NMC aims NeXT to replace NEET-PG, FMGE, MBBS finals

The National Medical Council (NMC) is intending to conduct National Exit Test (NeXT) for final year medical students from 2023. NeXT is aimed at replacing the final year undergraduate examination and its scores will also be used for admission to postgraduate speciality courses.

It is similar to the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), which is a three-step examination programme for a medical license in the US. The students who clear the NeXT exam will be granted the licence to practice modern medicine in India. Furthermore, NeXT will be the same for all students whether they are trained in India or abroad, hence it will also solve the problem of foreign medical graduates.

Some states have apprehensions about NeXT replacing these exams as Tamil Nadu has raised the objection. NMC recently introduced the draft for PG admissions and other than Tamil Nadu, Gujarat also said that it will reduce PG seats for Gujarat students, that too at a time when the state needs more doctors, especially in rural areas.

MBBS finals are held twice a year, whereas NeXT will be held only once a year. The NeXT scores will remain valid for three years from the date the person becomes eligible to be granted the medical practice license. Once it expires, the student again needs to take the exam and qualify to be eligible for admission to PG broad speciality courses.

Read more:

• Gujarat opposes draft PG admission regulations
• NeXT exam for MBBS students to be held from 2023