WBHRB Staff Nurse 2026: GNM vs B.Sc Nursing Eligibility, Age Limit, Registration & Selection Process

4 September 2026 min read

The West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB) Staff Nurse Grade-II recruitment is one of the most important government nursing recruitment opportunities for GNM, Basic B.Sc. Nursing and Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing candidates in West Bengal.

A common question among nursing students is:

Can both GNM and B.Sc Nursing candidates apply for WBHRB Staff Nurse?

Yes.

In the latest major recruitment cycle, WBHRB separately recruited:

GNM Female candidates
GNM Male candidates
Basic B.Sc. Nursing candidates
Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing candidates

The previous recruitment was initially advertised in August 2025 and its vacancy numbers were subsequently increased during January 2026. The recruitment then progressed through CBT, interview, scorecard and panel stages during 2026.

However, candidates should note:

«A fresh general WBHRB Staff Nurse Grade-II application notification for 2026–27 has not yet been confirmed at the latest public check.»

Therefore, the eligibility, age limit and selection process discussed below are based on the latest completed recruitment cycle and should be used as a guide until WBHRB publishes the next advertisement.

WBHRB Staff Nurse 2026: Quick Overview

WBHRB Staff Nurse Latest Vacancy: 6,443 Posts in Previous Cycle

The major Staff Nurse recruitment originally contained 5,018 vacancies.

WBHRB subsequently increased vacancies in January 2026.

The revised totals became:

For GNM, WBHRB officially increased Female vacancies from 2,092 to 2,926 and Male vacancies from 344 to 437.

For B.Sc. Nursing, Basic B.Sc. vacancies increased from 2,330 to 2,800, while Post Basic B.Sc. increased from 252 to 280.

Important

These 6,443 posts are from the previous recruitment cycle.

They should not be presented as 6,443 newly opened September 2026 applications.

GNM vs B.Sc Nursing Eligibility

The latest recruitment had separate advertisements for:

GNM

R/Staff Nurses, Gr. II/GNM/7/2025

and:

Basic B.Sc. & Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing

R/Staff Nurses, Gr. II/Basic & Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing/8/2025

Both were dated 7 August 2025.

WBHRB Staff Nurse GNM Eligibility

Under the latest official GNM advertisement, a candidate was required to satisfy the following conditions.

Indian Citizenship

The candidate must be an:

Indian Citizen

GNM Qualification

The candidate must have passed:

General Nursing and Midwifery — GNM

from a Nursing Training School recognised by both:

Indian Nursing Council — INC
Respective State Nursing Council

WBNC Registration

The candidate must have registration as:

Female/Male Nurse Midwifery

from the:

West Bengal Nursing Council — WBNC

Language Requirement

Knowledge of:

Bengali or Nepali — spoken and written

was an essential qualification.

Can Male GNM Candidates Apply?

Yes.

This is an important difference between GNM and the B.Sc. Nursing recruitment in the previous cycle.

WBHRB specifically had:

GNM Female vacancies — 2,926 revised

and:

GNM Male vacancies — 437 revised.

So a male candidate with eligible GNM qualification and WBNC registration was not excluded simply because he was male.

B.Sc Nursing Eligibility

For the latest Basic/Post Basic B.Sc. Staff Nurse recruitment, candidates needed:

Indian Citizenship

The candidate must be an Indian citizen.

Nursing Degree

One of the following:

Basic B.Sc. Nursing

or:

Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing

from a College of Nursing recognised by both:

Indian Nursing Council
Respective State Nursing Council

WBNC Registration

Candidates required registration as:

Female Nurse Midwifery

with the West Bengal Nursing Council.

Bengali/Nepali

Knowledge of Bengali or Nepali in:

Spoken form
Written form

was essential.

Were Male B.Sc Nursing Candidates Eligible in the Previous Recruitment?

This needs careful explanation.

The previous Basic B.Sc. and Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing vacancy notification listed the posts as:

Female

for both qualification categories.

The revised January 2026 vacancy notice also continued to identify both:

Basic B.Sc Nursing — Female
Post Basic B.Sc Nursing — Female.

Therefore:

GNM Male candidates had a separate male vacancy pool.

B.Sc./Post Basic B.Sc. vacancies in that recruitment were notified for female candidates.

