FMGE Exam: Full Form, Dates, Eligibility, Pattern, Fee and Result
FMGE stands for Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. Every Indian citizen with an MBBS from Russia or any other country abroad must pass it before internship and registration in India. This guide uses the NBEMS information bulletin for the October 2026 session, so the dates, fee and rules below are the official ones.
In short: FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduate Examination) is a computer-based screening test run by NBEMS. The next session is on 31 October 2026, the result is due by 30 November 2026, and the fee for that session is ₹4,650 with GST. The paper has 300 multiple-choice questions in two parts of 150, with no negative marking, and you pass with 150 marks out of 300. There is no limit on attempts. NBEMS now holds FMGE three times a year.
FMGE full form and what the exam is for
FMGE is the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, also called the screening test. It was introduced by the Screening Test Regulations of 2002: an Indian citizen or Overseas Citizen of India with a medical degree from outside India must qualify the test before getting provisional or permanent registration with the NMC or a state medical council. Students and parents often ask "FMGE exam is for whom?" The answer is simple. If you finish MBBS in Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan or any other foreign country and want to practise in India, this is the exam.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS, also written NBE or natboard) only conducts the test, publishes the result and sends it to the National Medical Commission and the state medical councils. NBEMS does not decide whether you can register as a doctor. That is decided by the state medical council when you apply, which for Kerala is the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council. The NMC rules that a Russian degree must meet before you can even apply are explained on the NMC rules for foreign medical graduates page.
FMGE exam dates: sessions in 2026 and 2027
Until 2025 NBEMS held FMGE twice a year, in June and December. The October 2026 bulletin says NBEMS "shall now be conducting FMGE three times in a year". The sessions announced so far:
| Session | Date | Status on 15 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | Held earlier | Result published; 2,128 of 6,878 Russian graduates passed (30.9%) |
| June 2026 | 28 June 2026 | Held |
| October 2026 | 31 October 2026 | Applications closed on 25 September 2026; admit cards on 27 October; result by 30 November 2026 |
| Next session | January or February 2027 | Date not notified yet; NBEMS lists no 2027 session on its FMGE page, and news reports say it is expected in January or February |
Dates for the October 2026 session in detail: application from 11 September to 25 September 2026 (11:55 PM), edit window 29 to 30 September, correction of deficient photographs and signatures from 3 to 19 October, test city intimation by email on 20 October, admit card on 27 October, exam on 31 October, challenge to questions until 2 November, and result by 30 November 2026. A new session follows the same pattern: roughly two weeks to apply, one month to the exam, one month to the result. The official FMGE page of NBEMS posts each bulletin; check natboard.edu.in every few weeks in your final year.
FMGE eligibility: who can apply
The October 2026 bulletin lists these conditions:
- You are a citizen of India or an Overseas Citizen of India.
- You hold a primary medical qualification that the Indian Embassy in that country confirms as a recognised qualification for enrolment as a medical practitioner there. For Russia this means the diploma is attested or apostilled for India and the graduate is entitled to practise in Russia.
- The result of your final examination was declared on or before the cut-off date of the session. For October 2026 the cut-off was 31 August 2026. You must show a document proving that you completed all the required courses.
- You joined the course meeting the rules of your admission date. If you took admission on or after 18 November 2021, your eligibility is judged strictly under the NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021: at least 54 months of study in English plus a 12-month internship at the same foreign institution, and a licence to practise in the country of study. Anyone found non-compliant is declared ineligible, and a pass certificate obtained on a false admission date can be revoked.
The bulletin also puts a duty on the candidate. It is the candidate's responsibility to have met the Indian admission criteria when joining the course: Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English in Class 12 with the minimum marks, and the age rule. If this is found wanting when you seek registration, the FMGE result can be cancelled.
Eligibility certificate: do you still need it?
For students who joined a foreign MBBS after May 2018, the NEET-UG result is treated as the eligibility certificate, provided you also met the Indian MBBS admission criteria. The NEET result is valid for three years from its declaration for this purpose. So a student who qualified NEET and joined a Russian university normally does not need a separate certificate from the NMC. The bulletin still lists "eligibility certificate or admission letter" among the documents NBEMS can ask you to correct, and says the certificate is needed "if applicable". Students who did not take NEET are not eligible at all. This is why we warn against any agent who offers MBBS abroad without NEET; see the NEET cut-off for MBBS in Russia for the score you need to join.
