UP CNET Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Important Dates

The five blocks

The bulletin gives percentages, not question counts. Twenty per cent of 120 is 24.

Minimum qualifying percentile

A percentile is your position in the field, worked out after the paper. The 50th percentile isn't 60 out of 120; it's whatever mark half the candidates reached. Clearing it only gets you into counselling.

Tie-break

1. Higher marks in Biology.
2. Then Chemistry.
3. Then Physics.
4. Then Nursing Aptitude.
5. Then English.
6. Then the older candidate.
7. Then the class 10 percentage, and if that's equal too, the marks in Science, Mathematics, Social Science, Hindi and English, in that order.

Unfair means

The bulletin lists seventeen heads, from carrying a barred item or impersonation to taking the OMR sheet out of the hall, morphing a photograph, or making fake claims by manipulating the responses in the OMR sheet uploaded for challenge. Every one carries the same penalty: debarment for the next three years, the result cancelled, and possible criminal action. The result is also cancelled if you sit at a centre other than your own, or write on another candidate's booklet or OMR sheet or let them write on yours.

The public notice of 2 June 2026 adds that action is taken under the Information Technology Act 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024.

The bulletin's whole syllabus is one line:

Nursing Aptitude (20%), Physics (20%), Chemistry (20%), Biology (20%), English (20%) of Intermediate Standard (Class 12).

No chapter list, no weighting within a subject, no reading list. The standard is class 12 and nothing above it.

Physics, Chemistry and Biology, 72 of the 120 questions

This is the 10+2 science you've just been examined on. Eligibility ties the two together: you need PCB at 10+2 with at least 45 per cent across the three (40 per cent for SC, ST and OBC). Biology also breaks the first tie, so it carries a little more than its 24 marks.

English, 24 questions

English is also an eligibility condition: you must have passed English individually at 10+2. The rest of the paper can be read in Hindi; this block can't.

Nursing Aptitude, 24 questions

The bulletin names it and says nothing more. It's the only block with no school subject behind it, and it carries as many marks as Physics. Its standard is the same Intermediate level as the rest, so it isn't a nursing-course syllabus in disguise. The other 96 marks are school science and English.

What isn't on it

Nothing from the nursing curriculum. That's the difference from the Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing paper written the same day, whose 120 questions come entirely from the GNM course: medical surgical, community health, mental health and child health nursing, midwifery and gynaecological nursing.

Age

Minimum 17 years on or before 31 December 2026. No upper age limit, and married candidates are eligible.

Academic qualification (Indian Nursing Council rules)

1. Passed class 12 (10+2) with Science from any recognised board.
2. At least 45 per cent in Physics, Chemistry and Biology taken together, and passed in English individually.
3. 40 per cent in PCB for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class candidates.
4. English is compulsory at 10+2.
5. State Open School or National Institute of Open School candidates are eligible if they have the science subjects and English.

The 45 per cent is across the three subjects together, not each one and not your overall aggregate.

Medical fitness

• Colour blind candidates are eligible if they wear colour corrective contact lenses or spectacles.
• You can't join until declared medically fit by a medical board of a government medical college or by the district Chief Medical Officer.

Domicile

For admission to government nursing colleges, the candidate must be a domicile of Uttar Pradesh: either holding a domicile certificate of Uttar Pradesh from a competent authority, or having passed both the class 10 and the class 12 board examinations from Uttar Pradesh.

Private colleges are open to students from other states. So if you're from outside UP you can sit CNET and be admitted, but only to a private college. Only Indian citizens are eligible.

Reservation

• Follows Uttar Pradesh government policy, within the seats sanctioned by the Indian Nursing Council and the state, and changes as the state directs.
• Economically Weaker Section: 10 per cent, on a valid certificate.
• Persons with disability: 5 per cent horizontal, and only for locomotor disability of 40 to 50 per cent of the lower extremity, under Gazette of India No. 275 of 5 July 2021. Qualification requirements are the same as for unreserved candidates, and a medical board of a government medical college with a nursing expert on it verifies the disability.

