WBHRB Staff Nurse CBT 2026: Complete Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Marking Scheme & Preparation Strategy

4 September 2026 min read

Candidates preparing for the next West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB) Staff Nurse Grade-II recruitment should pay close attention to the CBT pattern actually used in the latest recruitment cycle.

The latest Staff Nurse recruitment covered:

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

WBHRB subsequently introduced a Computer Based Test (CBT) for shortlisting candidates and changed the final selection weightage to:

CBT — 85 Marks

Interview — 15 Marks

The CBT itself was conducted for 100 raw marks, which were later converted/pro-rated to 85 marks for the selection process.

WBHRB Staff Nurse CBT 2026: Quick Overview

WBHRB's November 2025 CBT notice changed the earlier qualification/experience-based marks distribution and specified 50 questions carrying two marks each, 60 minutes, and 0.5 negative marking.

Important: Do Not Follow the Wrong “100 Questions / 180 Minutes” Pattern

Several unofficial websites currently describe WBHRB Staff Nurse as:

100 questions
180 minutes
Nursing + English + General Awareness/Aptitude

That is not the structure of the latest WBHRB Staff Nurse CBT actually conducted.

The released WBHRB answer keys confirm that the Staff Nurse examination contained:

50 nursing-related MCQs

completed in:

60 minutes

The GNM answer key also shows each question carrying 2 marks, with a 0.5-mark penalty for a wrong answer.

Therefore, candidates preparing for the next recruitment should use the latest real WBHRB pattern as their strongest reference, while still checking any new notification because WBHRB can change the scheme in a future cycle.

WBHRB Staff Nurse Marking Scheme

The marking scheme used was straightforward:

Correct Answer

+2 marks

Incorrect Answer

−0.5 mark

Unattempted Answer

No positive mark.

So the raw examination total was:

50 × 2 = 100 marks

The released GNM answer key repeatedly shows Correct Marks: 2 and Wrong Marks: 0.5 for each question.

How CBT Marks Are Converted to 85

The CBT is written for:

100 raw marks

but contributes:

85 marks to final selection

WBHRB's notification stated that marks obtained out of 100 are scaled by multiplying the score by:

0.85

Therefore:

Example 1

Raw CBT score = 80

Converted score:

80 × 0.85 =

68/85

Example 2

Raw CBT score = 72

Converted score:

72 × 0.85 =

61.2/85

The remaining:

15 marks

come from the interview stage.

WBHRB Staff Nurse Final Merit Formula

The latest selection model effectively became:

Stage| Weightage Computer Based Test| 85 Interview| 15 Total| 100

This makes CBT performance the dominant factor.

A weak CBT score is difficult to compensate for through the 15-mark interview alone.

What Happened to Academic and Experience Marks?

This is another major change candidates should understand.

The original Staff Nurse advertisements contained marks for areas such as:

Qualification
Experience
Interview

However, when WBHRB decided to conduct the CBT, the Board stated that:

No further marks would be awarded for Qualification and Experience under that earlier scoring structure.

The revised selection distribution became:

CBT — 85

Interview — 15.

Therefore, candidates should not prepare on the assumption that a high GNM/B.Sc. percentage alone will give them a large advantage in the next Staff Nurse examination.

WBHRB Staff Nurse GNM CBT Syllabus

WBHRB published a specific syllabus for:

Staff Nurses Grade-II — GNM

The Board stated that the syllabus was based on the:

Indian Nursing Council Diploma in General Nursing & Midwifery Revised 2015 curriculum.

The official broad syllabus included:

Anatomy and Physiology
Microbiology
Nutrition
First Aid
Nursing Foundation
Medical-Surgical Nursing-I
Medical-Surgical Nursing-II
Child Health Nursing
Mental Health Nursing
Community Health Nursing-I & II
Midwifery and Gynaecological Nursing
Nursing Education
Introduction to Research
Professional Trends & Adjustment
Nursing Administration & Ward Management

GNM Actual Question Distribution: What the Previous Paper Shows

This is especially useful for preparation.