This is a major reason candidates should check the exact next advertisement rather than assuming that every nursing qualification will have identical gender eligibility.

GNM vs B.Sc Nursing: Eligibility Comparison

Requirement| GNM| Basic B.Sc Nursing| Post Basic B.Sc Nursing Indian Citizen| Yes| Yes| Yes Recognised Nursing Qualification| Yes| Yes| Yes INC Recognition| Yes| Yes| Yes State Nursing Council Recognition| Yes| Yes| Yes WBNC Registration| Yes| Yes| Yes Bengali/Nepali| Yes| Yes| Yes Male Vacancies in Previous Cycle| Yes| No separate male vacancies| No separate male vacancies Female Vacancies| Yes| Yes| Yes Work Experience Compulsory for Basic Eligibility| No| No| No

Does a Fresh GNM Candidate Need Experience?

This is another very common question.

No mandatory minimum experience was listed as the basic GNM qualification in the previous WBHRB Staff Nurse advertisement.

A candidate needed:

GNM qualification
Required recognition
WBNC registration
Bengali/Nepali knowledge
Age eligibility

Experience could affect selection/marks depending on the recruitment scheme, but it was not stated as a compulsory two-year eligibility condition like the GNM route in AIIMS NORCET.

This is an important distinction:

AIIMS NORCET GNM

requires a specific two-year eligible hospital-experience condition.

Previous WBHRB Staff Nurse GNM recruitment

did not impose that same two-year minimum as the basic qualification requirement.

Can a Fresh B.Sc Nursing Candidate Apply?

Under the latest recruitment rules, there was also no separate compulsory work-experience period listed as the essential B.Sc. Nursing qualification.

So a candidate who had:

Eligible Basic B.Sc./Post Basic B.Sc. qualification
Required nursing-council recognition
Valid WBNC registration
Required language knowledge
Age eligibility

could satisfy the basic educational route without first completing a fixed two-year hospital experience period.

Most Important WBNC Registration Rule

This is one of the most important parts of WBHRB eligibility.

The original advertisements contained wording about the timing of nursing registration, but WBHRB issued a corrigendum dated 12 August 2025.

That corrigendum made the requirement stricter.

For GNM candidates, WBHRB stated that candidates having a valid:

Registration Certificate / Reciprocal Registration Certificate

issued by:

West Bengal Nursing Council

as Female/Male Nurse Midwifery:

on the date of publication of the advertisement

were allowed to apply.

For Basic/Post Basic B.Sc. candidates, a valid WBNC Registration/Reciprocal Registration as Female Nurse Midwifery was similarly required on the advertisement date.

Can I Apply First and Get WBNC Registration Later?

Under the previous recruitment's corrected rule:

No.

It was not enough to say:

«“I have completed nursing and WBNC registration will come before document verification.”»

The corrigendum required the valid registration or reciprocal-registration certificate to already exist on the:

date of publication of the advertisement.

For the next recruitment

Do not automatically assume the exact same cut-off date.

WBHRB could use:

Advertisement date
Last application date
Another specified eligibility date

in the next notice.

Always read the latest corrigendum as well as the original advertisement.

What Is Reciprocal Registration?

A candidate may have originally obtained nursing registration from another State Nursing Council.

If eligible, that candidate may obtain:

Reciprocal Registration with the West Bengal Nursing Council

according to WBNC rules.

The previous WBHRB corrigendum specifically accepted a valid:

Registration Certificate or Reciprocal Registration Certificate

issued by WBNC, subject to the stipulated date.

So studying outside West Bengal does not automatically make someone permanently ineligible—but the candidate must meet the WBNC registration requirement prescribed by WBHRB.

I Studied GNM Outside West Bengal. Can I Apply?

Potentially yes.

The qualification itself could be from a Nursing Training School recognised by both:

INC
The respective State Nursing Council

But to apply under the latest WBHRB rule, the candidate also had to possess the required:

WBNC registration/reciprocal registration

within the prescribed eligibility date.

I Studied B.Sc Nursing Outside West Bengal. Am I Eligible?

Again, the college did not need to be located only in West Bengal.

The previous qualification required the course/college to be properly recognised by:

Indian Nursing Council
Respective State Nursing Council

along with the required WBNC registration.

So:

“Outside West Bengal college” does not automatically mean “not eligible.”

