If you are an aspiring doctor planning to study medicine abroad from India, you are likely aware of FMGE — the credentialing process you will have to complete to practice medicine in India after earning your medical degree abroad. Questions surrounding FMGE tend to be just as common as those surrounding medical destination preferences. For example, how many times in a year is the FMGE held?
The simple answer is, there are two exam sessions in a year. But there are multiple factors you must consider, such as deadlines, the eligibility criteria, the FMGE exam sessions cutoffs, and especially the FMGE's upcoming format change to a brand new licensing exam. Prospective foreign medical students are advised to stay informed on these factors well ahead of time. The objective of this article is to provide clear and concise information in this regard.
What Exactly Is The FMGE?
The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination for Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) and Indian nationals is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) as a screening licensure examination.
Passing the FMGE is a prerequisite to obtain a provisional or permanent registration with either the National Medical Commission (NMC) or the respective State Medical Council. Foreign medical graduates are prohibited by law from practicing or offering medical services in India or engaging in doctoral studies in this country even if the foreign university is of high repute.
The FMGE is a screening test and not a competitive exam. There is no ranking of candidates. There is simply an assessment of whether the graduate has acquired the minimum essential clinical knowledge of the Indian doctor.
How Many Times FMGE is Conducted in a Year?
FMGE is conducted two times a year. There is one exam in the first half of the year and another in the second half. Therefore, a foreign medical graduate has two chances in a year to sit for the exam.
In the year of 2026, the two sessions were:
- January 2026 session— FMGE January session was conducted on 17th January 2026 and the results were declared in roughly 30 days.
- June 2026 session— FMGE June session was conducted on 28th June 2026 and the results were published in early July 2026, which was prior to the scheduled date.
If a candidate is unsuccessful in one session, he or she has the option of attempting the next session. There is no limit on attempts.
FMGE Exam Pattern: Structure
- Knowing the structure of the FMGE helps you to plan out a realistic preparation timeline. The FMGE has the following structure:
- Total Questions: 300 multiple-choice questions
- Total Marks: 300 (1 mark awarded per correct answer)
- Negative Marking: None — incorrect answers and unattempted questions will simply score a zero
- Papers: 2 papers of 150 questions, usually conducted on the same day in a morning and an afternoon session
- Total Duration: 2.5 hours per paper
- Passing Marks: 150 out of 300 (50%), a universal passing criterion across all categories
- FMGE is a fully computer-based test (CBT), conducted in the English language, across several major Indian cities
- Syllabus: All 19 MBBS subjects, divided into pre-clinical, para-clinical, and clinical subjects, with more weightage to clinical subjects like Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Since there is no negative marking, the favored strategy is to attempt all questions, rather than leave questions unanswered
Who is Required to Appear for the FMGE?
All Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) who have obtained their MBBS degree from a country other than India are required to clear the FMGE before they are eligible to register to practice in India. The only exception is graduates from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, who are exempt from the FMGE due to mutual recognition agreements, but are still required to complete the NMC registration process.
The FMGE remains mandatory for students in most other study destinations, including Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, and Kazakhstan. This highlights the importance of choosing a well-accredited university for students from the very beginning. While researching MBBS in Kazakhstan for Indian students, ensure that the university is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS), an internationally maintained database of medical schools. The NMC references this list when providing eligibility certificates for foreign medical graduates and when registering them for practice in India.
General Eligibility Criteria for FMGE
To be eligible to apply for both FMGE sessions, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Citizenship: Indian citizens or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)
- NEET-UG qualification: NEET-UG qualification is mandatory for all applicants who attended the foreign medical course after May 2018. Therefore, applicants who participated in the foreign medical course after May 2018 must appear for the NEET-UG exam conducted by the National Testing Agency.
- Primary medical qualification: The candidate must possess a medical degree, which is recognized as equivalent to the Indian MBBS, confirmed by the concerned Indian Embassy in the candidate's country of study.
