NEXT Exam : Details and How should I start preparation for NEXT exam / NEXT Exam FAQs

What is the NEXT Exam?

NEXT Exam or National Exit Test is basically the substitute PG entrance exams like NEET PG, AIIMS PG. This exam also replaces the FMGE Exam i.e. Foreign Medical Graduates Examination, and its mandatory for every medical undergraduate student in India to pass that exam to get started with their Internship.

This exam will be under the regulation of NMC i.e. National Medical Council as per the NMC Bill 2019. This exam will work as a common exit exam for all undergraduates to get graduated as doctors. The pattern of the NEXT exam will be very different from the conventional NEET PG exam.

NEXT Exam Pattern

• NEXT exam will be conducted in 2 parts i.e. NEXT 1 and NEXT 2.
• NEXT 1 exam will be conducted at the end of the final year MBBS, MCQ based exam required to get into the internship, replacing the NEET PG exam that held after internship.
• The score of the NEXT 1 exam will decide your rank for PG entrance.
• The NEXT 1 exam will be 3 days long, having a slot of 2 hours pre-lunch session and a slot of 1-hour post-lunch session for 3 consecutive days.

 Day wise division of subjects will be as follow:-

Number of questions

Total Questions = 540

Marks Distribution will as:-

• NEXT 2 exams will be more likely to be a practical examination where your clinical skills will be tested.
• NEXT 2 exams will be conducted after your internship and its mandatory to get the degree and get the seat in PG if you have a good score in NEXT 1.

Quick through the executing process of the exam will look like that:-

Major Challenge

1. 3 days exam, huge mental pressure, and stress.
2. High-stakes exam, if unable to pass then no internship.
3. No status of supplementary exam yet.
4. The major focus is on clinical.
5. The biggest challenge is that the exam will be before the internship, which means no 1 additional year to prepare as students usually get in an internship for NEET PG.

Note: - The above scheme is proposed right now it’s not officially documented.

How to prepare for the NEXT exam?

So, this is going to be implemented (proposed) from the MBBS batch 2017 i.e. the for the very first time NEXT will in 2022, and right now the students who are in their 3rd year MBBS will face the exam for the very first time, and so do the 2nd year students will face the exam second time.

I am going to tell two different strategies, one will be for 2nd-year MBBS students and the others will be for 3rd-year students. There are 2 different strategies because the syllabus and marks distribution of the exam are not uniform we have got 3rd-year subjects essentially very important carrying the weightage of 60 questions each subject even the PSM will have the weightage of 60 questions but in the associated form with other subjects.

For 2nd year Students 

First thing first, for 2nd-year students the best approach for the preparation of the exam would be that you guys should complete your 2nd-year para-clinical subjects first along with their MCQs. After completing the 2nd year subjects start reading your 1st year subjects and get a good grasp on them and make strong concepts. This will help you at the end of your preparation and that method will save a lot of time of yours which you can utilize for solving additional MCQs and reading the subjects of the final year.

For 3rd year Students

For 3rd year students, you guys have to complete your 3rd-year subjects first with their associated physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, pathology, and microbiology and also other associated content with those subjects. You can’t afford to leave any of them and it would be better if you complete the subjects as you are having your exam, not in a year or more but as you are having it in the next 3 months it will help you to build a positive pressure and can help you to increase your efficiency. Close the 3rd year subjects completely and don’t leave them for preparation in the final year, believe me, it will be very hard to do it there the only thing that could be done in the final year is the revision of 3rd year subjects and revision of basic sciences as well.

You can check out this article How to revise Efficiently?  This article will help you to make a good revision schedule and help you to make a revision strategy suitable for you. 

FAQs related to NEXT Exam

1.) Will next be implemented on time?

Maybe maybe not, but in my point of view, I will prepare like the next exam will be implemented as it will give me 1 extra year if the exam does not happen.

2.) How should the 2nd and 3rd-year students approach this exam?