Certificates checked at counselling

• Caste certificates only from a UP Tehsildar or Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and verifiable online. Another state's certificate isn't accepted.
• EWS certificates likewise from a UP Tehsildar or SDM, online-verifiable.
• OBC non creamy layer and EWS certificates issued on or after 1 April 2026 only. Older ones are refused this cycle.
• Freedom fighter dependants: a District Magistrate's certificate. Ex-servicemen: a certificate from the competent authority.
• NCC sub-quota: only a C certificate with grade B from an authorised battalion. A and B certificates don't count.

At counselling registration you can change your category to Unreserved only, and sub-category to category. You can't move the other way.

1. Apply online, 28 March to 20 May 2026. Nothing by post.
2. Form correction, 13 to 20 May 2026, limited entries.
3. Admit card from 30 May 2026.
4. Exam, 6 June 2026: one offline OMR paper, 120 questions, 140 minutes.
5. Result, 13 June 2026: a combined merit list and a category-wise merit list on marks.
6. Counselling, four rounds from 14 June to 24 August 2026. Seats go strictly on merit and your locked college choices.
7. Reporting and document verification in person at the allotted college.
8. Medical fitness from a government medical college, district hospital or district CMO before joining.

No interview. The paper and your choices decide everything.

The four rounds

After an allotment

If you don't log in and pick an option, you lose both the seat and the Rs 5,000 security fee.

Counselling money

• Not choosing an option after an allotment forfeits the Rs 5,000.
• Not reporting in the window forfeits the Rs 5,000.
• Leaving late. If you're admitted and don't resign within 24 to 27 July 2026, up to 6:00 PM, you lose both the Rs 40,000 and the Rs 5,000. Same if you're allotted a mop-up seat and don't take admission by the last reporting date.

Stray round eligibility

Eligible: qualified candidates who skipped rounds 1, 2 and mop-up; those who took part but got nothing; those allotted a seat but not admitted; and those who took admission and resigned on or before 27 July 2026.

Not eligible: candidates admitted at their allotted college, and those who resigned after 27 July 2026.

Filling choices

You can reorder choices as often as you like until the window closes and they lock. The counselling bulletin says to fill as many as possible and take a printout after locking. It also tells you to check each college's fee, hostel and transport in the seat matrix, confirm them with the college, and verify its Indian Nursing Council recognition before choosing it.

CNET is for admission to a course, so there's no pay scale. These are the fees the university collects:

The bulletin doesn't give tuition fees. They differ between government and private colleges and from college to college, and appear in the seat matrix for each counselling round. The Rs 40,000 is a deposit against tuition, not the tuition, so check the college's fee before you report.

After the degree, B.Sc. Nursing qualifies you for Nursing Officer and Staff Nurse posts across the country and for the Post Basic and M.Sc. Nursing courses.

Correction is for limited entries only.

Fee

Paid online with the form; not refunded and not transferable to any other exam.

Filling the form

Online only, at abvmuup.edu.in. Nothing is accepted by post.

1. Registration, which gives you the Registration ID and password you'll use for the admit card and every counselling round.
2. Form filling: personal information; address; education and centre city preferences; a live photo plus photograph, signature and verification sheet; preview.
3. Fee payment.
4. Final submission.

If you were still sitting class 12 when you applied, you don't update marks in the correction window. You do it at counselling registration, uploading the class 10 certificate, class 12 marksheet and domicile, minority and category certificates. Gender can be corrected there too.

A wrong or morphed photograph, or a fabricated admit card, rank letter or self-declaration, counts as unfair means: three years' debarment.

Conducting body: Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University, Uttar Pradesh, CG City, Sultanpur Road, Lucknow 226002, the state medical university that affiliates UP's nursing, medical, dental and allied healthcare colleges.

