For those MBBS students who have done MBBS abroad and are ready to practice in India, the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination is a gateway. The National Board of Examinations (NBE) conducts this screening test to make sure foreign-trained doctors conform to the standards of the Indian health system.
Not only is the National Exit Test being deliberated for 2026, but many other changes are being considered as well. Read up here if you want to learn everything about FMGE 2025: eligibility, preparation, latest trends, and future outlook in the career.
The FMGE is a licensure examination conducted for Indian or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) medical graduates who are qualified from outside the country. Conducted twice a year in June and December, the exam is meant to ascertain whether the candidate is suitably qualified to practice medicine in India.
To pass, a minimum score of 150 has to be achieved out of 300. Only those who pass can register with the National Medical Commission (NMC) and get licensed.
The 2025 session became especially important, given the fact that the National Exit Test (NExT) might eventually replace FMGE. Therefore, if they pass out before 2026, FMGE will be serving the same purpose as now. Changes in the pattern or evaluation criteria, however, are possible. FMGE has become a highly difficult exam over all these years. This is reflected in the low pass percentage which shows the gaps in curriculum alignment and curriculum preparedness.
The only 10.61 percent pass percentage in 2022 in the NBE annual report, was out of more than 40,000 candidates. The fact that this has a low success rate shows just how important this preparation strategy is. The syllabus is the same as the one prescribed in India regarding the MBBS, especially for those students who studied in countries with different medical education systems and find it difficult to match up.
These are the reasons behind the fact that FMGE is a tough exam to crack.
Start early: If you are preparing for a company, start early while you are in your last year or while in your internship itself. You will have to study for at least 10–12 months consistently.
Follow the Indian MBBS curriculum: Indian books for the course and as per the same. Despite variations in teaching at your university, FMGE questions are formulated in the Indian way.
Practice and Review: Divide the review and practice into practice and solve the previous year's papers and online mock tests. This allows you to understand how questions are prepared and helps in time management.
Revise Many times: Do not think that one read-through is enough. Revisit the important topics as many times as possible and construct short notes for use only while revising last minute.
Practice with clinical knowledge: A lot of the questions are about practical application and not just rote memorization. Relatively novel to emphasize clinical subjects, for example, medicine, surgery, PSM, and OBGYN.
While all subjects are important, FMGE does particularly pay more attention to the core clinical and community medicine subjects. The usual stress is on medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, preventive and social medicine (PSM) and pathology. Pre clinical and para clinical subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Microbiology and its population are also to be missed up by the students of Homeo.
If you have to appear for FMGE 2025 then:
It depends upon your discipline to use the FMGE syllabus. A structured environment is provided along with expert guidance and access to test series is given by coaching. But If you are not alone with your money you can easily achieve it, and it is also cheap. Often you will get the best results with a hybrid approach where you follow coaching material but don’t speed.
Completely depending on what we had been taught abroad and not adapting to the syllabus in India.
According to the current guidelines, students graduating in other countries after 2026 will have to appear in NExT, too, as the common exit and licensing test for Indian graduates. However, students who will appear for FMGE 2025 would probably go according to the current pattern.
However, it becomes important to keep notifying yourself with the notifications of NMC or NBE.
FMGE 2025 is not an exam; it’s an entry into medical practice in India. The key is to learn the pattern, do so with discipline, and be prepared perfectly. As most of you would already know, the healthcare scenario in India is rapidly transforming and more importantly, foreign medical graduates are given more chances if they can surmount the hurdle in this article.
Ques 1: FMGE is still going to be valid in 2025 or it will be substituted for NExT?
Answer 1: FMGE is likely to remain until NExT is made fully operational. Despite this, FMGE is still the compulsory licensing exam for foreign medical graduates in 2025.
Ques 2: Can I give FMGE multiple times?
Answer 2: The number of attempts is not restricted. You can keep appearing until you pass.
Ques 3: How much score do you need to pass?
Answer 3: You must attain 150 or more (50%) of the 300 points.
Ques 4: Is an internship necessary for appearing in FMGE?
Answer 4: Yes, you can appear without an internship. After clearing FMGE, however, a compulsory one year internship in India is required to obtain a registration.
Ques 5: What documents are required for the FMGE application?
Answer 5: You need a passport, MBBS degree or provisional certificate, eligibility certificate (if applicable), and identity documents such as Aadhar card or OCI card