Recognition and WBNC registration are the key issues.

Is INC Recognition Important?

Yes.

For both nursing pathways, the latest recruitment specifically referred to recognition by the:

Indian Nursing Council

and the respective:

State Nursing Council.

Before taking admission to a nursing course, students who ultimately want government recruitment should therefore verify the institution/course's recognition status for the relevant academic session.

WBHRB Staff Nurse Age Limit

The previous Staff Nurse Grade-II advertisements prescribed:

Minimum Age — 18 years

Maximum Age — 39 years

as on:

1 January of the year of advertisement

with applicable relaxation for reserved categories and persons with disabilities.

The same broad 18–39 age range appeared in the Basic/Post Basic B.Sc. recruitment.

Previous Age Relaxation

The previous Staff Nurse notification listed:

Candidates should use the exact category rule in the next advertisement, because State Government reservation/relaxation provisions can change.

Example of Age Calculation

Suppose a new advertisement follows the same rule and uses:

1 January 2027

as the age reference date.

If the general upper age remains 39, a candidate would need to be within the specified 18–39 range on that date.

But do not calculate future eligibility solely from this example.

The next official WBHRB advertisement will provide the controlling date.

Bengali/Nepali Is an Essential Qualification

Candidates should not ignore the language requirement.

The previous notification required:

Knowledge of Bengali or Nepali — spoken and written.

It was not merely a preference.

The original recruitment scheme specifically provided for a:

language assessment through dictation

on the date of interview.

Candidates failing the Bengali/Nepali dictation assessment were not to be evaluated further in the interview under that scheme.

Does WBHRB Staff Nurse Have an Exam?

Yes — the latest actual recruitment used a Computer Based Test.

This is an important point because the original 2025 advertisement initially contained a marks table based on:

Academic marks — 75
Experience — 10
Interview — 15.

However, the recruitment process subsequently moved through a:

Computer Based Test — CBT

followed by:

Interview

The Basic/Post Basic B.Sc. shortlist was prepared on the basis of a CBT held on 21 December 2025.

For GNM candidates, CBTs were held on 31 December 2025 and 1 January 2026, after which candidates were shortlisted for interviews.

The scorecard process showed raw CBT marks out of 100 and pro-rated marks out of 85, consistent with an 85-mark examination component plus interview stage in the final process.

Latest Selection Process: What Candidates Should Expect

Based on the most recent completed recruitment, the practical selection flow was:

Stage 1 — Eligibility & Application

↓

Stage 2 — Computer Based Test

↓

Stage 3 — Shortlisting

↓

Stage 4 — Bengali/Nepali Language Assessment / Interview as applicable

↓

Stage 5 — Final Panel / Merit

↓

Stage 6 — Appointment & Document Verification

The next Staff Nurse recruitment may again use a CBT, but:

WBHRB must confirm the exact pattern and weightage in the new recruitment notice.

Do not rely on a coaching website claiming that a future 2027 CBT pattern is already final.

CBT vs Interview Weightage in Latest Cycle

The latest scorecard reporting showed:

CBT raw marks — 100

then:

Pro-rated CBT marks — 85

followed by the interview component.

So candidates preparing for the next recruitment should treat the CBT as a major selection stage rather than assuming academic marks alone will decide merit.

Is Academic Percentage Still Important?

It may still matter for:

Meeting eligibility
Document verification
Any future scoring formula WBHRB chooses

but candidates should not assume that a very high GNM/B.Sc. percentage will automatically secure selection.

The latest recruitment ultimately required candidates to perform in a CBT to progress through the selection process.

Is Experience Mandatory?

For basic eligibility: No fixed minimum was required in the previous Staff Nurse recruitment.

However, the original advertisement awarded experience marks for relevant employment in:

Government or private healthcare facilities.

The original experience table provided:

This is different from saying experience was compulsory to submit the form.

A fresh nurse could meet the essential qualification but would not have experience marks under that original table.

Does Private Hospital Experience Count?

Under the original experience-marking rule, WBHRB specifically referred to:

Relevant working experience in Government or Private healthcare facility.

Therefore, private healthcare experience was not automatically excluded.

However, the next recruitment may prescribe different documentary or scoring requirements.

GNM vs B.Sc: Is One Given Preference Over the Other?