The released answer key for the 31 December 2025 first shift showed the following distribution:

Subject| Questions| Marks Anatomy & Physiology| 5| 10 Microbiology| 3| 6 Nutrition| 3| 6 First Aid / Emergency / CPR| 3| 6 Nursing Foundation| 6| 12 Medical-Surgical Nursing I & II| 9| 18 Child Health Nursing| 4| 8 Mental Health Nursing| 4| 8 Community Health Nursing I & II| 4| 8 Midwifery & Gynaecological Nursing| 7| 14 Nursing Administration & Ward Management| 2| 4 Total| 50| 100

This is taken from the released answer-key structure for one GNM shift. It is highly useful for judging topic importance, but candidates should not assume WBHRB is legally bound to repeat the exact question count in the next recruitment.

Highest-Weight GNM Subjects

Based on the actual previous paper, the strongest priority areas were:

Medical-Surgical Nursing — 9 questions

Midwifery & Gynaecological Nursing — 7 questions

Nursing Foundation — 6 questions

Anatomy & Physiology — 5 questions

Together, these four areas contributed:

27 of 50 questions

or:

54% of the paper

in that shift.

This gives candidates a much better preparation direction than blindly giving equal time to every chapter.

GNM Anatomy & Physiology: Important Preparation Areas

The official syllabus only gives the broad heading, so the following are high-yield preparation areas, not a separate WBHRB-issued chapter list.

Study:

Cell and tissues
Skeletal system
Muscular system
Cardiovascular system
Respiratory system
Digestive system
Nervous system
Cranial nerves
Endocrine glands and hormones
Kidney and urinary system
Reproductive system
Blood and circulation
Sense organs
Basic physiological mechanisms

The actual answer key included questions involving cells, cranial nerves, epithelial tissue, the heart, respiratory muscles, kidney hormones and nervous-system structures.

GNM Microbiology

Revise:

Classification of microorganisms
Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Parasites
Gram staining
Acid-fast staining
Culture media
Sterilisation
Disinfection
Immunity
Hypersensitivity
Hospital-acquired infection
Infection prevention
Hand hygiene

Previous questions covered subjects such as Semmelweis, mycology, hypersensitivity, acid-fast staining, autoclaving and prevention of healthcare-associated infections.

Nutrition

Focus on:

Macronutrients
Micronutrients
Protein-energy malnutrition
Vitamins
Minerals
Therapeutic diet
Food preservation
Food allergy
Nutritional deficiencies
Diet in disease
BMI
Nutrition during pregnancy and childhood

Actual questions included food preservation, protein-energy malnutrition, food allergy and celiac disease concepts.

First Aid, Emergency Care & CPR

The actual paper labelled this section more broadly than simply “First Aid” and included:

First Aid, Emergency Management, CPR — BLS & ALS

Important areas include:

ABC approach
Scene safety
CPR
BLS
Airway obstruction
Shock
Poisoning
Burns
Trauma
Haemorrhage
Fractures
Disaster management
Emergency response
Cardiac emergency

Previous questions included organophosphorus poisoning, disaster response, shock and emergency priorities.

Nursing Foundation

This is a major scoring area.

Prepare:

Nursing process
Assessment
Nursing diagnosis
Planning
Implementation
Evaluation
Vital signs
Infection control
Medication administration
Routes of medication
Bed making
Patient positioning
Personal hygiene
Catheter care
Elimination needs
Oxygen therapy
Mobility
Pressure-ulcer prevention
Patient safety
Documentation
Communication
Health education
Palliative care

Actual questions covered urinary-catheter hygiene, Kegel exercises, sublingual medication, patient safety and skin turgor.

Medical-Surgical Nursing I & II

This was the largest GNM section in the previous paper.

Candidates should give it the most revision time.

Prepare system-wise:

Cardiovascular

Hypertension
Heart failure
MI
Arrhythmias
Shock

Respiratory

Asthma
COPD
Pneumonia
Tuberculosis
Oxygen therapy

Gastrointestinal

Peptic ulcer
Liver diseases
GI bleeding
Nutrition disorders

Renal

AKI
CKD
Dialysis
Fluid-electrolyte balance

Endocrine

Diabetes
Thyroid disorders
Adrenal disorders

Neurological

Stroke
Seizure
Head injury

Orthopaedic

Fracture
Traction
Arthritis

Oncology

Cancer care
Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy

Perioperative Nursing

Pre-op
Intra-op
Post-op
OT safety

Burns and Emergency Nursing

Previous questions included hypocalcaemia, electrocautery, burns, thyroid disease, CKD, disaster care and surgical procedures.

