The National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced the introduction of the National Exit Test (NExT). The National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 were published on 27th June, 2023 and shall come into force on 28th June, 2023.
NExT will be a comprehensive examination that will serve as a Licentiate Examination and an entrance examination for postgraduate medical education in India. The NExT will be conducted by the NMC or an appropriate body or authority approved by the NMC.
The objectives of the National Exit Test are as follows:
- Certifying the eligibility of medical graduates to register and practice the modern system of medicine in India, serving as a Licentiate Examination.
- Determining eligibility and ranking for admission to postgraduate medical education in the country in broad medical specialties, serving as an entrance examination.
The following individuals will be required to undertake the National Exit Test:
- All undergraduate medical students pursuing the MBBS degree in all Medical Colleges approved by the National Medical Commission, including Institutes of National Importance.
- Foreign Medical Graduates who fulfill the requirements of the foreign medical graduate Licentiate Regulation by the National Medical Commission for obtaining a license to practice medicine as a registered medical practitioner in India and for enrollment in the State Register or the National Register, as specified by regulations.
- Any other person with a Medical Degree who wishes to pursue an academic course, observership, or other purposes as approved by the NMC through due notification or regulations.
- Individuals holding a license to practice and registered in the National Medical Register/State Medical Register, who wish to seek admission to postgraduate courses in broad medical specialties.
The NMC will specify, through appropriate regulations and notifications, the manner in which the results of the NExT will be utilized for admission to postgraduate courses in broad medical specialties. This may include mechanisms such as common counseling by a designated authority.
It is important to note that when the NExT is implemented, existing equivalent examinations will be phased out and cease to be applicable for the relevant purposes. However, for previous batches, the NMC may decide to continue with the existing examinations for a certain period, with the understanding that the NExT will eventually replace them. The use of scores and normalization of different examinations and the NExT, when applicable concurrently, will be determined and notified by the NMC as necessary.