The previous recruitment did not simply put all GNM and B.Sc. nurses into one identical vacancy list.

They had separate vacancy streams.

The revised distribution was:

Basic B.Sc Nursing — 2,800

Post Basic B.Sc Nursing — 280

GNM Female — 2,926

GNM Male — 437.

So it is better to think of them as different eligible qualification categories under the same Staff Nurse Grade-II post rather than saying:

«“B.Sc is always preferred over GNM”»

or:

«“GNM gets preference over B.Sc.”»

Selection depends on the vacancy stream, merit and recruitment rules.

Is M.Sc Nursing Required?

No.

M.Sc. Nursing was not the basic qualification required for Staff Nurse Grade-II.

Basic B.Sc./Post Basic B.Sc. itself could provide the relevant educational eligibility.

In the original B.Sc. scoring scheme, M.Sc. Nursing could provide additional academic marks, but it was not compulsory for eligibility.

WBHRB Staff Nurse Salary

The previous notification specified:

Basic Pay — ₹29,800

and listed minimum total emoluments of approximately:

₹39,500

at that time, comprising the notified basic pay and then-applicable DA, HRA, medical allowance and other components.

Actual current/future salary can differ because:

Dearness Allowance changes
HRA depends on applicable rules
Deductions apply
Government pay revisions can occur

So ₹29,800 should be treated as the previous notified basic pay, not as a guaranteed future in-hand amount.

Was the Appointment Permanent?

The previous advertisement stated that appointment on entry to Staff Nurse Grade-II would:

initially be made on temporary basis.

Candidates should therefore read service/appointment conditions in the eventual appointment letter instead of assuming the meaning of “temporary” from social-media posts.

Application Fee in Previous Recruitment

The previous application fee was:

₹210

paid through the Government Receipt Portal System — GRIPS.

Fee exemption applied in the previous notification to eligible:

SC candidates of West Bengal
ST candidates of West Bengal
Specified PwD candidates

The notice explicitly stated that the exemption did not apply merely because a candidate belonged to OBC.

Again, the next recruitment may revise the fee.

Documents GNM Candidates Should Keep Ready

Candidates waiting for the next WBHRB Staff Nurse recruitment should prepare:

Madhyamik/Class 10 certificate
Higher Secondary marksheet/certificate
All GNM year marksheets
GNM pass certificate
INC/State Council recognition-related details where required
WBNC registration certificate
Reciprocal registration certificate where applicable
Bengali/Nepali eligibility details
Experience certificate, if applicable
SC/ST/OBC/EWS certificate
PwD certificate
Aadhaar/valid photo ID
Recent photograph
Name-change/marriage documents where applicable

The previous GNM advertisement specifically required all GNM-year marksheets and course documents during the application/document process.

Documents B.Sc Nursing Candidates Should Keep Ready

Basic/Post Basic B.Sc. candidates should prepare:

Class 10 certificate
Higher Secondary marksheet
All B.Sc./Post Basic B.Sc. semester/year marksheets
Degree/pass certificate
WBNC registration
Reciprocal registration, if applicable
INC/State Nursing Council recognition details
M.Sc Nursing certificate if relevant to a future scoring rule
Experience certificates
Category certificate
PwD certificate
Aadhaar/photo ID
Name-change documentation where necessary

OBC Candidates: Important Point

Under the previous Staff Nurse recruitment:

OBC-A and OBC-B received 3 years' age relaxation.

However:

OBC candidates were not exempt from the ₹210 application fee.

Candidates should also ensure that their category/NCL status satisfies whatever West Bengal Government rules are specified in the next notification.

EWS Candidates

The previous relaxation table did not provide additional age relaxation to EWS candidates.

EWS vacancies nevertheless existed separately in the recruitment.

Candidates must hold the required valid EWS certificate according to the notification's eligibility period.

Staff Nurse Recruitment Current Status

The previous 2025 Staff Nurse Grade-II recruitment has already progressed through examination/result/panel stages in 2026.

Public result reporting in February 2026 confirmed Staff Nurse Grade-II results, merit/panel lists and scorecard activity for GNM and B.Sc. Nursing candidates.

Therefore candidates should not use an old 2025 application link now.

Wait for a fresh WBHRB advertisement before applying again.

Is WBHRB Staff Nurse 2026

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