candidates who have done well on the INI-CET, the decision-making dilemma is also present: Should I accept an early seat or continue my preparation for NEET PG to increase the range of seats available to me? Conversely, for individuals who performed poorly on the INI-CET, the psychological effect is a setback," Gaurav added.

The financial and logistical costs are an often-overlooked area as well. The cost of application fees for multiple schools, travel expenses associated with the examination process, subscriptions to practice tests, and coaching costs can be very high. For students or candidates from middle-class families, or those who live in rural areas, this exam system increases the level of disadvantage experienced by them because their access to financial resources determines their ability to succeed.

Mr Gaurav Tyagi said. "The difficulty of balancing study time with caring for a family member has caused many students to feel unacceptable pressure during their studies. While they may feel that the advantages of an individual institution can outweigh their costs over time, many students find that the true benefit is not achieved until they can return to their home country and fully support their families. The current system allows students to have some choice as to which institution they will attend, but does not allow them the flexibility to choose based on their family responsibilities. Until a structural reform is introduced to improve the relationship between examinations and educational attainment, all students must operate in the current context, which requires both medical knowledge and also the ability to show emotional strength and strategic agility to succeed."

Ultimately, the debate is not about choosing INI-CET over NEET PG or vice versa. It is about acknowledging that dual exams have transformed postgraduate medical entry into a marathon with multiple finish lines, each demanding peak performance. For India’s young doctors, the real challenge is no longer just cracking an exam — it is surviving the system long enough to do so.