Everything You Need to Know About NExT

You can now put an end to all the doubts and confusions that were there in your mind related to the much talked about NExT (National Exit Test) 

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released the draft regulations for implementing NExT for admissions to postgraduate medical programmes and obtaining a license to practice Medicine in India. 

As per the proposed draft regulations of NMC, the objective of these regulations is to bring in uniformity in the summative evaluation across the country with reference to the minimum common standards of education and training of a medical graduate. 

NExT will replace all the existing medical entrance examinations like NEET-PG, INI-CET (AIIMS, PGI, JIPMER, NIMHANS) and FMGE. 

 

New Exam, New Pattern

The NExT will comprise two separate exams, which will be called “Steps”

NExT Step 1 Details

NExT Step 1 will be a theoretical examination which will have one or more than one type of multiple choice questions. The exam will be a computer-based test (Online Mode). This will be a centralized common All India Examination conducted by an authority/body formed by the commission for this purpose. 

The examination shall consist of six papers covering subjects of III MBBS /Final MBBS, both Part 1 and Part 2:

1. Medicine and allied disciplines 

2. Surgery and allied disciplines 

3. Obstetrics and Gynaecology 

4. Pediatrics

5. Otorhinolaryngology 

6. Ophthalmology

• Applied aspects of all subjects covered under I MBBS and II MBBS 
• Applied aspects of all subjects covered under III MBBS /Final MBBS Part l

Important Points

• All those students who have completed the III MBBS /Final MBBS course from a medical college recognized by the Commission shall be eligible to appear in the examination.

• There shall be regular NExT Step 1 Examinations held once a year prior to the University Practical Examination for the III MBBS (Part2)/Final MBBS preceding Compulsory Rotating Internship.

• A NExT Step 1 Supplementary Examination shall be held once a year and is restricted to only those candidates who have failed in one or more of the six papers and are required to repeat those particular papers /subjects.

• Those who do not pass both the NExT Step 1 Regular and the Supplementary Examination of a particular year shall be able to appear for the NExT Step 1 Regular Examination only in the following year.

• There is no restriction to the number of attempts to appear in NExT Step 1 provided the candidate has passed both NExT Step 1 and NExT Step 2 Examination within 10 years of joining the MBBS Course.

• There is no restriction to the number of attempts to appear in the NExT Step 1 Regular Examination to improve scores provided these examinations for improvement of scores are taken at least after one year of completion of NExT .Step 2 

• The NExT Step 1 shall replace the conventional university/institutional Theory Examinations of III MBBS/Final MBBS Part II. III MBBS /Final MBBS Part 1 and III MBBS/ Final MBBS Part II Practical/ clinical examinations shall continue to be held conventionally unless otherwise notified by the Commission.

NExT Step 2 Details

Unlike Step 1, NExT Step 2 will be a Practical/Clinical and Viva Voce examination. It will cover the below-mentioned seven subjects/disciplines:

1. Medicine and allied disciplines 

2. Surgery and allied disciplines 

3. Obstetrics and Gynaecology 

4. Paediatrics 

5. Otorhinolaryngology 

6. Ophthalmology 

7. Orthopaedics and PMR (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

Important Points

• The examination shall be Objective Structured, Clinical Case Based, Simulated Cases/Patients aimed at evaluating Practical /Clinical skills, clinical decision-making and communication skills expected of an Indian Medical Graduate.

• The examination shall be held in person /live and shall be conducted by the respective state Health Universities / Institutions following the standards and guidelines provided by the Commission. Where state Health Universities do not exist the Commission shall decide on the University/ Institution authorized to conduct NExT Step 2 for respective colleges. 

• There shall be a Regular NExT Step 2 Examination once a year.

• A NExT Step 2 Supplementary Examination shall be held once a year and is restricted to only those candidates who have failed in one or more (upto 3 Subjects) of the seven subjects and are required to repeat particular subjects. 

• Those who do not pass both the NExT Step 2 Regular and the Supplementary Examination of a particular year shall be able to appear for the NExT Step 2 Regular Examination only in the following year.

• There is no restriction to the number of attempts to appear in NExT Step 2 provided the candidate has passed both NExT Step 1 and NExT Step 2 Examination within 10 years of joining the MBBS Course.

