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NExT and foreign medical graduates: what the regulations and the deferral notice say

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

India's National Exit Test (NExT) is set by the National Medical Commission (India). The National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 say who shall take it, including foreign medical graduates who meet the requirements of the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021. A public notice of 13 July 2023 says that NExT is deferred until further directions from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

This page covers India's rule only. It does not cover the rules of Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal. For the register's section on practising back home, see this register's section page. The page describes documents. It does not assess any university or course.

What NExT is for under the 2023 regulations

Regulation 2 states that NExT "shall form the basis of":

  • regulation 2(i): certifying the eligibility of the medical graduate to register to practise the modern system of medicine in India, and therefore serve as a Licentiate Examination;
  • regulation 2(ii): determining the eligibility and ranking for the purpose of admission of those desirous of pursuing further Postgraduate Medical Education in the country in broad medical specialities, and therefore serve as an entrance Examination for admission to courses of Postgraduate Medical Education.

Who shall take NExT

Regulation 3 says that the following "shall undertake the National Exit Test (NExT)":

  • regulation 3(i): all undergraduate medical students pursuing the degree of MBBS in all Medical Colleges as approved by the National Medical Commission, including Institutes of National Importance;
  • regulation 3(ii): all Foreign Medical Graduates fulfilling the requirement of the foreign medical graduate Licentiate Regulation by the National Medical Commission for the purpose of obtaining a licence to practise medicine as a registered medical practitioner in India and for enrollment in the State Register or the National Register, as the case may be, in such manner as may be specified by regulations;
  • regulation 3(iii): any other person with a Medical Degree for purposes such as pursuing an academic course.

The definition of a foreign medical graduate

The definition lettered (e) in the regulations reads: "Foreign Medical Graduate" shall mean a graduate with a medical degree from any country other than India.

This definition is in the NExT regulations. It is not the same text as the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021, which are discussed below.

Internship eligibility under the NExT regulations

Item (ii) of the internship provision says that a foreign medical graduate is governed by the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations 2021 of the National Medical Commission for provisional registration to pursue internship. It says that a medical student who has completed undergraduate medical education overseas and has fulfilled the applicable requirements provided in the Foreign Medical Graduate Regulations of the Commission "shall be eligible for Compulsory Rotating Internship as approved for such students provided the following criteria are met".

The first criterion is:

  • criterion (a): pass in each of the six Theory Papers of NExT Step 1 as provided in Section 2.3 (2).

This page does not reproduce any other criterion of that provision.

The deferral notice of 13 July 2023

The National Medical Commission (India) issued Public Notice No. Cdn.19012/15/2022/Coord-NMC on 13 July 2023. Its one sentence reads:

"All the stakeholderS are hereby informed that the National Exit Test (NEXT) examination is deferred on the advice of the Ministry, dated 11.07.2023, till further directions from the Ministry of Health &Family Welfare."

The notice's one sentence sets no date for resumption. This page does not predict when NExT will start.

The 2021 regulations: conditions for permanent registration

The Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 were published in the Gazette of India on 18 November 2021. Regulation 4 says that no foreign medical graduate "shall be granted permanent registration, unless he has":

  • regulation 4(a)(i): undergone a course leading to foreign medical degree with minimum duration of fifty-four months;
  • regulation 4(a)(ii): undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medical institution;
  • regulation 4(a)(iii): received a foreign medical degree with medium of instructions in English; and
  • regulation 4(a)(iv): studied the mandatory subjects specified in the Schedule-I;
  • regulation 4(b): registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country;
  • regulation 4(c): undergone supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months, after applying for the same to the Commission; and
  • regulation 4(d): has cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated test or tests conducted by the Commission.

Under regulation 5, these regulations do not apply to foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification before the regulations came into force, or to candidates who were pursuing their education in foreign institutions before they came into force. Regulation 5(2) says those people "shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations". Questions 2 and 4 of the Commission's FAQ give the date the regulations came into force as 18 November 2021.

The FAQ's disclaimer says the FAQs explain the regulations for ease of understanding and cannot be upheld in a court of law, and it refers readers to the gazette notifications for legal validity.

Whether a particular person's course or degree meets these conditions is decided by the Indian authorities. This page states the conditions only.

The screening test in the NBEMS bulletin

The bulletin is titled "FMGE (Screening Test) October 2026 Information Bulletin, version 2.2". It is published by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), India.

In the bulletin's words, the FMGE-Screening Test "has been introduced through Screening Test Regulations 2002". The bulletin quotes those regulations as requiring that an Indian citizen or Overseas citizen of India with a primary medical qualification from outside India, who wants provisional or permanent registration on or after 15.03.2002, "shall have to qualify a screening test conducted by the prescribed authority for that purpose as per the provisions of section 13 of the Act".

The bulletin states that the role of NBEMS "is limited to conduct of the test, publishing the result and handing over the result to National Medical Commission & all State Medical Councils."

The NExT regulations, regulation 4(d) of the 2021 regulations and the screening test bulletin are separate documents. This page does not join them.

Questions people ask

Who shall take the National Exit Test?

Regulation 3 of the National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 names three groups: MBBS students at medical colleges approved by the National Medical Commission (India), foreign medical graduates who fulfil the requirement of the foreign medical graduate Licentiate Regulation for the purpose of obtaining a licence to practise medicine as a registered medical practitioner in India, and any other person with a Medical Degree for purposes such as pursuing an academic course.

Does the deferral notice give a date for NExT?

No. The notice of 13 July 2023 says NEXT is deferred on the advice of the Ministry, dated 11.07.2023, until further directions from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The notice's one sentence sets no date for resumption.

Which regulations apply to someone who acquired a foreign medical degree before 18 November 2021?

Regulation 5(1)(a) says the 2021 regulations do not apply to foreign medical graduates who acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification before they came into force. Regulation 5(2) says those graduates shall be governed by the erstwhile applicable regulations. Questions 2 and 4 of the FAQ give 18 November 2021 as the date the regulations came into force.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, and promises no admission, examination or registration outcome; the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

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