Foreign Medical Graduate Examination or FMGE is the screening exam for Indian students who pursued their medical education abroad and now wish to practice in India.

When EdexLive spoke to a couple of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) regarding their reasons to pursue medicine abroad, there were mixed responses. A few of them said that the seats here are limited and expensive for those hailing from middle-class backgrounds.

Others disclosed that since they couldn’t score well in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET UG), getting a seat in India was difficult. Hence, going abroad was the only option left to pursue their passion so that at least, they are able to come back and serve their country. This is what else they had to share.

It was quite a tough exam with clinical vignettes, which are abridged reports of patients with their medical histories and other relevant data. The questions were factually based with the difficulty level being moderate to severe. With the FMGE being scrapped, there might be a varied global approach in accordance with PLAB (Professional Linguistic and Assessments Board) and USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) which will further help in our clinical understanding and approach.
Dr Mohit Jangra
AMA School of Medicine, Philippines

Although FMGE is difficult, it is manageable when attempted without stress or being anxious about it. The curriculum required for the examination is almost similar to what we studied in the Philippines hence, it does not pose any inconvenience.

NExT, I feel, has two sides to it. First, it will bring some fairness in how FMGs and IMGs are treated because currently, many FMGs face issues getting internships, even after qualifying FMGE exam and are not even provided a stipend while IMGs do not face any such issues. But, the new changes in the exam can also unsettle students as the exam pattern might be based on the Indian curriculum.
Dr Bharat Pratap Singh Shekhawat
AMA School of Medicine (AMASOM), Makati
 

It took me three attempts to clear the FMGE exam as I started studying late for it. For the first two attempts, I kept trying without proper guidance and coaching. Before the third attempt I figured out my weaknesses in particular subjects and started working on it. I devotedly studied my notes and solved all the previous years' questions, along with the exam-related questionnaire available on YouTube, which yielded better results.

Due to financial conditions, I couldn’t avail coaching but followed video lectures on a few subjects from Prepladder, to clear my concepts and doubts.  My first attempt was riddled with confusion regarding time management. However, in my last attempt, I had already become compatible with these problems, so remaining calm helped me not commit silly errors.

FMGE exam is a moderate exam but the lack of transparency in the whole process gives room for distrust. I am hopeful for NExT as the question of discrimination might cease to exist as IMGs & FMGs will together be appearing to clear NExT-1 in order to procure compulsory rotatory internship.
Dr Gaurav Kumar
Asian Medical Institute, Kyrgyzstan

 

After completing MBBS from Russia, I discovered that we can't practice in the country due to the language barrier, as we have to clear their State Examination. I had no other option but to return to India to get a licence for further practice. Procuring a licence in India also has its own benefits, as it gives us more options than practising in a foreign country.

I started preparing for FMGE in Russia in my final year from an online platform named PREPLADDER. It is a paid application that includes video lectures, rapid revision, multiple choice questions and series of tests, mock tests etc. Also, I prepared from YouTube about certain subjects to get more clarification on some subjects. I chose online coaching because I found it to be convenient.

I cracked FMGE on my 3rd attempt. Initially, it seemed to be tough but later, it relatively became easier. Overall the difficulty level was easy to moderate. It usually depends on the student’s preparation. The biggest challenge faced in the exam is the lack of availability of question papers and answer keys. Students remain oblivious to the pattern of the exam and have to reappear several times to get acquainted with it and the application fee of Rupees 7000 is quite high, reappearing every time might turn out to be an expensive affair.

I feel it is a great idea to conduct NExT because we will have to appear along with the IMGs and it will increase transparency.
Dr Archna Kumari 
Siberian State Medical University Tomsk, Russia
 

I could not get a medical seat in Govt Colleges by a few marks and due to unaffordable fees in private medical colleges, I didn’t have an option to study in India hence I collected information for studies abroad. I come from a family of farmers and my parents somehow arranged the money through loans and sent me to Russia.

I always had a strong wish to serve the citizens of my country, especially where people cannot avail medical facilities and so I wanted to return to India after the completion of my studies.

