30 Jun 2023 • The first National Exit test (NExT), a common licentiate examination to replace university-level final MBBS examination, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-PG (NEET-PG) and Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), will be conducted in May, 2024. Clearing this examination will be a must to receive a registration as a doctor to practice medicine in India. It will also serve as a test for postgraduate selections for all specialties.

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) made this announcement in a virtual meeting with medical colleges across India Tuesday, said sources in the Commission.
• NMC Chairman Dr Suresh Chandra Sharma also announced that the first step of NExT or NExT-1, which will test students on theoretical aspects, will be held twice annually in May and November while NExT- 2 which will evaluate students on practical and clinical skills will be held once a year.
• First NExT-2 scheduled for June 2025: Sources in the Commission also said that while NExT-1 will be conducted next year for MBBS batch of 2021, batches prior to 2019 can also appear in the test but counseling process for the PG course will be done after a year when NExT-2 is completed for 2019 batch in 2025

"NEET PG 2024 will be the last NEET PG for admission in PG courses in medicine,” said an official in the Commission.

The government has pitched NExT as a measure to improve the quality of MBBS students getting license to practice every year, saying that they currently focus mainly on clearing NEET-PG which is fully a theoretical examination and involves rote learning.

Source: The Print | Read full story