NExT Deferred, FMGE Continues

NExT deferred, and FMGE still decides licensing

The regulations exist, the exam does not

The National Exit Test Regulations 2023 sit on the NMC regulations index with no implementation date, no amendment and no exam notice attached to them.

NMC's own draft still says FMGE, in August 2026

The draft registration amendment regulations, published in the gazette on 11 August 2026, still read FMGE or until the National Exit Test comes into force.

The October bulletin does not mention NExT

The FMGE October 2026 information bulletin grounds the exam in the Screening Test Regulations 2002 and makes no reference to the National Exit Test anywhere in it.

No date has ever been notified

No NMC notice, regulation or exam notice sets a date for NExT. It was deferred in July 2023 on the health ministry's advice and has not been scheduled since.

FMGE has run three times this year

NBEMS held FMGE in January and June 2026 and has scheduled a third sitting for 31 October 2026. The National Exit Test has not been held once.

What this means if you hear otherwise

Any claim that NExT replaces FMGE this year does not match the documents. The exam that decides licensing for a foreign medical graduate today is still FMGE.

Want to know more about FMGE and what it takes?

Our guide has covered it all.