Multiple Attempts Allowed, but Clearing All 6 Papers in One Go Required to Get PG: NMC NExT Regulations

New Delhi, July 3, 2023 - The National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently released the NMC National Exit Test (NExT) Regulations, 2023, specifying that students will have multiple attempts to clear Step 1 and Step 2 of the NExT.

New Delhi, July 3, 2023 - The National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently released the NMC National Exit Test (NExT) Regulations, 2023, specifying that students will have multiple attempts to clear Step 1 and Step 2 of the NExT. However, in order to be eligible for PG seats, students will need to clear all six papers of the Step 1 exam in a single attempt. This move marks a significant change in the process for obtaining postgraduate medical education.

The new regulations state that candidates must pass both Step 1 and Step 2 of the NExT examination within 10 years of joining the MBBS course. The NExT exam is set to replace the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) examination. To gain admission to PG medical courses, students will need to clear the NExT Step 1 examination and achieve a minimum score of 50% or half of the maximum possible raw scores across all six papers.

The six papers in the NExT Step 1 examination will cover subjects from the III MBBS/Final MBBS curriculum, including Medicine and Allied Disciplines, Surgery and Allied Disciplines, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Otorhinolaryngology, and Ophthalmology. The validity of NExT Step 1 scores for admission to PG broad-specialty medical courses is set at five years. However, if a candidate opts to improve their scores, the previous NExT Step 1 score will be considered invalid for rank determination, and only the last attempt's score will be taken into account.

It is worth mentioning that the National Exit Test will serve as both a licentiate exam for the practice of modern medicine by Indian Medicos and Foreign Medical Graduates and as a gateway entrance examination for admission to postgraduate medical education. The new regulations also outline various aspects of the NExT, including the purpose, eligibility criteria, scoring methods, and tie-breaker rules for rank determination.

The NMC has implemented these changes after releasing draft regulations related to the National Exit Test in December 2022. The final NMC National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 were notified in the Official Gazette on June 28, 2023, following a webinar organized by the NMC to address the concerns and doubts of medical students regarding the test. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, will be responsible for conducting the NExT examination.

The introduction of these regulations will bring significant changes to the medical education system in India, with the NExT examination replacing the final year MBBS examination, NEET-PG examination, and the FMGE examination. The new regulations aim to streamline the process and ensure that candidates have a clear pathway to pursuing postgraduate medical education.

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