NBEMS to conduct additional FMGE exam by October 2026

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences will conduct an additional FMGE by October 2026 following protests by foreign medical graduates over the June exam. NBEMS also announced reforms covering question difficulty, fees and transparency in results.

Hyderabad: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), in a recent announcement, said that it will conduct an additional Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) by the end of October 2026.

The decision to conduct the FMGE test for MBBS students who have pursued medicine in foreign universities comes in the wake of over a week of intense protests and demonstrations by foreign medical graduates, who raised concerns regarding the low pass percentage and paper pattern of the June 2026 session.

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The introduction of the third examination cycle for the year aims to provide eligible candidates with yet another opportunity to clear the mandatory screening test, sparing them a prolonged wait for the next regular schedule.

Alongside scheduling the additional October test, NBEMS has rolled out several structural reforms. These include rationalising future question paper difficulty levels, distributing questions across 30 percent low, 50 percent moderate, and 20 percent difficult tiers, reducing future examination fees, and enhancing transparency by providing detailed candidate response sheets containing question IDs and correct answers.

However, an expert panel constituted by the board ruled out any retroactive alteration or compensation for the June 2026 results. The expert panel maintained that the established qualifying benchmark remains vital to ensuring baseline clinical competency for medical practice in India.

Detailed guidelines regarding eligibility, registration deadlines, and test centre cities for the October examination are expected to be released shortly on the official NBEMS website, NBEMS authorities said.