The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) recently announced that it will maintain the current qualifying standards for the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE). This exam is essential for Indian citizens who earn medical degrees abroad and want to practice in India.
The announcement follows ongoing protests from foreign medical graduates about the FMGE held in June 2026. Many candidates claimed that the exam was particularly challenging, with video-based questions introduced unexpectedly and complaints regarding conditions at examination centers.
In response to these concerns, the NBEMS has created a three-member expert panel chaired by Air Marshal (Dr) Pawan Kapoor (Retd). This panel has been tasked with addressing candidate grievances and reviewing the June examination. One major recommendation is to explore the possibility of conducting the FMGE three times a year, instead of the current twice yearly schedule.
The expert panel also suggested reviewing the exam fees, enhancing the facilities at testing centers, and granting candidates access to their recorded answers, with some necessary safeguards in place. However, the panel did not recommend providing any grace marks or compensatory marks for the June exam, as there was no significant evidence showing that the video-based questions or the overall difficulty had negatively influenced the results.
To balance the difficulty level of questions, the panel proposed that future exams should consist of 30% easy questions, 50% moderate questions, and 20% difficult ones, aiming for an average difficulty not exceeding 5.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
An official from the NBEMS stated that while they are open to addressing legitimate concerns of foreign medical graduates, they will not lower the competency standards needed to practice medicine in India. The official noted that in June 2026, only 35.74% of first-time candidates passed the FMGE, compared to just 3.29% of those attempting it for the fifth time or more. In December 2025, first-time pass rates were higher at 47.53%.
Candidates highlighted that just 12.38% of the 37,448 test-takers passed the June FMGE. However, NBEMS officials said these success rates based on the number of attempts illustrate that the overall pass percentage alone doesn’t reflect the fairness of the exam for all candidates.
According to the official, the main goal is to ensure that the exam is both fair and transparent while also maintaining the necessary skills for patient safety. There have been concerns among students regarding the influence of overseas medical consultancies in these protests, raising suspicion that these entities might want to keep students in overseas medical education.
It’s important to remember that the FMGE is a screening test for graduates from foreign medical schools, not a competitive entrance exam. The NBEMS emphasizes that maintaining a minimum qualifying standard is crucial for doctors who must be able to handle critical medical situations effectively.