Documents for the FMGE application
- Primary medical qualification certificate (provisional pass or degree certificate) with the apostille or Indian Embassy attestation. Russia is covered by the Apostille Convention, so for a Russian diploma it is the apostille. Ask your university how it issues one.
- NEET-UG result or eligibility certificate, and the admission letter from the university.
- Proof of citizenship and an Aadhaar number. The Aadhaar, name, email, mobile number and test city cannot be changed after you submit.
- A live webcam photograph, a photograph upload, a signature and a thumb impression, as per the image rules in the bulletin. Wrong images are the commonest reason for rejection, and the bulletin gives a separate correction window for them.
Keep the originals safe. NBEMS checks your credentials again in person when you collect the pass certificate. If the document trail is incomplete at that stage, the certificate can be withheld.
Plan FMGE from the first year
Tell us your university and year; we send the FMGE results of that university and a study plan outline.
FMGE application fee
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Examination fee | ₹3,940.68 |
| GST at 18% | ₹709.32 |
| Total payable, October 2026 session | ₹4,650 |
The fee is paid online by UPI, a credit card or a debit card issued by an Indian bank, through the gateway on the application page. NBEMS does not accept any other mode. Earlier reports of a higher fee for the June 2026 session refer to a different bulletin; always read the fee in the bulletin for the session you apply for. A duplicate pass certificate, if you lose the original, costs ₹1,000 plus 18% GST for a document up to three years old and ₹2,000 plus GST for an older one, with a police complaint and an affidavit.
FMGE exam pattern and passing marks
| Feature | Rule |
|---|---|
| Mode | Computer-based test at a test centre |
| Questions | 300 multiple-choice questions, four options each, in English only |
| Structure | Two parts of 150 questions, taken on the same day with a break between them |
| Time | 150 minutes per part plus 3 minutes for attendance checks, so 153 minutes each. In October 2026: Part I from 9:00 AM, Part II from 2:00 PM |
| Sections | Each part is divided into time-bound sections of about 50 questions and 50 minutes. You cannot return to a section after its time ends |
| Marking | 300 marks in all; no negative marking |
| Passing mark | 150 out of 300. Pass or fail only; marks for each part are not published |
| Attempts | No limit, until you pass. After you qualify you cannot sit it again |
| Re-checking | None: no re-evaluation, re-totalling or grace marks |
FMGE syllabus and marks by subject
The syllabus is the NMC Competency Based Undergraduate Curriculum for MBBS. The blueprint gives 100 marks to the pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, forensic medicine) and 200 marks to clinical subjects. In the clinical block medicine and allied subjects carry 48 marks including 33 for medicine itself, surgery and allied subjects 47 including 32 for general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology 30, community medicine 30, and paediatrics, ophthalmology and ENT 15 each. Community medicine and forensic medicine are taught very differently from Indian practice in many Russian universities, so plan to study them from Indian books.
No negative marking changes how you attempt the paper: answer every question. A pass at 150 of 300 means 50%. NBEMS publishes the answer key after the exam and accepts challenges on technical grounds for two days after the test.
FMGE exam centres in Kerala
You choose four test cities in the application form and NBEMS allots a centre in one of them by random allocation, with no preference order. If none of your four has a seat, NBEMS may place you anywhere in the country. The tentative list in the October 2026 bulletin includes six Kerala cities: Ernakulam, Kannur, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. Changes of city are not entertained. The exact centre address is printed on the admit card, and you arrange your own travel and stay. If you live in Thrissur or Malappuram, which are not on the list, choose the nearest listed cities such as Ernakulam and Kozhikode, and reach the city the evening before: entry to the centre closes at 8:45 AM for Part I.
FMGE result: where and when
Results are posted on natboard.edu.in. NBEMS expects to declare the October 2026 result by 30 November 2026. The result is only pass or fail, and you can download the score card from your login for six months. Do not lose that window. A pass certificate is a different document. Qualified candidates are called for an in-person check of identity and credentials, with fingerprint and face recognition, and the certificate is normally issued within about four weeks of the result. It must be collected within six months, or the result is treated as cancelled. State medical councils accept the pass certificate, not the score card.
How hard is it? Across all Russian universities 25.8% of candidates passed in 2025, and 30.9% in December 2025. The full table by university and year is on the FMGE pass rate of Russian medical universities page. The rate is low because the exam follows the Indian MBBS syllabus and many students begin to prepare only after they return. Those who study for it from the third year do better.