Government college seats need UP domicile (a domicile certificate, or both class 10 and 12 passed in UP). Private college seats are open to other states too.

Seat counts, fees, hostel and transport for each college are in the seat matrix published inside the admission portal each round. Reservation runs within the seats the Indian Nursing Council and the state have sanctioned, so check the college's INC recognition before you choose it.

You pick a centre city on the form from these twenty (the list can change for administrative reasons). The actual centre is printed on the admit card; there's no separate city slip. In 2026 the paper ran at 307 centres.

On the day

Bring a coloured printout of the admit card and a valid ID, and nothing else. There's nowhere to leave belongings. Expect frisking, and you'll be photographed or videographed with your admit card. Before leaving, hand in the question booklet with both the original OMR sheet and the office copy; keeping any of them is unfair means.

Barred items

• Printed or written material, bits of paper, geometry or pencil box, plastic pouch, calculator, pen, scale, writing pad, pen drive, eraser, log table, electronic pen or scanner. (The OMR pen is supplied at the centre.)
• Mobile phone, Bluetooth, earphones, microphone, pager, health band.
• Wallet, goggles, handbag, belt, cap.
• Any watch, bracelet, camera, ornament or metallic item.
• Food, opened or packed, and water bottles.
• Anything that could hide a communication device, such as a microchip or camera.

The bulletin says the list isn't exhaustive. Security in 2026 included vigilance teams, flying squads and real-time monitoring, coordinated with the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police.

Minimum age is reckoned on 31 December 2026. College offices stay open every day, holidays included, during counselling.

Download it from abvmuup.edu.in from 30 May 2026, using the Registration ID and password you created when applying.

• Print it in colour. A digital copy isn't accepted at the centre.
• It isn't posted, and no duplicate is issued at the centre. No admit card, no exam.
• Don't alter it. Tampering is unfair means.
• Keep it safe: you need it through counselling.

An admit card doesn't confirm eligibility. That's checked against your original certificates at the allotted college, and every admission stays provisional.

The 2026 result came out on 13 June, a week after the paper, on the university website. Counselling registration opened the next day.

The university publishes a combined merit list, a category-wise merit list, and a list of candidates qualified for counselling (those at or above their category's percentile). Merit is on the 120 marks alone, with the tie-break in the exam pattern.

The Vice Chancellor's decision is final in any dispute, and the Counselling Committee's on selection, with no appeal. Legal disputes go only to the Lucknow courts and the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench. Where the English and Hindi bulletins differ, the English one is final.

No closing ranks or closing marks are published for CNET. The only official bar is the qualifying percentile in the exam pattern (50th General and EWS, 45th General and EWS with disability, 40th SC, ST and OBC).

What a rank is actually worth shows up in the seat matrix for each round inside the admission portal, published from mid June, with the mop-up matrix reissued after the resignation window.

• Answer all 120. There's no negative marking, so a blank is worth the same as a wrong answer. That's 70 seconds a question on an OMR sheet; practise darkening circles against the clock and leave time to fill any blanks.
• Revise in tie-break order: Biology, Chemistry, Physics. Biology breaks the first tie on a crowded merit list.
• Don't skip Nursing Aptitude. It's 24 marks, as many as Physics, and it's the block candidates neglect.
• Stay at class 12 level. Your 10+2 textbooks and board papers in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English are the closest practice to this paper; it asks straightforward board-level questions, not multi-step entrance problems.
• Don't confuse the papers. The Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing paper on the same day is also 120 questions in 140 minutes, but it's all GNM content and English only. It's no use as practice for this one.
• Sort out certificates early. OBC and EWS certificates must be dated on or after 1 April 2026 and issued in UP.
• Have the money ready before the result. Rs 5,500 the day counselling opens, then Rs 40,000 within days of an allotment.
• Decide Freeze, Float or Decline before the allotment arrives. The window is short and doing nothing costs the seat and the Rs 5,000.
• If you might leave a college, resign by 27 July 2026, 6:00 PM.
• Nobody is selling the real paper. Ignore WhatsApp and Telegram offers and report them; using one gets you disqualified and prosecuted.

