MBBS Mercy Attempt: NMC Allows a Fifth Attempt

MBBS mercy attempt, the new NMC rule

NMC allows a fifth MBBS exam attempt

The National Medical Commission granted one extra attempt on 15 October 2026, over the prescribed four, for the First Professional MBBS examination. That makes five in all.

Who the MBBS mercy attempt covers

It applies to students admitted to the MBBS course from the academic year 2019-20 onwards. The admission must still be valid and must not have been cancelled by the college.

The four year limit does not block it

The extra attempt is available even where a student has crossed the prescribed four year period for completing the First Professional MBBS course. Crossing it is not a bar.

No sixth attempt if you already used one

Students who have already taken a mercy attempt, and so used five attempts, get nothing further under this decision. The notice says it does not create a sixth attempt.

The ten year MBBS deadline has not moved

The whole MBBS course, including the compulsory rotating medical internship, must finish within ten years of the admission date. The extra attempt does not extend that.

This is one time, not a new rule

The National Medical Commission calls it a one-time transitional relaxation for pending cases. It is not retrospective and is not a precedent for later MBBS batches.

Want more on MBBS rules and wellbeing

Our report on the National Medical Commission task force covers what it found about medical student wellbeing and what the Commission asked colleges to change.