What happens after you pass FMGE
- Collect the pass certificate from NBEMS after the in-person verification.
- Apply for the 12-month internship in India. The NMC rules for foreign medical graduates require a supervised internship in an Indian medical college, on top of the 12-month internship you did at the Russian university. The application goes through the state medical council. For 2026-27 the NMC slot matrix lists 1,607 internship slots for foreign graduates in Kerala. Ask the council which hospitals are allotted and what stipend and fees apply, because we found no current official figure.
- Register. After the internship you apply for permanent registration with the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council in Kerala, or the council of the state where you want to work. The council checks your Class 12 and NEET papers, the apostilled diploma and the pass certificate.
- Plan the next degree. A registered doctor can sit NEET-PG. See what to do after MBBS from Russia for PG, USMLE and PLAB.
There is a time limit. The NMC says foreign medical graduates admitted abroad after 2019 must clear the FMG examination within 10 years of admission. A student joining in 2027 has time, but not an unlimited amount.
FMGE and NExT
The National Exit Test (NExT) is intended to replace FMGE, but as of October 2026 it has no notified date. In October 2025 the NMC chairman told doctors' associations that it would not be introduced for at least three to four years. A draft NMC regulation reported in August 2026 keeps FMGE for foreign graduates "until the NExT exam is implemented". For a student joining in 2027, plan for FMGE and read the notices as they come. We compare the two exams on the page about FMGE vs NExT.
How to prepare, in practice
- Study with the Indian curriculum from the third year. Use the Indian textbooks for community medicine, forensic medicine, and the basics of pharmacology and pathology.
- Learn Russian well enough to speak to patients. Clinical subjects are 200 of the 300 marks, and a student who understood the ward rounds finds them easier.
- Take mock tests under exam timing: 150 questions in 153 minutes, twice in a day, with sections you cannot reopen.
- Do not wait for a perfect score. With no negative marking and unlimited attempts, a first attempt shortly after graduation costs ₹4,650 and shows where you stand.
- Choose your university with the FMGE record in mind, and ask for the NBEMS figures, not a brochure number. The ranking of Russian universities by FMGE results shows the spread, from 3% to 45% in the latest sessions.
Get FMGE results for your shortlist
Send the universities you are considering and we reply with their NBEMS pass figures.
FMGE Exam: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the full form of FMGE?
FMGE stands for Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. It is also called the screening test and is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). Indian citizens with a medical degree from abroad must pass it to register as doctors in India.
When is the next FMGE exam?
The next session is on 31 October 2026, and the application window closed on 25 September 2026. NBEMS now holds FMGE three times a year, so the following session is expected in January or February 2027, but it has not been notified. Watch natboard.edu.in for the bulletin.
What is the FMGE fee and the passing mark?
The fee for the October 2026 session is ₹4,650 including 18% GST, plus payment gateway charges. You need 150 marks out of 300 to pass. There is no negative marking and no limit on attempts.
Where is the FMGE result published?
On natboard.edu.in. For the October 2026 session NBEMS expects the result by 30 November 2026. It shows pass or fail only, and qualified candidates collect a pass certificate after an in-person verification, normally within about four weeks.
Can I take the FMGE exam in Kerala?
Yes. The tentative city list in the October 2026 bulletin includes Ernakulam, Kannur, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. You choose four cities in the form and NBEMS allots a centre in one of them; city changes are not entertained.
Do I need an eligibility certificate for FMGE?
For students who joined a foreign MBBS after May 2018, the NEET-UG result is treated as the eligibility certificate if they also met the Indian admission criteria. The bulletin says the certificate is needed "if applicable" and that eligibility under the 2021 NMC regulations is checked strictly for admissions from 18 November 2021.
Sources: NBEMS, FMGE Information Bulletin October 2026 (natboard.edu.in; important dates, eligibility, fee, scheme of examination, test cities, result and pass certificate clauses); NBEMS FMGE page and performance reports at natboard.edu.in/stats; NMC FAQ on the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 (8 June 2026); NMC CRMI slot matrix 2026-27 for Kerala; Careers360 (30 October 2025) and Medical Dialogues (19 August 2026) on NExT; Careers360 and Medical Dialogues on the January or February 2027 session. Checked on 15 October 2026.