FMGE Exam for Foreign Medical Graduates

The FMGE exam is the gate back to India after MBBS abroad. Eligibility, exam pattern, passing marks, attempts, the planned switch to NExT and a preparation plan that starts in your first year.

Ask any Indian student abroad what worries them most, and the answer is the same four letters: FMGE. The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination is the screening test every Indian citizen with a medical degree from abroad has to clear before registration in India. It has a tough reputation. But most of that reputation comes from students who started preparing after graduation. If you start in your first year, the picture changes completely.

FMGE in one paragraph: computer-based test, held twice a year in June and December by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, 300 multiple-choice questions in two parts of 150 minutes each, no negative marking, pass mark 150 out of 300.

Who has to take the FMGE exam?

Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India who hold a primary medical qualification from a university outside India and want to practise in India. You need your degree, proof that the course met the NMC rules for foreign medical graduates and your NEET qualification from before you started. The rules are explained in NMC rules for MBBS abroad.

FMGE exam pattern and syllabus

Part	Subjects	Questions
Pre-clinical and para-clinical	Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, forensic medicine	100
Clinical	Medicine and allied subjects, surgery and allied subjects, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, community medicine, ENT, ophthalmology	200

The syllabus follows the Indian MBBS curriculum. Two thirds of the marks come from the clinical subjects, with medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology and community medicine carrying the most weight.

FMGE passing marks and attempts

You pass with 150 of 300 marks. There is no ranking and no cut-off that moves from session to session: 150 is a pass, 149 is not. If you do not clear the FMGE exam, you can sit it again in the next session. Many candidates need more than one attempt, which is exactly why preparation during your studies matters so much.

From FMGE to NExT

The National Exit Test (NExT) is planned as one common exam for all medical graduates, from Indian colleges and from abroad. Once it is introduced, it will replace the FMGE exam and serve as licensing exam and as the basis for postgraduate admission. Until then FMGE continues. For you as a student abroad this changes little: both exams test the Indian MBBS syllabus with a strong clinical focus.

How to prepare for FMGE during MBBS abroad

Years 1 and 2: study anatomy, physiology and biochemistry with Indian standard textbooks alongside your university material
Years 3 and 4: add pathology, pharmacology and microbiology and solve multiple-choice questions every week
Years 5 and 6: focus on medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology and community medicine, and start full mock tests
Use your semester breaks in India for a short revision course if you need structure
Book your first attempt for the session directly after your degree is issued

Our students get a study plan for their licensing exam from the first semester, together with tutoring and e-learning for their university exams.

After FMGE: internship and registration

With the pass certificate you apply for provisional registration and complete the 12-month Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship in India. After that you receive permanent registration with your State Medical Council and can work as a doctor or continue with postgraduate training. Your options are compared in PG after MBBS abroad.

FAQ: FMGE exam

How many times a year is the FMGE exam held?

Twice a year, in June and in December.

What are the FMGE passing marks?

150 out of 300. There is no negative marking.

Is FMGE harder than NEET PG?

FMGE is a pass or fail exam with a fixed mark of 50%. NEET PG is a ranking exam in which you compete for seats. The syllabus overlaps to a large extent.

Will NExT replace FMGE?

That is the plan. Until NExT is introduced, foreign medical graduates continue to take FMGE.