Faridkot, December 30
For admission to postgraduate medical programmes and for a licence to practice medicine, the NMC has released draft regulations for the National Exit Test (NExT).
Seeking comments of the stakeholders on the proposed draft regulations, the NMC said NExT would be applicable to all undergraduate students pursuing MBBS degree.
It will also be applicable to all foreign medical graduates approved by the NMC for obtaining licence to practice medicine as a registered medical practitioner and for enrolment in the state or national register.
NExT is to replace the NEET-PG. According to the draft, the NExT will take place in two steps. The conceptual exam for Step 1 will take place in the second week of December, and the practical exam for Step 2 will take place in the second week of March.
The Step 1 will be a computer-based, multiple-choice exam that will be held in accordance with NMC criteria, while Step 2 will be a practical and viva voce test. Six papers in Step 1 will cover both Part 1 and Part 2 of the MBBS third-year and final-year subjects. In Step 2, seven clinical topics would be covered, said the draft.
A physical exam will be held once a year. A candidate can take the Step 2 exam as many times as he/she like without any limitation. According to the draft, students who fail the ordinary exam will be given a second chance to pass both steps in a supplementary exam.