Will NExT Exam Be Held in 2024? Here's What We Know So Far
The Union Health Ministry has raised concerns about a viral fake notification regarding the National Exit Test, which falsely claims that the examination will take place in the second half of 2023. Contrary to this misinformation, media reports indicate that the National Exit Test (NExT) is slated to replace the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG) in 2024. The NExT will serve as a comprehensive examination, replacing the final year MBBS examination and becoming the basis for seat allocation in postgraduate programs.
According to The Hindu, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences is likely to conduct the entrance examination, encompassing both clinical and practical aspects for the applicants. The Indian Express reports that teachers from various departments are currently working on formulating multiple-choice questions for the first edition of this entrance examination. The questions will cover diverse fields, including medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, ENT, and ophthalmology.
Additionally, the Health Ministry has added 50 new medical colleges to the national list, increasing the undergraduate medical seat count to one lakh. However, a media report states that recognition for 38 undergraduate medical colleges has been withheld, and 102 medical colleges have received show cause notices. To alleviate concerns, the Health Ministry assures that students will not face any adverse consequences due to the regulatory process initiated by the ministry.
A senior health ministry official shed light on the reasons behind the regulatory scrutiny faced by medical colleges. These reasons include staff shortages, insufficient number of doctors, limited availability of patients for student learning, non-compliance with biometric attendance systems, and the inability to implement the new monitoring system based on camera, biometrics, and health management. The official stated that unless colleges have significant deficiencies, they are likely to be recognized again for the current session. The actual numbers, the official added, may vary and will be determined based on appeals heard over the next two months.
This issue came to public attention when Stanley Medical College in Chennai, one of the oldest government medical schools in India, and a few other institutions from Tamil Nadu temporarily lost their recognition. However, the decision was promptly reversed, and these institutions were granted five-year recognition once again.
Meanwhile, over 20 lakh prospective medical students who appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2023 are preparing for the admissions process. They eagerly await the release of the NEET UG 2023 results by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Applicants are advised to visit the official websites, nta.ac.in and neet.nta.nic.in, to access their scorecards once the results are declared.