It is easy to get admitted to a medical college abroad but tough to clear the screening test conducted by the National Board of Examination (NBE) to practise medicine in India.
The test is called the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination and the number of candidates clearing has always been abysmally low with candidates taking several years to qualify. In the last two years, the pass percentage has fallen further.
“Until two years ago, 35 per cent of the candidates who took the test qualified,” says educational consultant Rajesh Arcot,
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“In 2014, only 13.1 per cent of those who appeared have cleared the screening test,” says Moorthy Selvakumaran, another consultant. He obtained the information by filing an RTI with the NBE.
Mohamed Hassan, who plans to retake the test in June, says: “I qualified through the common entrance test in Karnataka and was even assured of a seat in a self-financing dental college, but had to pay Rs. 7 lakh as capitation fee. I did not have money so I chose to go to Armenia. I paid a tuition fee of Rs. 1.5 lakh and the living expenses amounted to another Rs. 1.5 lakh. I am studying hard and hope to clear it this time at least.”
Many others like S. Deepak have not lost hope despite failing the test half a dozen times. He will be appearing for the eighth time. “It is difficult to predict the questions. There is no prescribed textbook either,” he says.
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According to a student who cleared the exam in the first attempt, “There is no blueprint to fall back on. We prepare for the exam, concentrating on the main subjects, but there could be focused questions from a minor subject. We cannot neglect any portion or subject,” says the doctor who studied in a medical college in Ukraine.
After clearing the exam last December, she is awaiting registration with the Tamil Nadu Medical Council. “Only after I am registered, I will I be able to do internship,” she says.