NMC

NEXT – National Exit Test: Exam Details for MBBS

As per the NMC Bill 2019, NEXT or National Exit Test will be a common exit exam conducted to promote meritorious medical students to practice medicine in their respective fields or even pursue higher education. As part of being an exit exam, NEXT will also be the common gateway to attain a license to practice medicine across India.

One of the common issues witnesses in India comes from the fact that many illegal practices and unqualified doctors practice modern medicine in the nation. With the implementation of the examination, all MBBS students will be required to appear for the exit exam, clear the exam and gain their license to practice medicine.

With the proposal in the last few phases of approval, it is inevitable that witness medical aspirants, especially MBBS aspirants, across India to be frightened by the changes that will be brought in once Bill is passed. However, the government claims that the changes will only promote the enhancement of the medical industry of India. NEXT is just one step among many to ensure improvement in the industry.

With the current draft of the National Medical Commission Bill 2019, the objective seems to be enhancing the quality of MBBS graduates across medical institutes in India. Through NEXT, the Centre’s goal is to combine both the MBBS exit exam and the MBBS licentiate exam into one Exit Test. This will qualify the MBBS graduates to both practice medicine across India and pursue higher education.

Three years from the implementation of the NMC Bill 2019, the Exit Test, NEXT, will be operational, thus replacing NEET-PG examination in the process as well and this decision had been made in one of the recent amendments of the Bill. The exit exam will be conducted at the MBBS level and may even consist entirely of MCQ-based exam pattern. However, one cannot assume that the subjective-type questions will be done away with, after the implementation of the exam.

It is important to note that the examination is still at the approval stage and changes can be made, as the Rajya Sabha is yet to pass the Bill. Therefore, the opinions stated in the article are purely based on the information currently available regarding the NMC Bill 2019.

Main Objectives of NEXT

Keeping in mind the statements made above, here are some of the objectives of NEXT exit exams for MBBS. We will also talk about the changes that will come under the new exit and licentiate exam which will become mandatory for MBBS graduates to clear, in order to be deemed as qualified doctors.

Through NEXT, the Centre plans to produce a more qualified and skilled batch of MBBS graduates in India. With the help of introducing a much deeper understanding of concepts and enhancing the skills with reference to problem-solving in the final MBBS students. A more practical aspect will be brought in through the examination as well.

Apart from being an exit test for MBBS students in India, NEXT will also cater to aspirants who completed their MBBS from abroad but wish to practice medicine in India. Earlier, such candidates were to sit for Foreign Medical Graduate Exam or commonly known as FMGE. With the implementation of the Bill, it is expected to see FMGE be replaced by NEXT as well.

Eligibility Criteria:

No person shall be allowed to appear in the screening test unless:

(1) he/she is a Citizen of India or has been granted Overseas Citizenship of India and possess any primary medical qualification to be a recognized qualification for enrolment as medical practitioner in the country in which the institution awarding the said qualification is situated.

(2) he/ she had obtained ‘Eligibility Certificate’ from the National Medical Commission (or the erstwhile Medical Council of India) as per the ‘Eligibility Requirement for taking admission in an undergraduate medical course in a Foreign Medical Institution Regulations, 2002’. This requirement shall not be necessary in respect of Indian citizens or Overseas Citizens of India who have acquired the medical qualifications from foreign medical institutions or have obtained admission in foreign medical institution before 15th March 2002.

(3) Indian Citizens/Overseas Citizen of India intending to obtain primary medical qualification from any medical institution outside India, on or after May 2018, shall have to mandatorily qualify the ‘National -Eligibility-cum- Entrance Test for Admission to MBBS course’. The result of the ‘National- Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Admission to MBBS course’ shall deem to be treated as the Eligibility Certificate for such persons, provided that such persons fulfil the Eligibility Criteria for admission to the MBBS course prescribed in the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997.”

Furthermore, the result of NEET shall be valid for a period of three (3) years from the date of declaration of result, entitling a candidate to pursue MBBS or equivalent medical course including pre-medical/language course, if any, followed by MBBS or equivalent medical course.

(4) Provided further that a person seeking provisional or permanent registration shall not have to qualify the Screening Test if he/she holds an Undergraduate medical qualification from Australia/Canada/New Zealand/United Kingdom/United States of America and the holder thereof also been awarded a Post Graduate medical qualification in Australia/Canada/New Zealand/United Kingdom/United States of America and has been recognized for enrolment as medical practitioner in that country.

.The screening test shall be conducted as per the Schedule of examination announced by the Prescribed Authority. The procedure of conducting the test shall be in accordance with the Scheme announced by the National Medical Commission in this regard.

.The Prescribed Authority shall intimate the result of the Screening Test to the candidates as well as to the National Medical Commission and the State Medical Councils. The unsuccessful candidates shall also be appropriately informed. The candidates who qualify the Screening Test may apply to the National Medical Commission or to any State Medical Council for provisional registration/ permanent registration.