The National Medical Commission (NMC), today, Monday, December 11, released a notice granting an additional fifth attempt for the first-year professional exam to MBBS students who were admitted into the course in the 2020-21 academic year.

This mercy attempt has been given to the 2020-21 batch of medical students as they suffered in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“National Medical Commission decided to allow one additional attempt (5th attempt) to such MBBS Students who were admitted in medical colleges during the academic year 2020-21 and could not pass their first professional MBBS examination, as this batch was also affected by COVID-19 Pandemic,” the public notice released by NMC read.

The commission further clarified that this is a one-time measure and may not be treated as a precedent for the future.

Background

Earlier this year, the NMC said in its Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, that no MBBS students will be allowed more than four attempts for the first-year professional exam.

To this, the guidelines also added that no student shall be permitted to continue the undergraduate medical course after nine years from the date of enrollment into the course.

The NMC had given a mercy attempt to the 2019-2020 MBBS batch across the country, allowing them an additional fifth attempt in a notice released earlier this year, in May 2023. Now this relaxation has been extended to the 2020-21 batch also as a one-time measure.