SGPGI Nursing Officer preparation is different from a pure nursing exam because the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow tests both nursing knowledge and general aptitude in its recruitment test. With 1,200 Nursing Officer posts advertised in June 2025 and a two-stage process in 2026, the competition is serious. This guide gives you a 6-month plan, daily timetables, subject priority, books and a last 30 days strategy that also works for the KGMU Nursing Officer exam.
In this guide:
- Who should read this guide
- SGPGI Nursing Officer exam at a glance
- How to approach SGPGI Nursing Officer preparation
- 6-month study plan
- Daily timetables
- Best books
- Mock tests and previous papers
- Last 30 days plan
- Frequently asked questions
Who should read this guide
This plan suits B.Sc Nursing and Post Basic B.Sc Nursing graduates, GNM nurses with the required experience, and working nurses in Uttar Pradesh and nearby states who want a permanent Group B post in a leading tertiary care institute. It is also useful if you are targeting KGMU Lucknow, AIIMS NORCET and other central nursing officer exams at the same time.
SGPGI Nursing Officer exam at a glance
| Feature | Details (2025 to 2026 cycle) |
|---|---|
| Advertisement | Advt. No. I/08/1/Rectt/2025-26, released 12 June 2025 |
| Posts | 1,200 Nursing Officer (Sister Grade II), Group B, Level 7 |
| Stage I | Computer based recruitment test, held 19 to 25 June 2026 as per published reports |
| Stage II | Scheduled for 1 November 2026, offline, at centres in Lucknow, as per reports published in October 2026 |
| Nature of test | Objective, assessing aptitude and domain specific knowledge (official advertisement) |
| Medium | English |
| Qualifying marks in the test | 50% for UR, EWS and OBC; 45% for SC and ST (official advertisement) |
Coverage of the June 2026 Stage I paper describes 100 MCQs in four sections over 120 minutes, with roughly 60 nursing questions and 40 non-nursing questions (English, general knowledge, reasoning and mathematical aptitude) and one-third negative marking. Read the full breakdown and what is official in our SGPGI Nursing Officer exam pattern and syllabus guide. For dates and status, see the SGPGI Nursing Officer recruitment 2026 page.
How to approach SGPGI Nursing Officer preparation
Treat SGPGI as two exams in one. The nursing part rewards depth in clinical subjects, and the non-nursing part rewards speed and regular practice. Many strong nursing candidates lose their rank in English, reasoning and arithmetic because they start these too late.
- Nursing core: finish each subject from one reliable source, then make one to two page short notes.
- Daily aptitude block: 45 to 60 minutes every day for English, reasoning and maths from the first week.
- Sectional timing: since the paper is reported to be divided into timed sections, practise each section separately against the clock.
- Accuracy over attempts: with one-third negative marking reported, aim for high accuracy rather than attempting everything.
Subject priority
| Priority | Subjects | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | Medical surgical nursing, fundamentals of nursing | Biggest share of nursing questions and the base for clinical reasoning |
| High | Obstetrics, paediatrics, community health nursing | Regular, fact-heavy questions that are easy to score |
| High | General English, reasoning, mathematical aptitude, general knowledge | A large non-nursing block that most nursing candidates under-prepare |
| Medium | Anatomy and physiology, microbiology, nutrition, psychology and mental health | Short chapters with high-yield facts |
| Medium | Nursing administration and trends | Quick to cover and often neglected |
Use our notes for fast coverage: medical surgical nursing notes, fundamentals of nursing notes and anatomy and physiology notes.
6-month study plan
| Month | Nursing focus | Non-nursing focus (daily) |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Anatomy and physiology, fundamentals of nursing, nutrition | Grammar basics, number system, simplification, analogy and series |
| Month 2 | Medical surgical nursing: cardiovascular, respiratory, neurology, gastrointestinal; pharmacology alongside | Percentage, ratio, average; coding-decoding, blood relations; reading comprehension |
| Month 3 | Medical surgical: renal, endocrine, musculoskeletal, oncology, emergency and critical care; microbiology | Profit and loss, time and work, time and distance; direction sense, syllogism; vocabulary |
| Month 4 | Obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics | Data interpretation basics, mixed reasoning; error spotting; static GK |
| Month 5 | Community health, national programmes, psychology and mental health, administration and trends; first revision | Current affairs of the last 6 to 12 months; sectional tests |
| Month 6 | Second revision, previous papers, full mocks | Full mocks with sectional timing; error notebook |
Daily timetables
Full-time aspirants (8 to 9 hours)
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:00 to 8:30 am | Main nursing subject: new topic |
| 9:30 to 11:30 am | Continue topic and write short notes |
| 11:30 am to 12:30 pm | 40 to 50 MCQs on the day’s topic |
| 2:00 to 3:30 pm | Second nursing subject or pharmacology |
| 4:00 to 5:00 pm | Maths and reasoning practice |
| 5:30 to 6:15 pm | English and GK |
| 7:30 to 9:00 pm | Revision of earlier notes and error notebook |
Working nurses (3 to 4 hours)
| Slot | Activity |
|---|---|
| Before duty (60 minutes) | One nursing topic from notes or a recorded class |
| Break or travel (30 minutes) | Vocabulary, GK or formula revision on your phone |
| After duty (90 minutes) | 30 nursing MCQs and 20 aptitude questions |
| Weekly off (5 to 6 hours) | One full mock with sectional timing, analysis and weekly revision |
Best books for SGPGI Nursing Officer preparation
| Area | Standard reference |
|---|---|
| Medical surgical nursing | Brunner and Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing |
| Fundamentals | Potter and Perry, Fundamentals of Nursing |
| Anatomy and physiology | Ross and Wilson, Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness |
| Obstetrics | D.C. Dutta’s Textbook of Obstetrics |
| Paediatrics | Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing |
| Community health | Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine |
| Mental health | Mary C. Townsend, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing |
| English | Wren and Martin, High School English Grammar and Composition |
| Maths and reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal, Quantitative Aptitude; R.S. Aggarwal, A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning |
| General knowledge | Lucent’s General Knowledge, plus a monthly current affairs source |
For exam-oriented revision books, browse staff nurse and nursing officer books.