Child Health Nursing

Prepare:

Growth and development
Milestones
Newborn care
Essential newborn care
Neonatal resuscitation
Breastfeeding
Immunisation
Common childhood illnesses
Pediatric medication
Pediatric procedures
Respiratory illness
Diarrhoea
Malnutrition
IM injection sites
Under-five clinics

The GNM answer key included croup, nebulisation, infant procedures and under-five care.

Mental Health Nursing

Important areas:

Mental health concepts
Therapeutic communication
Psychiatric assessment
Schizophrenia
Depression
Bipolar disorder
Anxiety
OCD
Intellectual disability
Substance abuse
Psychiatric emergencies
Psychotherapies
Milieu therapy
Mental-health legislation

The previous CBT included therapeutic-relationship phases, milieu therapy, psychosis concepts and intellectual-development questions.

Community Health Nursing

Prepare:

Primary health care
Epidemiology
Demography
National health programmes
Maternal and child-health programmes
Immunisation
Communicable diseases
Vector-borne diseases
HIV/AIDS programmes
Health education
Family planning
Health system in India
Public-health indicators
Community participation
IPHS concepts

Questions in the previous exam included NACP, Kala-azar control, demographic transition, primary health care and Rogi Kalyan Samiti.

Midwifery & Gynaecological Nursing

This was another high-weight section.

Prepare thoroughly:

Female reproductive anatomy
Fertilisation
Pregnancy
Antenatal care
Fetal growth
Fetal skull
Placenta
Stages of labour
Mechanism of labour
Partograph
Fetal monitoring
PPH
Eclampsia
Labour complications
Postnatal care
Lochia
Breastfeeding
Newborn care
Family planning
Gynaecological disorders
High-risk pregnancy

The previous GNM paper had 7 questions in this section.

Nursing Administration, Research & Professional Topics

Prepare:

Leadership styles
Management principles
POSDCORB
Staffing
Supervision
Ward management
Inventory
Quality assurance
Nursing ethics
Professional responsibilities
Research basics
Sampling
Hypothesis
Nursing education

Previous questions included POSDCORB and leadership style, while the B.Sc. paper also directly tested sampling and research hypotheses.

WBHRB B.Sc Nursing CBT Syllabus

The Basic/Post Basic B.Sc. syllabus was based on the:

Indian Nursing Council Revised Regulations and Curriculum for B.Sc. Nursing Programme, 2020.

The broad syllabus included:

Applied Physiology
Applied Microbiology
Infection Control & Safety
Applied Nutrition
Applied Biochemistry
Nursing Foundation-I & II
Adult Health Nursing-I & II
Child Health Nursing-I
Mental Health Nursing-I
Community Health Nursing-I & II
Pharmacology-I
Midwifery/Obstetrics & Gynaecological Nursing-I & II
Nursing Management
Leadership
Nursing Research

Actual B.Sc Nursing CBT Question Distribution

The released answer key for the 21 December 2025 Basic/Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing CBT provides an excellent picture of how WBHRB used the syllabus.

The actual B.Sc. paper therefore gave the highest individual weight to:

Adult Health Nursing — 10 questions

followed by Physiology, Nursing Foundation and Midwifery/OBG.

GNM vs B.Sc CBT Syllabus: Main Difference

Candidates should therefore not prepare from exactly the same checklist for GNM and B.Sc. Nursing.

What Was the Difficulty Level?

The released papers show that WBHRB did not restrict itself to very basic one-line nursing facts.

Questions included:

Direct factual questions
Clinical scenarios
“Most appropriate nursing action”
Priority-based questions
Disease identification
Drug-related questions
Public-health programmes
Emergency situations
Research concepts
Nursing management
Application of clinical knowledge

For example, the B.Sc. paper included scenario-based questions involving chemotherapy care, COPD oxygen management, burns and fetal monitoring.

So preparation should go beyond memorising short notes.

How Much Time Is Available Per Question?

You get:

60 minutes for 50 questions.

Average time:

72 seconds per question

This is reasonably fast, especially because many questions are clinical.

A sensible exam approach is:

First 35–40 Minutes

Answer direct and moderate questions.

Next 12–15 Minutes

Return to difficult questions.

Final 5–8 Minutes

Review doubtful responses and unanswered questions.

Do not spend four minutes on one clinical question early in the paper.

Negative Marking Strategy

The penalty is:

−0.5 for every incorrect answer.

One wrong answer removes:

25% of the marks earned from one correct answer.

