NExT Mandatory For Foreign Medical Graduates; Will It Replace NEET PG?

New Delhi: The National Medical Council (NMC) is expected to conduct the National Exit Test in 2024. As medical students wonder about the NExT exam, they will be required to qualify for the exit exam whether graduating from an Indian Medical Institute or any Foreign Medical Institute.

Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) and Indian Medical Graduates will have to pass the NExT exam in order to obtain licence to practice medicine in India.
The National Exit Test, once implemented, will act as a qualifying and screening exam for final-year MBBS Students. As per the latest media reports, the guidelines for the NExT are in the final stage and AIIMS Delhi is expected to conduct the exam.

After completing their four and a half years in their course, MBBS graduates have to undergo one year of internship in designated hospitals. Last month NMC provided “one-time relaxation” to FMGs to complete their internship in India. It provided a list of recognised non-teaching hospitals for Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) issued by the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI) for one year (upto May 2024), for internship for FMGs only.

Will NExT Replace NEET PG?

NEET PG 2023 has already been conducted March 5 and the registration for FMGE 2023 June session is ongoing hence the possibilities of NExT being conducted this year are negligible. However, it is expected that the National Exit Test will be conducted in 2024 ans it will act as a qualifying examination for those pursuing MBBS  in Indian medical Institutes and as a screening test for the FMGs. NExT will also act as an entrance exam for admissions in Post Graduate courses in medical education and is expected to replace NEET PG.

All About NExT Exam

According to the regulations released by the NMC in 2022,  NExT will be conducted in two parts - Part 1 will be based on the theory and Part 2 will comprise of practical tests and interview-based exams for various clinical subjects and disciplines. Candidates must note that the NMC is yet to present the final guidelines on NExT.