Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) have received several major updates regarding the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) 2026, with the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) agreeing to conduct an additional examination by the end of October this year.
The decisions were taken during a meeting between representatives of the All India Medical Students Association–Foreign Medical Graduates (AIMSA-FMSW) and NBEMS officials in New Delhi on August 27. The meeting focused on concerns raised by foreign medical graduates regarding the FMGE June 2026 examination and related issues.
According to the meeting document, NBEMS has agreed to conduct an additional FMGE examination by the end of October 2026. From next year onwards, the examination is proposed to be conducted three times a year — in December/January, April/May and August/September.
In another significant decision, NBEMS has agreed to reduce the FMGE examination fee starting with the next examination. The official press release, however, does not specify the revised fee amount.
The difficulty level of the FMGE question paper is also set to be rationalised. NBEMS has agreed to increase the proportion of questions carrying low to moderate difficulty, with the proposed distribution of Low: Moderate questions at 30:50:20.
FMGE candidates may also get greater transparency regarding their examination performance. NBEMS has agreed to publish the question IDs, correct answer IDs, and response IDs, along with the marks awarded for each question, on individual candidates' applicant portals.
This could help candidates better understand how their responses were evaluated after the examination.
The issue of video-based questions in the FMGE June 2026 examination was also discussed. NBEMS has agreed to declare that the number of video-based questions was 14 in FMGE June 2026, according to the official release.
The decision comes in the backdrop of an ongoing matter before the High Court of Delhi.
Another practical change concerns examination time. NBEMS has agreed to provide an additional one minute per section, subject to a maximum of three minutes per shift, to accommodate biometric attendance taken during the examination.
NBEMS has also agreed to make examination-centre facilities more conducive for candidates, with necessary instructions to be issued to its technology partner.
The meeting also discussed the demand for representation of foreign medical graduates in the NBEMS grievance redressal committee for matters related to FMGE.
The NBEMS Governing Body will consider the issue, and interaction between NBEMS and FMG representatives is also expected to become more frequent.
Following the decisions taken at the meeting, AIMSA-FMSW agreed to call off its ongoing protest by 4 pm on August 27.
For FMGE aspirants, the proposed additional examination in October, reduced examination fees, and greater access to question-and-response information are among the most significant developments. Candidates should, however, wait for formal notifications from NBEMS for the detailed schedule, revised fee and implementation of these decisions.
