AIIMS Delhi Likely to Conduct National Exit Test (NEXT) for MBBS Students

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi is likely to conduct the National Exit Test (NEXT) – a two-part exam that will act as a qualifying exam for granting registration to doctors as well as the basis for post-graduation admission-slated for later this year.

Teachers attached to various departments of AIIMS are currently working on developing multiple choice questions for the first part (or NExT 1) of the test, which will focus on clinical learning. According to sources, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has held meetings with AIIMS, though the final notification declaring the premier medical schools as the nodal agency for conducting the exam is still awaited.

The new two-part NExT will replace the existing final theory paper for MBBS students. The first part (or NExT 1) will replace the university level final examinations. NExT 1 will be the basis for provisional registration with the Medical Council, which is required for a compulsory internship of one year. The exam will be a multiple choice paper with questions from Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, ENT and Ophthalmology.

 “The National Exit Test exam will be oriented towards judging the clinical skills of the students; this is to solve the problem of students studying for NEET-PG skipping classes. Due to this, attendance in final year courses in many institutions is very low. But the NEXT pattern will ensure that students will not be able to answer if they do not have practical knowledge gained from attending classes,” said a health ministry official to media houses.

The exit test to evaluate the skill levels of doctors across the country on the same standard was proposed under the National Medical Commission Act 2019. The exam pattern may be different, but the questions will be based on the same course as the final MBBS exams.

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