Medical students can take the National Exit Test Step 1 multiple times to improve their score

The National Medical Commission (NMC) released the National Exit Test Regulations 2023 on Friday, stating that it will be held in two phases, with NExT Step 1 and NExT Step 2 being held twice a year from next year.

New Delhi: Medical students can appear in the National Exit Test Step 1 multiple times to improve their scores, provided they pass NExT Step 2 and complete the entire process within 10 years of MBBS admission, according to regulations released Friday by the National Medical Commission have been issued. However, the score obtained on the last attempt in NExT Step-1 will be taken into account for determining the rank for admission to postgraduate courses in broad specialties, it said.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) released the National Exit Test Regulations 2023 on Friday, stating that it will be held in two phases, with NExT Step 1 and NExT Step 2 being held twice a year from next year. Under the NMC Act, the National Exit Test will serve as a common senior-year MBBS qualifying exam, a licentiate exam to practice modern medicine and for merit-based admission to postgraduate courses and a screening exam for foreign medical graduates who wish to practice in India.

After completing NExT Step 1, medical students do a one-year internship. After their internship, they must complete NExT Step 2 to qualify for a license and registration to practice modern medicine in India and undertake postgraduate training for which their score in NExT Step 1 will be taken into account, officials said.

“The NMC has asked students and all stakeholders to patiently review the guidelines and has assured students that they will hold hands when needed,” Dr. Yogender Malik, member of the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), explained.

It will also form the basis for determining the eligibility and ranking for admission of those seeking further postgraduate medical training in broad medical specialties in the country and therefore serves as the entrance exam for admission to PG courses.

The Committee will from time to time specify the appropriate way of using the results of NExT for admission to postgraduate courses through mechanisms such as joint advisory by the designated authority.

“It is suggested that whenever the NExT is in effect, the corresponding equivalent existing studies will be phased out/no longer applicable for the purpose for which the NExT will be appropriate,” the NMC notice said. However, if for previous batches the existing studies are applicable, as may be decided by the committee, then the existing studies will continue for as long as deemed appropriate by the committee, it being understood that the NExT will eventually supersede the corresponding equivalent existing studies .

NExT Step 2 exam results are declared as “Pass/Fail” only, while NExT Step 1 grades are considered to create a merit list for admission into broad specialty PG seats. The minimum passing scores for NExT Step 2 are 50 percent (50 out of 100) or half of the maximum possible raw scores for NExT Step-1.

All those students who have completed the III MBBS/Final MBBS course from a medical college approved or recognized by the committee are eligible to appear in the examination, the notice said. months of May and November or any other time that may be communicated by the Commission,” it stated. “There is no restriction on the number of attempts to appear in NExT Step 1, provided that the candidate has passed both the NExT Step 1 and NExT Step 2 exams within 10 years of taking the MBBS course,” said It.

There is no limitation on the number of attempts to appear in the NExT Step 1 score improvement exams provided that these score improvement exams are taken after completion of NExT Step 2. Candidates are not entitled to appear in NExT step I for score improvement until the completion of NExT 2, the notification said.

“For purposes of determining merit for admission to a broad specialty postgraduate course, NExT Step 1 scores remain valid for five years. However, if the candidate appears in the NExT Step 1 exam cycle, the previous NExT Step 1 score is invalid for determining the rank for admission to postgraduate courses in broad specialties and only the last attempt NExT Step 1 score would be in be taken into account for determining the rank,” the regulations state. There will be a regular NExT Step 2 exam twice a year, the NMC said.