National Exit Test (NExT) for Final Year MBBS Students Could be Delayed by a Year to 2024

With the patient wait for the new national-level examination which was proposed as a final year MBBS exam as well as a licentiate and PG entrance test in India, the National Exit Test (NExT) has been delayed by a year to 2024.

According to top government officials, NExT has been delayed as a result of the lack of proper preparations and clarity in the framework of the exam. However, the NMC previously maintained that the test is set to begin in 2023.

The NMC Act outlined that the NExT was to be conducted within 3 years of the constitution of the National Medical Commission which replaced the Medical Commission of India in 2020 as a medical education and healthcare regulator.

Also Read: NMC Notice: Foreign MBBS Graduates to Get Registration Only After 2 Years of Internships

A statement by a senior official in the medical education wing of the Union Health Ministry stated that discourse over who would be responsible for conducting the test, i.e. the National Board Examinations (NBE) or the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi.

The official further revealed that further discussion over the type of questions that will be asked in the test, i.e. whether the test will be analytical or MCQ-based or even what the syllabus should cover, is yet to be done. The official stated that the “NMC is not yet fully prepared to conduct the test in a few months’ time, thus, delaying the test till 2024.

With regards to foreign medical graduates wishing to practice medicine in India, they are currently required to clear the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, which is conducted by NBE, soon to be replaced by NExT.

Also Read: NMC Schedules NExT Exam for the First of 2023

In terms of the preparations required, officials within the Commission have stated that students will also need time to switch and prepare for the new test. Moreover, mock tests of the test will also need to be conducted before the actual tests can be conducted.

However, stakeholders have voiced their concerns over the delays, citing detrimental effects on medical education and healthcare. With no official statements being released with regard to when NExT will be conducted or what the exam pattern for NExT will be.

Other stakeholders who believe that NExT would be a landmark measure in improving the quality of medical education in the country, urge the respective authorities to conduct the test as soon as possible to achieve this objective.

Source: MoneyControl