- Course duration: In accordance with the NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations (2021) the course duration should be a minimum of 54 months (4.5 years) of full-time studies followed by a mandatory internship of 12 months at the same institution.
- Result declaration: Candidates' final university results must be officially declared before the cut-off date set by NBEMS for that particular session.
- Eligibility certificate: Candidates must possess an NMC Eligibility Certificate, especially for candidates who commenced their training before the change of certain regulations.
Step-by-Step: How to Apply for FMGE
Step 1: Register as a new user at the NBEMS FMGE website.
Step 2: Log in and give your personal information and educational and professional details.
Step 3: Upload the photograph, signature, Degree Certificate, and Eligibility Certificate (if applicable) as scanned documents.
Step 4: Make the payment for the application fee. This fee is non-refundable.
Step 5: Carefully review the application. Very few edits to the application will be allowed through a separate edit window.
Step 6: Print the confirmation page.
Step 7: Download the admit card once it has been released and is available.
Step 8: Arrive at the exam center with a valid government-issued ID. Biometric verification will be done at the exam center.
The FMGE application window opens a few times a year, and fees and application windows are subject to change. You should always refer to the current, official NBEMS FMGE bulletin for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
FMGE and NExT
Current and prospective MBBS students from India should pay attention to the National Exit Test (NExT). This test is a part of the NMC guidelines. In the future, NExT will completely replace the FMGE for foreign students and the NEET-PG for Indian students. NExT will establish a common licensing and postgraduate entrance examination for Indian and foreign medical graduates.
However, by mid-2026, there is no designated start date for these foreign medical graduates, and the FMGE continues to be conducted as before twice a year with no changes. Students who are currently studying abroad or who plan to study abroad are advised to continue studying with the FMGE syllabus and are encouraged to keep checking any official announcements from the NMC concerning the activation of the NExT for their batch.
Since these changes can have a direct effect on your licensing for many years, it is a good idea to look at the National Medical Commission website regularly for updates, rather than relying only on consultants or older blogs for information.
Why This is Important When Choosing a Country to Obtain Your MBBS
The FMGE is not a reason to not go outside of India to study your MBBS; there are thousands of doctors who have qualified from foreign institutes and are practising in India and FMGE qualifies. However, it does make selecting your university more important. Having a good university that complies with NMC and has a syllabus that is FMGE similar, along with universities that have good clinical exposure and are WDOMS compliant, will have a positive impact on how you are prepared for the FMGE exam.
This explains the rise in popularity of MBBS in Kazakhstan 2026 Intakes. Their Universities are inspired by European Clinical training methods and have structured Hospital postings. Their curriculum has a decent level of alignment with FMGE while also having a student friendly fee structure, and a full English medium system. NEET qualified students looking for good medical education options and can't afford the expensive options have a better choice with MBBS in Kazakhstan.
Look beyond the marketing brochures. Before you choose, make sure the course structure, clinical internship, and hospital collaborations are aligned with the NMC rules. There are a lot of good resources available that show you study MBBS in Kazakhstan like side by side comparisons of all Universities. Use them to avoid the investment of time, money and effort into an option that you regret later.
A Brief Overview of FMGE: Schedule and Numbers
- Held two times a year, generally in January and June.
- Placed in sets of 300 MCQs and 300 marks with a passing mark of 150 (50%).
- There is no negative marking and no limits on attempts.
- There is no equivalent alternative assessment for foreign medical graduates from the US and the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
- Graduates must qualify through NEET-UG with the NExT replacing FMGE for foreign graduates sometime in the near future.
Conclusion
The FMGE exam is scheduled biannually, which can help you develop a concrete plan for your final year of MBBS and your time in India. Rather than viewing the exam as an obstacle you still need to clear, you should start covering the syllabus during your clinical years abroad as there is a large amount of overlap with what you study everyday, and early preparation is key.
The university and country you choose for your studies will define the ease with which you can complete the last step of your medical career. Ensure that the institution you choose has FMGE ready graduates, English medium instruction, and that they are listed with NMC and WDOMS.
