NMC Deferred NExT For 3-4 Years, Impact On International MBBS Graduates!

Why has NMC delayed the NExT Exam for Medical Students?

Typically, the NExT exam was planned for August 2025, but there were many challenges in the implementation of the test, including the legal, infrastructural, and logistical factors, which led to the deferral of 3 to 4 years. The National Medical Commission wants to ensure that the NExT exam is the perfect model upon implementation, aligned with the Indian medical standards. This is why they decided to postpone it.

NMC has confirmed that there are no immediate plans for the implementation of the NExT exam, and they will be working on the model over the NExT few years. They will conduct trial NExT exams in various medical institutions and get feedback from students and the institutions. Then, based on the feedback and survey outcomes, they plan to introduce new policies.

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Students' Response to Hault on NExT Exam!

According to the joint survey outcome conducted jointly by FAIMA (Federation of All India Medical Association) and medical colleges, there seems to be a strong opposition to the immediate rollout. However, there has been a mixed response from students across social media platforms and on student forums. Some are expressing relief on the NExT exam postponement, whereas others are demanding clarity on the implementation of the exam. On Instagram, there are many posts which are trending under the hashtags #NExTExam2025 and #NMCUpdate2025.

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What NExT Exam Deferral Mean for MBBS Students?

MBBS students in India are definitely impacted by the sudden postponement of the NExT exam to 3-4 years. Let us understand what it means for Indian MBBS students:

• Currently, all Indian students will appear for NEET-PG as the entrance exam for postgraduate admissions in the same year.

• Previously, it was updated that NExT will replace FMGE from August 2025. However, the sudden clarification that NExT is deferred for 3-4 years means that FMGE (for foreign graduates) will continue to be an alicensure exam in India until NExT becomes operational.

• The first official NExT mock exam as a trial in medical institutions may be conducted in 2026 or 2027, subject to NMC.

• As the mock tests will be provided by NMC to have feedback on the NExT model, it will be free of cost.

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