4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 27, 2026 10:55 AM IST
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is willing to address genuine concerns raised by Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) over the June 2026 Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE). However, there will be no dilution of the minimum competency standard required to practise medicine in India, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The assertion comes as FMGs continue to protest in Delhi over the examination, weeks after NBEMS announced a series of measures to make FMGE more transparent and candidate-friendly. The agitation has included protests in the Gautam Nagar area, with some candidates also resorting to a hunger strike.
The June FMGE has come under intense scrutiny after only 12.38 per cent of the 37,448 candidates who appeared for the examination qualified. The National Medical Commission (NMC), however, has defended the inclusion of video-based questions, saying they were intended to test clinical skills rather than merely theoretical recall.
Against this backdrop, NBEMS constituted a three-member expert committee headed by Air Marshal (Dr) Pawan Kapoor (Retd) to examine concerns raised by candidates and suggest improvements.
The panel has recommended examining the feasibility of conducting FMGE three times a year, reviewing the examination fee, upgrading infrastructure at examination centres and allowing candidates to access their recorded responses, subject to technical and legal safeguards.
But the committee has stopped short of recommending grace or compensatory marks for the June examination. Sources said it found no material evidence to establish that the video-based questions or the overall difficulty of the paper had adversely affected the outcome.
What the pass-rate data shows
The attempt-wise results offer a more nuanced picture than the overall pass percentage.
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In June 2026, 35.74 per cent of first-time candidates cleared FMGE, compared with 21.45 per cent of candidates appearing for the second time. Among those who had taken the examination more than five times, the pass rate was just 3.29 per cent.
The December 2025 examination showed a similar pattern, although the first-attempt success rate was considerably higher at 47.53 per cent. Among candidates appearing after more than five attempts, only 5.58 per cent qualified.
NBEMS officials say the figures are important because the overall pass percentage, by itself, does not establish that the examination was unfair or that an entire cohort was assessed against an unreasonably difficult paper.
“The issue is to ensure a fair and transparent examination while retaining the competency threshold necessary for patient safety,” a senior NBEMS official said.
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The official added that the board remains open to legitimate concerns raised by candidates, but any reform has to preserve the basic standard expected of a doctor entering the Indian healthcare system.
What the expert panel has proposed
Rather than lowering the qualifying standard, the committee has proposed changes to the way the examination is conducted and structured.
One of its key recommendations is a more balanced distribution of questions — 30 per cent low difficulty, 50 per cent moderate difficulty and 20 per cent great difficulty. The panel has also recommended that the mean difficulty level of the paper should not exceed 5.5.
The committee has additionally suggested exploring the possibility of conducting FMGE three times a year, which could reduce the waiting period for candidates who fail an attempt.
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Other proposals include a review of the examination fee, better facilities at examination centres and access to recorded responses, subject to technical and legal safeguards.
For candidates, however, the central demand remains whether the June 2026 examination itself warrants relief.
NBEMS’ position is that transparency and examination reform can be improved, but the competency threshold cannot be compromised.
— with inputs from PTI