NEXT: National Exit Test
NEXT or National Exit Test for MBBS will be a single window exit exam which will replace NEET-PG, INI-CET (AIIMS, PGI, JIPMER, NIMHANS) & MCI Screening Exam (i.e. FMGE: Foreign Medical Graduate Examination). NEXT will be implemented from 2024.
There is confusion about the schedule for the National Exit Test (NEXT) & its pattern. We would like to provide clarity on the matter. Regarding date of implementation of NEXT, following 3 variations are under discussion:
- NEXT exam will be implemented from 2020 batch onwards. On July 28, 2023, Honorable Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya clarified that NEXT will serve two purposes – registering for medical practice and granting admission to a PG course. Students will get MBBS degree after final year MBBS exam conducted by the university. He also added that practical exams for NEXT will not be separate; the university practicals will be considered.
- As per Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) regulations 2023 published by NMC on 1stAugust 2023, students of 2023 batch will take NEXT Step 1 in Feb 2028 and Step 2 in Feb 2029. But it is not mentioned whether this will be the 1st session of NEXT to be conducted or implementation of NEXT exam will be prior to this as well.
- As per the National Medical Commission’s notification issued on June 27, 2023, the National Exit Test (NEXT) Phase 1 is scheduled to be conducted twice a year from November 2023 onwards in every May and November. As this circular is the sole document officially provided by the NMC, we are outlining the pattern of the NEXT exam below, based on this notification.
NEXT: Step – 1
NEXT-1 exam will replace final year MBBS exam. Presently final year MBBS exam is conducted at the level of universities. NEXT-1 will be conducted centrally at All-India level. Thus, students will appear NEXT-1 exam after final year & before starting internship. The students who will pass NEXT-1 exam will start their internship. Score in NEXT exam will also be used to allot PG (MD/ MS/ DNB/ Diploma) seats in government and private medical colleges in India.
Approach to NEXT exam
When: Coming Tuesday 9 to 11 PM IST
For whom: MBBS 1st to final year students aiming for Huge Success
Significance of NEXT-1 exam: The qualifying cut-off for NEXT-1 exam will be 50%. Thus, if you score 50% (NOT percentile) in NEXT-1, you will be considered as passed in NEXT-1 and you will be eligible to start your internship. The score obtained in NEXT-1 will be considered in allocating PG seats after internship. The score of the NEXT-1 exam will be valid for 3 years for the purpose of PG Entrance ranking. So after completion of your internship, you can apply for PG with the same NEXT-1 score within 3 years of appearing NEXT-1 exam. Thus, NEXT-1 will be a qualifying as well as competitive exam.
Syllabus for NEXT-1 exam: Unlike NEXT-2 which will be a practical exam, NEXT-1 will be a theory exam. All 19 subjects in new Indian MBBS curriculum will comprise the syllabus for NEXT-1 exam. Thus, all preclinical, paraclinical & clinical subjects taught from 1st to final years will contribute to questions in NEXT-1 exam.
Pattern of NEXT-1 exam: NEXT-1 will comprise of theory questions in the form of multiple choice questions (MCQs) with single correct answer. All 19 subjects in new MCI curriculum will be included in NEXT-1 exam syllabus. But subject-wise marks distribution will be drastically different than what it was in NEET-PG exam or MCI Screening exam (i.e. FMGE: Foreign Medical Graduate Examination). The clinical subjects will carry disproportionately more marks than pre- & para-clinical subjects.
How to start preparing for NEXT?
As per the draft published by NMC (National Medical Commission, N. Delhi), following would be the NEXT-1 question paper pattern:
| Day | Major subjects | Allied subjects | MCQs | Minor subjects | MCQs | Total MCQs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Medicine |
Dermatology, psychiatry, |
120 |
Pediatrics |
60 |
180 |
|
2 |
Surgery |
Orthopedics, anesthesia, |
120 |
ENT |
60 |
180 |
|
3 |
Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Radiology |
120 |
Opthalmology |
60 |
180 |
|
Total MCQs |
360 |
|
180 |
540 |
||
Among above 540 MCQs:
• 10% MCQs from each stream will be from basic applied sciences (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology & from Preventive & Social Medicine)
• 90% MCQs will be from Clinical Subjects.
Among above 540 MCQs:
• 60% will be problem solving
• 30% comprehension & analysis
• 10% recall
Watch the following video completely to prepare your mindset for NEXT exam pattern:
Attempts in NEXT exam: You will have to qualify NEXT exam (step 1 & 2 taken together) within 10 years from the date of your MBBS admission. Apart from this there are no restrictions on number of attempts of NEXT exam. This 10 years limit is only for the passing of NEXT exam. For PG entrance purposes you can attempt NEXT-1 exam unlimited times.
NEXT: Step – 2
NEXT-2 will be a practical exam conducted at the level of the university (not all-India level as NEXT-1). You will have to appear NEXT-2 exam after your internship. So you will have whole 1 year of internship to prepare for it. NEXT-2 exam will be a pass or fail exam. Unlike NEXT-1 exam, NEXT-2 will not carry any score or marks. Thus NEXT-2 exam will not contribute to PG seat allotment. It will be just a qualifying exam. So main challenge which you will be facing is NEXT-1 exam.
How to start preparing for NEXT?
