FMGE - The Truth About Passing MCI Exam

For the unaware, FMGE or Foreign Medical Graduates Examination is the bi-annual examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE). The exam is the final licentiate examination for students who pursue MBBS from abroad.

Individuals graduating in medicine from international universities, upon returning to India, are required to appear for FMGE (MCI exam), to get their license for practicing medicine in India. Without qualifying the examination, the individual is not eligible to be a practicing medical professional in India.

However, before we talk about the passing rate of FMGE Exam, one must understand why MBBS from abroad is a good option for medical aspirants.

Why MBBS from Abroad?

India is a land of the second largest population in the world. At 1.3 billion, our population has lakhs every year who set out with their dreams of becoming doctors. But! Here’s the catch –

• Number of medical aspirants every year go up in lakhs
• Number of medical aspirants passing NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) also crosses the minimum benchmark of one lakh
• The number of medical seats in India is only about 70,978
• Narrowing it further, the number of government medical seats touch 35,688 only

Matters get worse when more than 50 percent of the qualifying students are left without a seat in government medical colleges in India. The private medical colleges, on the other hand, charge enormous amounts for fees, at times going up in crores, which causes several medical aspirants to give up on their dreams due to lack of funds.

Here comes the functionality of MBBS universities in abroad with admission opportunities for –

• People who wish to pursue MBBS from abroad
• NEET qualifiers who are unable to secure seats in Indian government colleges
• Candidates who cannot afford the fees from private medical colleges in India
• Those who are unable to secure a seat in any medical college in India

FMGE Scenario – Is It Easy?

While pursuing MBBS from abroad is not a difficult task, returning to India to clear the MCI exam is one thing that takes an entirely different turn. Since the year 2013, the graph of passing rates for Mci exam has witnessed a consistent downfall. From 29 percent passing candidates in 2013, the figures came down to a mere 10 percent in 2018. Thus, between the 6 years, only a total of 14 percent of total applicants have managed to clear the exam for a medical license in India.

The biggest reason for the ever-decreasing pass percentage is the quality of education in some of the most ‘attractive’ destinations for MBBS abroad. Most students are unfortunately attracted to the low-cost fee which overpowers the lack of quality education. To crack FMGE, thus, it is required that a student focuses on not only the choice of university but also the choice of training and Mci exam coaching options upon returning to India.