The National Exit Test (NExT) for MBBS students is expected to be implemented starting August 2025, replacing the NEET PG and FMGE exams for admission to postgraduate courses. NExT will be held in two phases: Step 1 in August 2025 and Step 2 in February 2026, though no official dates have been confirmed. Initially, the test was anticipated to begin in February 2028 for the 2024 batch, but the timeline was revised. The NExT exam will be conducted twice annually, in May and November, with both theory and practical components. It will most likely be organized by AIIMS, New Delhi. Registration for a mock NExT exam, scheduled for July 28, was canceled despite having started earlier in June, with the final registration deadline being July 14. In a recent NMC webinar, it was confirmed that the NExT exam will be computer-based, with Step 1 covering six subjects and Step 2 covering seven. The official notification regarding NExT dates and further details is expected soon.
The NExT Exam 2025 for MBBS is a forthcoming exam that is designed to evaluate the competencies of medical graduates and assess their eligibility to practice medicine. The National Exit Test (NExT) is expected to be held in August 2025, so interested candidates must go through the registration process and other important details of NExt 2025 exam discussed in this article before attempting the exam.
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What is the National Exit Test (NExT)?
The National Exit Test (NExT) or NExT exam is intended to serve as a standard entrance exam that grants MBBS graduates a license to practice medicine in India. All medical graduates will be required to take the exam, whether they completed their primary medical education in India or another country.
To obtain a license and practice medicine in India, MBBS students must pass the NExT exam. The exam will be administered in two stages to assess applicants' theoretical and practical knowledge.
The NExT exam will replace the existing National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test for postgraduate seats (NEET PG) and the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which are required of national and international medical graduates to register for medical practice in India.
NExT Latest Updates
According to the NExT latest updates, the first NExT exam for MBBS students will take place in August 2025. Students in the 2020 MBBS batch will take the exam. The NExT PG 2025 exam date has not yet been formally announced. The National Medical Commission (NMC) will publish the official exam brochure, which will include important exam dates and information.
The NExT exam is set to begin in August 2025, with Step 1 covering six subjects and Step 2 seven. For the 2024 MBBS batch, the exam is expected in February 2026, and official details will be released soon after the canceled mock exam in July.
NExT PG 2025 Exam Highlights
The National Exit Test, or NExT, will be the standard screening examination for international medical graduates and a qualifying exam for final year MBBS students to grant license for practice medicine in India. The highlights of the exam are given below.
| NExT PG 2025 Exam Highlights |
| Particulars |
Details |
| Exam name |
National Exit Test (NExT ) |
| Conducting body |
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Most Likely) |
| Exam level |
Postgraduate exam at National level |
| Objective |
Medical License and admission to postgraduate courses |
| Session commencement |
2024-25 |
| Eligible candidates |
Final year MBBS students, Foreign Medical Graduates |
| Exam mode |
Online |
| NExT paper pattern |
Step 1 & Step 2 |
| Question Type |
Multiple Choice Questions, Long Answer Questions, Short Answer Questions |
NExT 2025 Exam Dates
Till now, there has been no official announcement by the National Medical Commission about the NExT 2025 exam dates. The NExT 2025 PG exam for Step 1 is expected to be held in August 2025,and the Step2 exam is likely to be held in February, 2026.
According to earlier reports, the National Exit Test was supposed to be conducted for 2019 MBBS pass out students but was later postponed. As per the NExT latest updates, the NMC NExT test 2025 will be applicable for 2020 batch MBBS students.
NExT Exam 2025 for MBBS Process
The NExT Exam 2025 for MBBS is the entrance exam for MBBS students to get admission to PG medical courses. The NExT PG exam process will be conducted twice a year at a national level.
There will be multiple-choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions on the exam's paper, which will be administered online. Third-year and final-year MBBS students are eligible to appear for the NExT Step 1 exam, which will be a theory test consisting of six topic papers.