1. If I am a 2nd year student then first I will finish all the second year subjects, and get ready for the prof exam and in spare time either revise 1st year subjects or read 3rd year subjects Revising 1st year subjects means read the notes of 1st year subjects and solve MCQs This will help you to cover 10% of your exam syllabus.
2. Approach to 3rd year, ENT, Optha  PSM 60+60+60 they want time to do them well and practice questions with proper revision of physiology, anatomy, pathology, microbiology, and pharmacology associated with these subjects. Finish them.

3.) Should you be doing MCQs? 

Absolutely…sooner you start the better it is ….
Your final exam is going to be an MCQ exam. So start doing MCQs as soon as possible, if you spare time in 3rd year after completing the 3rd year subjects then start reading final year subjects 

4.) How to compensate for the loss of clinical skills during the pandemic?

Be in touch with college classes and pay attention to them. Use the content available on the internet
My suggestion: - I would make my theory strong and when lockdown overs then I will compensate for it.

5.) Can I skip some subjects for the Next exam?

2nd year and 3rd have a lot of time left for it. Why are you going to left the subjects? Make strong concepts … don’t skip subject.

6.) Should I make my own notes? 

If I were you then I will make my own notes, 2nd year and 3rd-year students make your own notes, still have time but if you that it is taking more time or your grasp and knowledge is same if you create your own notes then, you can rely on printed notes as well. 

7.) Do we go system-wise or do we go subject-wise?

My approach would in 2nd and prefinal year will be subject-wise with my target that I will complete all the 19 subjects in the final year and give myself 6 months for revision at least. Then in 6 months for revision, I will go system wise that will give me a real and proper integration. Once I have read all 19 subjects, now to integrate them and revise them in last will be fun and it will help you in answering the clinical questions which are being asked and it will you in answering the basic sciences question which will have the clinical touch.

if you need any tips regarding revision read the article on How to revise efficiently?

8.) When should I start solving grand tests?

I would do a grand test in 2nd year but ideally by the end of 3rd year when I have done doing all major part of my syllabus and submit clinical knowledge I gathered there is no harm in doing one grand test in two months. but in the final year it is necessary to do 1 grand test every month and in the last 6 months 1 grand test every 15- 20 days.

9.) How to approach 3 major subjects Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, and Gynaecology?

1. Medicine:- start reading medicine from ideally 2nd year if not done yet then 3rd year at least, and try to integrate it with pathology, it will help to correlate and make a connection with medicine and pathology and will help you to make your understanding better and by this approach, you can easily complete your medicine by the mid final year.
2. Surgery:- when you go for clinics, whichever case you get come and read about it and correlate it with obvious pathology, you will not grasp 100% of the concept but whatever 30-40% you grasp is additional knowledge for you
3. Obstetrics and Gynecology:- it is an isolated subject so you have to read from notes and textbooks for that, read standard textbooks, you might not read the textbook from cover to cover but whatever topic you read, do justice to them …

Takeaway Points

1. NEXT Exam is a National Exit Test that is proposed to be implemented from the year 2022.
2. The first batch that is going to face the exam is batch of the year 2017.
3. The exam will replace the conventional final year theory exam and PG entrance exams as well.
4. Students are required to pass that exam to appear in an internship also 
5. Very high stake exam with a lot of pressure and having many major challenges that I have discussed.
6. The exam preparation strategies discussed in the article are mainly focusing on going through with the subject of your current year first. After completing those subjects go for MCQs of them. Revision is the Key.
7. The strategies are a little different for 2nd and 3rd-year students because of the non-uniform distribution of the exam syllabus.
8. 2nd-year students should complete their 2nd-year subjects first then go for 1st-year subjects along with their MCQs.
9. 3rd-year students should complete their 3rd-year subjects fist then go for 4th-year subjects along with MCQs  
10. In the end, there are some FAQs related to the NEXT exam that I got from you guys on my Instagram @young_medicos

I hope that you have got answers to all your queries but still, you have any doubt just comment below I will definitely resolve your doubt.