How to use mock tests and previous papers
- Start sectional tests in month two and full mocks in month five.
- Practise with the same section timing described for the real paper so that you do not run out of time in one section.
- Solve previous SGPGI and KGMU Nursing Officer papers, and recent NORCET papers, for nursing content.
- Analyse each mock: classify mistakes as knowledge gaps, confusion or silly errors, and fix one category per week.
- Track accuracy per section; if a section is below 70% accuracy, give it extra practice the following week.
The KGMU and SGPGI test series is built on the Lucknow exam style, with both nursing and non-nursing sections.
Revision method
Revise each topic after one day, one week and one month. Keep separate one-page sheets for normal values, drugs and antidotes, immunisation, milestones, national programmes and maths formulas. In the final two months, revise short notes, not textbooks.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Ignoring English, reasoning and maths until the last month.
- Attempting every question despite negative marking.
- Reading many books for the same subject instead of finishing one.
- Not checking eligibility details, such as the two-year experience rule for GNM candidates in the 2025 advertisement.
- Missing updates because you did not check the official website and your registered email regularly.
Habits of successful aspirants
- A fixed daily slot for aptitude, even on heavy nursing days.
- Same-day MCQ practice on every topic read.
- A weekly full mock with honest analysis.
- One reliable source for notices and admit card updates.
- Enough sleep in the final month.
KGMU Nursing Officer: a related Lucknow exam
King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow also recruits Nursing Officers. The nursing content of both exams overlaps heavily, so if you are in Lucknow or Uttar Pradesh it makes sense to prepare for both together and check each advertisement for its own pattern. See the KGMU Nursing Officer course for a combined approach.
Last 30 days plan
| Days | What to do |
|---|---|
| Days 30 to 21 | Revise medical surgical nursing and fundamentals; maths formulas daily; mock every second day |
| Days 20 to 11 | Revise obstetrics, paediatrics and community health; reasoning and English sets daily; previous papers |
| Days 10 to 4 | Minor subjects, fact sheets, current affairs; three final mocks with sectional timing |
| Days 3 to 1 | Error notebook and fact sheets only; check admit card instructions; rest well |
Exam-day tips
- Reach the centre well before the reporting time printed on your admit card.
- Carry the admit card and the original photo ID specified.
- In timed sections, do not spend too long on one question; mark and move on.
- In the nursing section, read clinical questions carefully for words like “first”, “priority” and “except”.
- Skip questions you cannot narrow down to two options.
Frequently asked questions
How should I start SGPGI Nursing Officer preparation as a beginner?
Start with anatomy and physiology and fundamentals of nursing, and add a daily one-hour block of English, reasoning and maths from the first week. Begin topic-wise MCQs on the same day you read a topic.
Is non-nursing preparation needed for SGPGI?
Yes. The official advertisement describes a test of aptitude and domain knowledge, and coverage of the June 2026 paper describes a non-nursing block of English, GK, reasoning and mathematical aptitude.
Can I prepare for SGPGI and KGMU together?
Yes. Both are Lucknow institutes and their nursing content overlaps heavily. A combined plan with a shared test series saves time; just check each advertisement for its own pattern.
What is the minimum score needed to qualify in the SGPGI test?
The 2025 advertisement set qualifying marks of 50% for UR, EWS and OBC and 45% for SC and ST. Final selection is by merit, so aim well above this.
How many months do I need?
Around six months is a good target for most aspirants. Recent graduates or those already preparing for NORCET can manage in three to four months if they add aptitude practice.
Prepare with Concept RNA
Prepare for SGPGI and KGMU Nursing Officer exams with focused classes on nursing and aptitude, and practise on mocks modelled on the Lucknow exam pattern.