Clearing FMGE is a mammoth task. In the name of a screening exam, the National Board of Examinations (NBE) is conducting it at a level almost equivalent to PG. All over India only ten to fifteen percent FMG aspirants could qualify after each session. Being from a middle-class family, I have gone through lots of pressure, mental, physical and financial. I scored 148 on my 1st attempt, I had to wait for another 6 months and I could clear it in my second attempt. That is not the end of the hardships, even after clearing FMGE, the next major task is to join an internship.

NEXT for me might be a time-consuming exam. Most of the instructions are unclear for the FMGs, the syllabus and how the counselling might be conducted. NExT must have properly laid down guidelines for FMGs.
Dr Manikandan
Kursk State Medical University
 

One of the major reasons as to why I studied abroad was to not waste my years preparing here for NEET UG because it's quite imminent, how difficult it has become to get a government seat in India for MBBS.

At times, such contention rises if I want to return to my country. People usually ask, “Why do you want to practice in India?” And I reply, “I belong to India and I have an intention to serve my motherland and be here.”

While preparing for FMGE, I took classes from an institute that teaches aspirants for FMGE and did some self-study from an app. I pursued coaching classes as well, to have proper guidance with live interactions and discussions with experts.

FMGE is supposed to be a screening exam, a qualifier but it has turned out to be tougher than NEET-PG which is a competitive/ranking-based exam.

FMGE being nullified and the implementation of NExT is a good step towards the students and I can call it as justifiable.
Dr Shahroz Khan Sherry
All India students coordinator of Indian students in China, FMGPA, IAC
 

I have always aspired to be a doctor so that I could serve my country but I couldn’t pursue the degree here as I couldn’t get a Government seat and the fees for private medical education in India is expensive.  

I prepared for the FMGE with the help of an online platform called Cerebellum Academy. I revised a lot and followed the teachers' guidelines. FMGE was relatively easier for me to pass on the 1st attempt because of the guidance given by teachers because they teach in a simplified way and hence I faced no difficulty.

The equalisation of a common medical exam will prove FMGs worth and probably enhance our status further as people consider that FMGE is relatively easier but that is a common misconception that NExT might erase.
Dr Rakesh Gurjar,
Caspian international school of Medicine Almaty, Kazakhstan

 

I grew up in Dubai, though I was born in India. I was already exposed to multiculturalism from a very young age hence that's one of the reasons for opting abroad for higher education. Secondly, the availability of affordable top-class education with modern infrastructure and the latest medical technology also attracted me to choose education abroad.

The reason for me wanting to practice in India is because one can get exposed to lots of clinical cases due to patient overload in many parts of the country. So this really helps young budding doctors to gain professional expertise in no time.

I cleared FMGE on my first attempt with a score of 200 out of 300. The main resources I have used for FMGE preparation are Prepladder Rapid Revision Videos and First Aid USMLE Step 1 book.  I skimmed through previous year questions and made a habit of solving at least 100 questions everyday through custom modules. Revision is a must. It is important to choose concise material and revise it multiple times. And finally, mock tests to understand your strengths and weaknesses so that you can boost your preparation.

I did not opt for any offline coaching institutes. However, I have used online Prepladder rapid revision videos because the material they provide is really concise which helps students to actually revise multiple times. If your conceptual knowledge is strong enough, you can opt for any concise material and revise it multiple times to get on track with the competition.

I maintained a calm composure before the exam and completed it on time. I was also careful enough to reach the centre on time as well as bring all the necessary documents for appearing in the exam. I did not face any challenges on the day of the exam.

I would say that the paper was of moderate level because it was equally balanced with questions that were easy as well as tough. There were few changes in the pattern of questions, usually, a lot of common topics like ECG ( Electrocardiograph), ABG (Arterial Blood Gas) etc were repeated every year but unfortunately in our paper, there were no questions from these commonly asked topics.

I feel NEXT is a good opportunity for upcoming aspirants to compete as well as build up their conceptual knowledge. This would also end the discrimination faced by FMGs because NEXT aims at standardising and streamlining the evaluation process of both IMGs and FMGs.
Aswathy Sunilkumar
Kyiv Medical University, Ukraine