Duramater Education

Exam guide · INI SS Surgery

INI SS Surgery: MCh course papers, pattern and mock tests

In INI SS you apply for one MCh course, and your paper is specific to it: questions on the general and basic component of MS General Surgery plus the sub-speciality and system components of that MCh. The January 2027 session CBT is on 24 October 2026: 80 questions in 90 minutes, +1 / −1/3, with 50% marks to qualify and a Stage II assessment for AIIMS and PGIMER seats.

By the Duramater team · Updated

At a glance

Paper
Course-specific: General Surgery basics + your MCh speciality
Questions / time
80 questions in 90 minutes, English
Marking
+1 / −1/3
To qualify
50% marks in Stage I (40 of 80)
Stage II
20 marks, for AIIMS and PGIMER seats
January 2027 CBT
24 October 2026

MCh courses in INI SS

INI SS has no official surgical group; you apply for one specific MCh course, and each institute sets its own feeder degrees per course (MCh Urology, for example, takes MS General Surgery). The MCh courses we run dedicated series for are:

  • GI Surgery / Surgical Gastroenterology
  • Surgical Oncology
  • Urology
  • Neurosurgery
  • Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery (CTVS)
  • Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
  • Paediatric Surgery
  • Breast, Endocrine & General Surgery
  • Minimal Access Surgery & General Surgery

The January 2027 prospectus lists 23 MCh courses in all, including Vascular Surgery, Thoracic & General Surgery, Trauma Surgery & Critical Care and Renal Transplant Surgery. The full list, and how to check each institute’s feeders, is in the INI SS guide.

What an INI SS MCh paper tests

AIIMS sets the paper from “the General/Basic component of the qualifying educational qualification and from sub-specialty/systems/component of the specialty-course”. For an MCh aspirant that means two layers in the same 80 questions:

  • General Surgery basics: the principles, perioperative care, trauma and system surgery every MS graduate is expected to know.
  • Your super-speciality: the anatomy, physiology, investigations and operative surgery of the MCh you applied for, at the depth of its standard textbooks and recent literature.

That is why our surgical series pair each super-speciality’s own mocks with General Surgery mocks and a 313-question General Surgery PYQ repository. See the full INI SS pattern for Stage II and the merit lists.

How to prepare for INI SS Surgery

  1. Begin with the previous sessions for your course. INI SS returns to the same concepts across sessions; the past-session mocks show exactly how deep your MCh paper goes.
  2. Keep General Surgery warm. Revise it in parallel with your speciality; questions on the basics are as much a part of the paper as the speciality ones.
  3. Practise at about 67 seconds a question with timed 80-question mocks.
  4. Attempt only what you can narrow down. At −1/3 a blind guess between four options gains nothing on average.
  5. If you want AIIMS or PGIMER, prepare for Stage II: clinical scenarios, spotting of instruments, images and reports, and a short viva.

INI SS Surgery mock test series

One series per MCh course plus a General Surgery series, built from the November 2025, April 2026 and upcoming sessions and written by recent INI SS toppers. Every mock follows the 80-question, 90-minute, +1 / −1/3 format, with an explained answer key.

Upcoming INI SS Surgery tests

No dated tests are scheduled right now. New dates are added as each series opens.

Free INI SS Surgery mocks

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS PLASTIC SX NOV 2025 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS BREAST/ENDO NOV 2025 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS NEUROSX NOV 2025 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS URO NOV 25 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS SURG ONCO NOV 25 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS SGE NOV 2025 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS SGE APRIL 2026 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS URO APR 26 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS NEUROSX APR 2026 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS BREAST/ENDO APRIL 26 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS SURG ONCO APR 26 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    INI SS CTVS APRIL 26 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    MINIMAL ACCESS SURGERY APRIL 26 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    PLASTIC SURGERY APRIL 26 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

  • INI SS · Surgery

    PEDIATRIC SURGERY April '26 MOCK 1

    80 questions 90 min

Frequently asked questions

Is there a separate INI SS paper for each MCh course?

Yes. Each paper covers the general or basic component of your feeder degree (MS General Surgery for most MCh courses) plus the sub-speciality components of the MCh you applied for.

How many questions are in the INI SS MCh paper?

80 questions in 90 minutes, one mark each with 1/3 mark deducted for a wrong answer. You need 40 marks (50%) to qualify.

Do I need to revise General Surgery for INI SS?

Yes. The official syllabus includes the general or basic component of your qualifying degree alongside your super-speciality, so General Surgery questions sit in the same paper.

Which MCh courses does Duramater have INI SS mock tests for?

Surgical Gastroenterology, Surgical Oncology, Urology, Neurosurgery, CTVS, Plastic Surgery, Paediatric Surgery, Breast & Endocrine Surgery and Minimal Access Surgery, plus a General Surgery series. The live list is on this page.

Are there free INI SS Surgery mocks?

Yes. The INI SS Surgery free mock series has a mock for each surgical super-speciality; create a free account to take them. See free mock tests.

Official sources

Exam rules change between cycles. Always confirm dates, eligibility and fees in the latest information bulletin before you apply.

Keep reading

A mock series for your MCh

Course-specific INI SS mocks from the previous sessions, plus General Surgery, by recent INI SS toppers.