Jubilee Post News & Views
Ashok Kumar
The National Medical Commission (NMC) introduced the NExT examination in Medical Education from 2024.The decision to introduce the NExT examination was taken by the NMC.
The NMC is the statutory body that regulates medical education and practice in India. The NExT examination is a key part of the NMC’s reform agenda, which aims to improve the quality of medical education in India.
The NExT examination was first proposed in the NMC’s draft regulations, which were released in 2018. The draft regulations were finalized in 2019, and the NExT examination was scheduled to be held for the first time in May 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NMC to postpone the introduction of the NExT examination. The NExT examination is now scheduled to be held for the first time in May 2024.
The National Exit Test (NExT) is a medical licensure exam in India that will be conducted by the National Medical Commission (NMC). It is a single-window exam that will replace the NEET-PG and FMGE exams.
The NExT will be a two-step exam
Step 1: This will be a theory-based exam that will assess the conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills of final year MBBS students.
Step 2: This will be a practical exam that will assess the clinical skills of final year MBBS students.
The NEXT exam will be conducted in a computer-based mode and will be held in two sessions: morning and afternoon. The duration of the exam will be 6 hours for Step 1 and 4 hours for Step 2.
The eligibility criteria for the NEXT exam include
• MBBS students from all Indian medical colleges approved by the NMC.
• Foreign medical graduates who have passed the FMGE exam.
• Other medical degree holders who have been granted provisional registration by the NMC.
The syllabus for the NEXT exam will be based on the National Medical Commission (NMC) curriculum for MBBS. The exam will cover a wide range of topics, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, and clinical medicine.
The NExT exam is a significant step towards improving the quality of medical education in India. The exam will help to ensure that all MBBS graduates have the knowledge and skills necessary to practice medicine safely and effectively.
Here are some of the objectives of the NExT exam
• To standardize the medical education in India.
• To assess the conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills of final year MBBS students.
• To assess the clinical skills of final year MBBS students.
• To provide a single gateway to attain a license to practice medicine across India.
• To replace the NEET PG and FMGE exams.
The NExT exam is a challenging but important exam. It is a requirement for all MBBS graduates who want to practice medicine in India. By passing the NExT exam, MBBS graduates will demonstrate their knowledge and skills and will be able to contribute to the improvement of health care in India.
The introduction of the NExT examination could potentially lead to an increase in the coaching industry. This is because the exam is a single-window exam, which means that students will need to prepare for it in order to be eligible to practice medicine in India.
The coaching industry could benefit from this in a number of ways. First, coaching institutes could charge students more for their services, as the NExT exam is a more difficult exam than the NEET-PG or FMGE exams. Second, coaching institutes could offer more specialized courses that focus on the specific areas of the NExT exam. This could lead to more students enrolling in coaching institutes, as they would be more likely to pass the exam with the help of specialized coaching.
However, there are also some potential drawbacks to this. First, if students focus too much on preparing for the NExT exam, they may not attend their regular courses as regularly. This could lead to them falling behind in their studies and not being as prepared for the exam as they could be. Second, if the coaching industry becomes too commercialized, it could lead to students being taken advantage of.
Coaching institutes could charge exorbitant fees for their services, and they could also provide students with false promises about their chances of passing the exam.
Overall, the introduction of the NExT examination could have a positive or negative impact on the coaching industry. It is important to monitor the situation closely to ensure that students are not being taken advantage of, and that they are still receiving a quality education.
Here are some of the ways to mitigate the negative impacts of the NExT examination on the coaching industry:
• The government could regulate the coaching industry .
• The government could work with medical colleges to ensure that students are still receiving a quality education, even if they are spending more time preparing for the NExT examination.
It is important to note that these are just some of the potential impacts of the NExT examination on the coaching industry.
The actual impact on NExT will depend on a number of factors, including the way the exam is conducted and scored. The NExT will help to ensure that all medical graduates in India have the requisite knowledge and skills to practice medicine safely and effectively.
(Former Vice Chancellor Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Vedic , Nirwan Universities)