To appear in the NExT Step 2 exam, candidates must have finished a 12-month internship program. The Step 2 scores would be taken into account when creating a merit list for admission to specialized courses at the PG level.
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NExT Exam Pattern 2025
NExT PG 2025 exam for MBBS will be held in two steps. Step -1 is a theoretical exam while Step-2 paper will be a practical exam. Candidates who qualify for Step 1 will be eligible for an internship and can apply for the Step 2 practical exam. The details of NExT Exam pattern 2025 are given as follows:
NExT Step 1
This examination will be conducted in a computer-based format, consisting of a total of 540 multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The exam will encompass six papers, covering subjects from the third year/final MBBS course.
NExT Step 2
This exam will be a live examination, specifically focused on practical and clinical assessments and viva-based evaluations. NExT Step-2 paper will encompass seven subjects and will feature clinical case-based assessments utilizing simulated cases, with the objective to assess practical and clinical skills.
NExT 2025 Question Pattern
The NExT 2025 Question Pattern for step 1 comprises six theoretical subjects divided into three parts. Each part consists of two subjects with 120 marks and 60 marks respectively. The detailed NExT 2025 Question Pattern is given in the below table.
| NExT 2025 Question Pattern |
| Parts |
Subjects |
No. of questions |
Marks |
| Part -1 |
Medicine & allied subjects |
120 |
180 minutes |
| Pediatrics |
60 |
90 minutes |
| Part -2 |
Surgery & Allied |
120 |
180 minutes |
| ENT |
60 |
90 minutes |
| Part-3 |
Obstetrics & Gynecology |
120 |
180 minutes |
| Ophthalmology |
60 |
90 minutes |
| |
Total |
540 |
|
NExT Exam Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must fulfill the NExT Exam eligibility criteria for taking the exam. The National Exit Test will only be open to individuals who satisfy the following requirements:
- All undergraduate medical students who have completed an MBBS degree from NMC-approved medical institutions with at least 50% marks.
- Foreign medical graduates who have been approved by the NMC to apply for a license to practice as registered medical practitioners in India.
- Any other individual with a medical degree for purposes that the NMC may specify and recognize.
- Candidates must finish a 12-month internship after passing the NExT Step 1 exam to be considered eligible to appear for the NExT Step 2 exam.
NMC NExT Exam Syllabus
The NMC NExT exam syllabus includes six subjects. As per the draft syllabus, there will be both theoretical and practical subjects in the National Exit Exam syllabus. The following is a list of subjects covered in the NExT Step 1 theory examination:
- Medicine and allied subjects
- Pediatrics
- Surgery and allied subjects
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Ophthalmology
NExT Exam Application Form
The NExT 2025 exam application form is expected to be released by NMC on their official website. The exam-conducting organization has not made any public announcements about the NExT 2025 application form submission procedure.
Most likely, the registration and application process will start in the last week of November 2024. Applicants need to register through the official website and submit the NExT 2025 application form online.
The application process will involve registration, application form completion, photo uploading, and fee payments.
NExT Qualifying Criteria
Applicants must achieve the required minimum score or cutoff mark which is the NExT 2025 qualifying criteria for the postgraduate programs. The minimum mark for NExT qualifying criteria of passing the exam is 50% of the highest possible raw score for the NExT Step 1 exam. It implies that candidates must receive 50 out of 100 points, or half of the total possible points, in each of the six papers.
NExT Exam 2025 Objectives
The NExT Exam 2025 aims to assess the candidates’ knowledge and skills in the following aspects:
- Comprehensive knowledge: The exam will encompass a broad spectrum of medical streams and evaluate the candidate's overall knowledge of medical concepts.
- Theoretical concepts: The exam focuses on assessing the candidate’s theoretical knowledge through well-crafted questions that require a clear understanding of medical concepts, guidelines, and principles.
- Clinical Skill Assessment : The exam includes components to evaluate candidates' clinical skills to apply medical knowledge in practical scenarios, clinical decision-making, as well as practical and communication skills necessary for contemporary medical practice.
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