NExT exam likely in March 2029? Here is what NMC CBME guidelines say

New Delhi: Although there is still no clarity regarding the National Exit Test (NExT) exam, when and how it may be conducted, the recently published Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum 2024 indicated that the proposed common exit test may be held in March 2029 for the MBBS students who are getting admitted during the academic year 2024-2025.

As per the academic calendar for admission batch 2024-2025, the proposed NExT Step 1 may be conducted for the newly admitted students in March 2029 while the proposed NExT Step 2 for these students will be held after the completion of their internship i.e. March 2030.

Specifying the timeline of conducting the University Examinations, the CBME 2024 guidelines mentioned that the National Exit Test (NExT) shall be held as per the NExT Regulations and the Final Professional examination shall be held "at the end of 17th / 18th month of that training, in the subjects of General Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, and allied subjects as per NExT Regulations."

Apart from the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 MBBS batch, the CBME 2024 guidelines also includes a generic calendar for the MBBS students. As per this generic proposed academic calendar from admission batch 2025-2026 onwards, the proposed NExT Step 1 will be held at the end of 18th month of the Phase III Part II training i.e. in February.

Similarly, the proposed generic calendar, applicable for admission batch 2025-2026 onwards, states that the proposed NExT Step 2 will be held at the end of mandatory internship i.e. one year after conducting the NExT Step 1 exam- in February.

Earlier this year, NMC made the matter of the NExT examination open to all the stakeholders. The Commission asked all the stakeholders to submit their feedback on the NMC National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 by 07.02.2024. Later, the deadline was further extended by the Commission till 17.02.2024.

NExT Controversy: 

The issue of the NExT exam has been making waves in the medical fraternity ever since its first announcement. Although last year NMC released the NExT regulations and announced conducting the exam for the 2019 MBBS batch, it was ultimately put on hold for an indefinite time.

NMC NExT Regulations, 2023, were published in the official Gazette on June 28, 2023, and a mock test for the NExT exam was scheduled to be held on July 28 2023 by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

However, opposing the decision to conduct the NExT exam for the 2019 batch, the students and doctors termed it to be a violation of the NMC Act, 2019. Referring to the 2019 Act, the doctors pointed out that the 2019 MBBS batch started on August 1, 2019, i.e. the batch started before the publication of the NMC Act 2019. Therefore, the doctors argued that conducting NExT for the 2019 batch would be a violation of the NMC Act 2019.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry intervened and NMC deferred the NExT examination until further notice from the Ministry. Thereafter, the Union Health Ministry has constituted a seven-member committee to look into the preparedness of States and medical colleges for the implementation of the exam for the final year MBBS students of the 2020 batch.

Amidst the debate and uncertainty regarding the conduct of the NExT exam, NMC made the issue open to all the stakeholders. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the stakeholders were asked to submit their opinion on whether the NExT exam should replace the conventional MBBS final year exam, held separately in addition to the MBBS final year exam, or be conducted in any other manner.

Further, the stakeholders were asked to share their opinions on various aspects such as the time manner, exam pattern, way of conducting exam, syllabus of NExt and several other issues.

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