The Medical Council of India (MCI) until 2019 was a council/body which regulated the standards of medical education practices in India. All students who were pursuing MBBS ABROAD from MCI approved university were required to give a licensing (licentiate)exam called the FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATE EXAMINATION(FMGE). It was also called as MCI SCREENIG test or MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA SCREENING TEST.
It was a qualification criterion for students who did their MBBS ABROAD to practice in INDIA. The MCI SCREENING TEST began in 2002.
The MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA was dissolved and renamed as NATIONAL MEDICAL COMMISION (NMC) on 25/09/2020.

[expander_maker id=”1″ more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]The Aim of the National Medical Commission are to (i) improve access to quality and affordable medical education, (ii) ensure availability of adequate and high quality medical professionals in all parts of the country; (iii) promote equitable and universal healthcare that encourages community health perspective and makes services of medical professionals accessible to all the citizens; (iv) encourages medical professionals to adopt latest medical research in their work and to contribute to research; (v) objectively assess medical institutions  periodically in a transparent manner; (vi) maintain a medical register for India; (vi) enforce high ethical standards in all aspects of medical services; (vii) have an effective grievance redressal mechanism.

As per the NMC Bill 2019, NEXT or National Exit Test will be a common exit exam conducted to promote meritorious medical students to practice medicine in their respective fields or even pursue higher education. As part of being an exit exam, NEXT (NATIONAL EXIT TEST)will also be the common gateway to attain a licence to practice medicine across India.

The objective of the Centre is to combine both the MBBS exit exam and the MBBS licentiate exam into one common Exit Test. This will qualify the MBBS graduates to both practice medicine across India and pursue higher education.

NATIONAL EXIT TEST(NEXT) will have three things combined together. First it will determine the eligibility of MBBS student to do internship. Second it will decide the eligibility of student to practice in India. Third is most important which is deciding seat of MEDICAL PG depending on the score and ranking of the student in this exam.