How FMGE is said to be ‘tougher’ than domestic MBBS exams
The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) has seen a sharp decline in pass rates, leading to student protests and concerns about the exam's difficulty and structure. Candidates report that the exam format has become increasingly unpredictable and disconnected from their medical training.
Why it matters
It reflects the systemic challenges faced by Indian students pursuing medical degrees abroad and the regulatory hurdles in returning to practice in India.
While thousands of Indian students head overseas annually for medical degrees, comprising a heavily monitored segment under the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), parliamentary disclosures indicate that centralised tracking of specific discipline-wise student outflows remains complex.
But for many, the journey culminates in a grueling, high-stakes afternoon inside an Indian examination hall. When the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) released the results for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) June 2026, the pass rate had plummeted sharply to just 12.4%, triggering nationwide discussions, student protests, and scrutiny over what is locking foreign medical graduates out of medical practice.
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