Division and Types of Questions in NExT

The NExT MCQs of all subjects shall be distributed approximately as follow:

Problem-solving and analytical skill types	65% clinical vignettes 15/ hr of exam
Comprehension type	25%
Recall type	10%

However, you can expect variations in the distribution.

The level of Knowledge related to the acquisition of competencies shall be approximately:

Must Know	60%
Nice to Know	30%
May Know	10%

Watch Dr. Deepak Marwah discussing about the NExT and share his thoughts on the same:

https://youtu.be/-MzYEtVqX6Q

Papers and Distribution of Subjects

The NExT Step 1 examination will have six subject papers with respective weightage in items and time allocation.

Applied aspects of all other subjects of MBBS including Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (FMT) and Community Medicine will be mainstreamed into the relevant clinical subjects. In each paper, 10% of items will pertain to applied aspects of Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Forensic Medicine relevant to the subjects evaluated

In each paper, 10% of items will pertain to applied aspects of Public health / Community Medicine relevant to the subjects evaluated.

Sr.No	Subjects	No. of Items	Duration
1	Medicine & allied subjects	120 Items	3 Hours
2	Surgery & allied subjects	120 Items	3 Hours
3	Obstetrics & Gynaecology	120 Items	3 Hours
4	Pediatrics	60 Items	1.5 Hours
5	Otorhinolaryngology	60 Items	1.5 Hours
6	Ophthalmology	60 Items	1.5 Hours

NExT Scores

The marks in NExT Step 1 shall be calculated as the whole number which shall serve as the Raw Scores with appropriate decimals and subsequently, corresponding Percentages with appropriate decimals may be calculated if required

NExT 2 Examinations results shall be declared as only Pass / Fail based on the acquisition of appropriate competence that is being evaluated

Minimum Scores for Passing 

The minimum marks for passing shall be 50% OR half of the maximum possible Raw for NExT Step 1 

For the NExT Step 1, in each of the six papers, a minimum of 50% OR half of the maximum possible Raw Scores r should be scored to pass the examination

The criteria for passing NExT Step 2 shall be a satisfactory demonstration of having acquired the competencies that are evaluated that shall be declared as a Pass /Fail result

NExT Exam Schedule

The exam schedule will look like the following as per the draft regulations:

Sr. No	Event	Date of Exam/Commencement	Date of Result/Completion
1.	NExT Step I Regular	2nd Week Dec	2nd Week Jan
2.	NExT Step Supplementary
3.	III MBBS /FINAL MBBS PART 2 Practical / Clinical University Examination	1st Week Jan	4th Week Jan
4.	Internship	1st Feb	28 Feb (following year)
5.	NExT Step 2 Regular	2nd Week Mar	I st Week Apr
6.	NExT Step 2 Supplementary
7.	Post Graduate Admission	May-Jun	30th Jun
8.	Postgraduate Course	1st Jul

Be it NExT or any other Medical exam, we along with our Dream Team NExT edition, are ever ready to walk by your side to smoothen your preparation journey. Because we want you to Own Your Dream! 

Frequently Asked Questions for NExT Exam 

What is the NExT exam after MBBS and who has to attempt this?  

NExT or National Exit Exam is an exit cum licensing exam for all MBBS students in India. Moving forward, all medical graduates will be required to pass this exam to complete their MBBS degree and obtain a license in order to practice medicine independently. In addition to that, all admissions to postgraduate courses will be based on the merit list from the NExT exam. 

How is NExT different from NEET PG? 

NExT (National Exit Test) is a standardized exit cum licensing exam for MBBS students and it will be replacing the NEET-PG exam. NEET-PG is a national level exam that is currently used to determine eligibility for admission to postgraduate medical courses in India, such as the MD (Doctor of Medicine) and MS (Master of Surgery) programs. The format of the NExT exam is also broader as it will be thoroughly testing your clinical skills.

Is NExT exam MCQs based?

NExT exam will be conducted in two parts - Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 exam will be computer based exam featuring multiple choice questions while in Part 2 students will have to give a practical/clinical and viva voce examination.  

What will happen if you fail the NExT exam ?

Upon failing the NExT exam, a candidate will not be able to pursue his/her internship or complete his MBBS degree. However, candidates are eligible to attempt the exam again next year. 

What is the number of NExT PG attempts allowed if we didn't get our desired branch in the first attempt?

There is no restriction on the number of attempts for NExT step 2. However, a candidate must pass the NExT Step 1 and Step examination within 10 years of joining the MBBS course. 

 

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