‘Mockery of medical education’: Students, doctors call out NMC for NExT mock test fee

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) is getting flak from the National Exit Test (NExT) exam aspirants as it announced Rs 2,000 registration fee for the mock test in an official notification issued on June 28. Students and doctors called the fee a “mockery of medical education” and NMC’s way of “making money”. NExT will replace the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) PG exam.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi has commenced the registration for NExT mock test. The last date to apply is July 10. The test to practice for the new PG entrance exam will be conducted on July 28 in two shifts. According to the official schedule, candidates belonging to general and OBC categories will have to pay Rs 2,000 while Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories will have to pay Rs 1,000.

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Aspirants took to Twitter and argued that a mock test for any exam should be free. Some MBBS students accused NMC of “filling its treasury” by charging Rs 2,000 for a mock test while others asked why the fee is less, Rs 1,000, for other category students.

A doctor called the NExT exam for MBBS a waste of time and money and said in a tweet, “Why taking money from students on the name of mock test ? This exam is another way to earn money ? Am a sure that like #NEETPG & #NEETUG we will see big scams in this upcoming next exam.This exam is just Waste of money,time & mental peace of students.”

Why taking money from students on the name of mock test ? This exam is another way to earn money ? Am a sure that like #NEETPG & #NEETUG we will see big scams in this upcoming next exam.This exam is just Waste of money,time & mental peace of students#NEXTExam #MedTwitter #MBBS pic.twitter.com/ACKRomJOyy

— Dr Vivek pandey (@Vivekpandey21) June 28, 2023

Another doctor stated that mock test should be free. He wrote in a tweet, “Mock test should be free and it should be allowed from home only. Why charging just for appearing in a mock test?”

Mock test should be free and it should be allowed from home only. Why charging just for appearing in a mock test??? #NMC #MedTwitter #NEXT #NEXTEXAM

— Dinesh Yadav (@dineshyadav_084) June 29, 2023

An MBBS student tweeted, “Rs 2000 charges for just a MOCK test which should be free... Then they may charge 5k-10k for NEXT exam Seems like NMC_IND first want to fill their treasury with money.”

#NEXTEXAM #NMC
Rs 2000 charges for just a MOCK test which should be free...
Then they may charge 5k-10k for NEXT exam
Seems like @NMC_IND first want to fill their treasury with money ?

— Pushpender yadav ?? (@wlcmtopushcity) June 29, 2023

Regarding the difference in fee for different categories, a Twitter user asked, “why should I pay 2000 bucks? And not my fellow batchmates who are born SC/ST but are prolly richer than me? How does being born in a different caste makes you equivalent to be economically weaker? How is this fair?”

@NMC_IND why should I pay 2000 bucks??? And not my fellow batchmates who are born SC/ST but are prolly richer than me? How does being born in a different caste makes you equivalent to be economically weaker????
How is this fair?? #next #nextexam

— .. (@notyourregdoc) June 28, 2023

“It seems govt is trying to recover 15lac from final year medicos. Or the money people looted from nation and flew away. Or the loan they took from world bank ? Rs.2000 just for mock (mockery) test,” another MBBS argued.

It seems govt is trying to recover 15lac from final year medicos
Or the money people looted from nation and flew away
Or the loan they took from world bank ?
Rs.2000 just for mock (mockery) test#nmc #NEXTEXAM #mbbs #batch2019

— Snehasish (@DrSnehasish) June 28, 2023

“Charging ₹2000 for a mock test for which students don't even signed up is a huge mockery of medical education in india. It's just like adding wind to the full blown fire. We don't expect such stupidity,” another Twitter user said.

Charging ₹2000 for a mock test for which students don't even signed up is a huge mockery of medical education in india. It's just like adding wind to the full blown fire. We don't expect such stupidity @NMC_IND @MoHFW_INDIA #NEXTEXAM #neetpg

— Ujjwal Shandilya (@iamujjwall) June 28, 2023