NEET PG 2024 or NExT? Confusion on exam leaves MBBS students in limbo

NEW DELHI: MBBS students are in limbo as there is no clarity on whether NEET PG 2024 exam will be held or National Exit Test (NExT) will replace the PG medical entrance exam. As per the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER), the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test - postgraduate (NEET PG 2024) exam date will fall in March.

On the other hand, the Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has recently constituted a seven-member committee to review preparedness of states and medical colleges to implement NExT exam for 2020 MBBS batch.

The National Medical Commission announced that the NExT exam 2024 will be held by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for students who are in the final year of MBBS. The commission earlier said that the NExT exam will also be considered for awarding eligibility certificates to practice medicine in India by graduates who completed the course abroad.

The NExT step 1 exam was scheduled to be held in February 2028 and step 2 in February 2029. However, the notification was withdrawn after protests and the exam has been postponed till further notice.

There were also reports on NExT exam is likely to be held in August 2025 for the final year MBBS students of the 2020 batch, as per the discussions between the health ministry and the NMC officials.

Also Read | NExT exam in February 2028 for students joining MBBS this year; NMC issues CBME regulations

Updates on NEET PG 2024 exam date and the government mulling over NExT exam implementation has caused confusion among the students. Moreover, the recent decision on reducing the NEET PG qualifying cut-off 2023 to zero for all categories has also made students, academics question the selection process and several calling it a “murder of merit”.

Amid the growing uncertainty, students have demanded the board to postpone the NEET PG 2024 exam date to April or on a later month.

Every year, 2,06,541 students appear in the NEET PG exam. Candidates who qualify the exam conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) participate in the NEET PG counselling 2023 conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to be granted admission in PG medical colleges.

Tagging health minister, an aspirant wrote on X: “I want to request you please don’t conduct the neet pg 2024 before march 2024 because we are student from West Bengal university and my internship was completed on may 2023 and we requires at least 10 months for preparation so its a kindly request jai hind.”

@mansukhmandviya sir
I want to request you please don’t conduct the neet pg 2024 before march 2024 because we are student from West Bengal university and my internship was completed on may 2023 and we requires at least 10 months for preparation so its a kindly request jai hind

— Sachin Tailor (@SachinT00342025) September 2, 2023

“Are you interested in conducting #NEETPG2024 ? Or like this year planning for zero percentile so not interested in declaring dates of #neetpg ? Do some work and declare the dates,” another aspirant posted on X.

@NMC_IND @NbeIndia @mansukhmandviya are you interested in conducting #NEETPG2024 ? Or like this year planning for zero percentile so not interested in declaring dates of #neetpg ? Do some work and declare the dates. #MedTwitter #NEETPG

— Dr Teerth Vashi (@DrTeerth_vashi) September 25, 2023