No previous CNET question papers, model papers or answer keys are available. The university hasn't published any on its site.

The closest official guide is the CNET 2026 Information Bulletin (also in Hindi). The next one appears on the admission portal when applications open, around late March.

• Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University, Uttar Pradesh
• CNET, CAHET and UPGET 2026 admission portal
• Nursing courses admission page
• Information Bulletin, B.Sc. Nursing (4 Years), CNET 2026
• Information Bulletin in Hindi, B.Sc. Nursing, CNET 2026
• Counselling Bulletin, B.Sc. Nursing 2026
• Counselling Bulletin in Hindi, B.Sc. Nursing 2026
• Stray Round Counselling Bulletin, B.Sc. Nursing, CNET 2026
• Public notice on exam security and fake question paper claims, 2 June 2026
• Information Bulletin, Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing (2 Years), CNET 2026
• Information Bulletin, M.Sc. Nursing and NPCC, CNET 2026
• Information Bulletin, UPGET 2026 for the GNM course
• Nursing courses offered by the university
• Affiliated colleges

What does CNET stand for?

Common Nursing Entrance Test. Not "Combined"; every university document says Common.

Is there any other way into B.Sc. Nursing in Uttar Pradesh?

No. All 2026-27 admissions are through CNET, with no direct admission, including at SGPGIMS, KGMU, RMLIMS, UPUMS Saifai and LLRM Meerut.

What is the exam pattern?

120 questions in 140 minutes, offline OMR, English and Hindi, one mark each, no negative marking. Five blocks of 24: Nursing Aptitude, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English, at class 12 level.

What are the qualifying marks?

A percentile: 50th General and EWS, 45th General and EWS with disability, 40th SC, ST and OBC.

What was the cut off?

The university doesn't publish closing ranks or marks. See the seat matrix in the counselling portal for each round.

What qualification do I need?

10+2 Science with 45 per cent in PCB together (40 per cent SC, ST, OBC) and a pass in English. Open School candidates qualify with the science subjects and English.

Is there an age limit?

Only a minimum: 17 years on or before 31 December 2026. Married candidates can apply.

Can a colour blind candidate apply?

Yes, with colour corrective lenses or spectacles. You still need a medical fitness certificate before joining.

I am not from Uttar Pradesh. Can I apply?

Yes, but you can only be admitted to a private college. Government seats need UP domicile or both class 10 and 12 passed in UP.

What does it cost?

Rs 3,000 (Rs 2,000 for SC, ST and disabled) to apply; Rs 5,500 to register for counselling; Rs 40,000 seat confirmation fee on allotment, set against tuition.

Which disabilities qualify for the PwD quota?

Only locomotor disability of 40 to 50 per cent of the lower extremity, with 5 per cent horizontal reservation.

My OBC certificate is from last year. Is it valid?

No. OBC and EWS certificates must be issued on or after 1 April 2026 by a UP Tehsildar or SDM.

What are Freeze, Float and Decline?

Freeze keeps the seat and leaves counselling; Float keeps it and stays in for an upgrade; Decline gives it up. Freeze and Float need the Rs 40,000. Doing nothing loses the seat and the Rs 5,000.

What if I take admission and change my mind?

Resign by 27 July 2026, 6:00 PM and you keep your money and stay eligible for the stray round. After that you lose both.

What do I carry to the centre?

A colour printout of the admit card and a valid ID. Nothing else, not even a pen.

Someone is offering to sell me the question paper. Is it real?

No. The university's public notice of 2 June 2026 denies all such claims. Using such a service gets you disqualified and prosecuted. Report it to the university or the cybercrime helpline on 1930.