For example:

40 correct = 80 marks

6 wrong = −3 marks

4 unattempted = 0

Raw score:

77/100

Converted CBT component:

77 × 0.85 =

65.45/85

This shows why accuracy matters.

Normalisation in Multiple Shifts

WBHRB stated that if CBT is conducted in more than one shift, marks can be:

Normalised

The GNM examination was held across multiple shifts on 31 December 2025 and 1 January 2026. The subsequent scorecard contained:

Raw marks out of 100
Pro-rated raw marks out of 85
Normalised marks
Category-wise minimum marks of the last candidate shortlisted for interview.

Therefore, candidates should not necessarily compare raw scores across different shifts as if every paper had identical difficulty.

WBHRB Staff Nurse Preparation Strategy

Phase 1 — Complete the Official Syllabus

Do not start with random mock tests.

First make a syllabus checklist.

For GNM:

Anatomy & Physiology
Microbiology
Nutrition
Emergency/First Aid
Foundation
Medical-Surgical
Child Health
Mental Health
Community
Midwifery
Management/Research

For B.Sc.:

Applied Physiology
Applied Microbiology
Nutrition
Biochemistry
Foundation
Adult Health
Child Health
Mental Health
Community
Pharmacology
OBG
Management/Research

Phase 2 — Prioritise High-Weight Subjects

Based on the previous CBT:

GNM Priority

Medical-Surgical Nursing
Midwifery & Gynaecology
Nursing Foundation
Anatomy & Physiology
Community Health
Child Health
Mental Health

B.Sc Priority

Adult Health Nursing
Nursing Foundation
Applied Physiology
Midwifery/OBG
Applied Microbiology
Child Health
Mental Health
Community Health

This priority is based on the latest actual paper pattern, not a guarantee of future identical weightage.

Phase 3 — Learn Concepts Before MCQs

A common mistake is solving thousands of MCQs without fixing weak concepts.

Use this sequence:

Read concept

↓

Make short notes

↓

Solve 30–50 topic-wise MCQs

↓

Review every wrong answer

↓

Revise again after 2–3 days

This is much more effective than simply counting how many questions you solved.

Phase 4 — Practise Clinical Priority Questions

The previous paper shows strong use of questions such as:

What should the nurse do first?
What is the most appropriate action?
Which finding is most important?
What is the priority intervention?
Which complication is likely?

For these, know the basic clinical hierarchy:

Airway → Breathing → Circulation

and:

Safety → Immediate threat → Prevention of deterioration → Comfort

But apply these principles to the actual clinical situation rather than mechanically selecting “airway” in every question.

Phase 5 — Revise Numbers and Values

Nursing exams frequently test numerical facts.

Maintain one notebook for:

Normal laboratory values
Vital-sign ranges
Drug doses
Vaccine storage
Obstetric diameters
Pregnancy weeks
Child developmental milestones
Fluid calculations
BMI classifications
Emergency timings
Public-health indicators

These are easy marks when revised repeatedly.

Phase 6 — National Health Programmes

Community-health questions in the actual CBT included current/programmatic knowledge.

Revise:

NTEP/TB control
HIV/AIDS/NACP
Immunisation
Vector-borne disease control
Maternal-health programmes
Child-health programmes
Family planning
NCD programmes
National Health Mission
Primary healthcare structure
IPHS
Health indicators

Current names and guidelines should be preferred over outdated textbook terminology.

Phase 7 — Pharmacology

B.Sc. candidates had a dedicated Pharmacology section, but GNM candidates also encounter medication questions throughout nursing subjects.

Focus on:

Drug classifications
Common indications
Major adverse effects
Antidotes
Antibiotics
Antihypertensives
Antidiabetics
Psychiatric medicines
Respiratory medicines
Emergency drugs
Obstetric drugs
Drug administration rights
High-alert medication safety

The latest B.Sc. CBT included clinically applied pharmacology questions rather than only drug-name memorisation.

Recommended Daily Study Plan

For candidates studying around 5 hours daily:

Rotate major subjects every 2–3 days.

30-Day Preparation Plan

Days 1–10

Finish:

Foundation
Anatomy/Physiology
Medical-Surgical/Adult Health
Pharmacology for B.Sc.

Days 11–18

Finish:

Midwifery
Child Health
Community Health

Days 19–23

Finish:

Mental Health
Microbiology
Nutrition
Biochemistry/First Aid
Management/Research

Days 24–27

Only:

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