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New Delhi: Securing medical registration to practice in India remains a steep challenge for students returning with foreign MBBS degrees, as around 77 per cent of candidates failed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in October 2026. Out of 40,893 candidates who appeared for the screening test, only 9,354 managed to qualify, translating to a pass percentage of 22.87 per cent. In practical terms, only about 23 out of every 100 candidates cleared the examination, while 77 failed to meet the qualifying standard.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) declared the results for the FMGE October 2026 session, which was conducted on October 31. Results were processed for a total of 42,113 candidates. According to the official figures, 1,190 candidates remained absent from the test, while the results of 30 candidates were withheld. A total of 31,539 candidates failed to pass the examination, leaving the number of successful candidates at less than one-third of those who did not clear the test.
Five-Year Trend Shows Fluctuating Pass Rates
Data from NBEMS indicates that the pass percentage in the FMGE has seen noticeable fluctuations over the past five years. During 2021 and 2022, the overall pass rate remained between 23 per cent and 25 per cent. In 2023, the success rate dropped sharply to 10.20 per cent in the June session before recovering to 20.57 per cent in the December session.
The June 2024 session recorded a pass percentage of 20.89 per cent. In 2025, the pass rate stood at 18.61 per cent in June and rose to 23.9 per cent in December. The downward trend returned in the June 2026 session, when the pass percentage fell to 12.77 per cent. The October 2026 session brought a recovery, lifting the pass rate back to 22.87 per cent.
October Results Improve by 10 Percentage Points Over June
A comparison between the two sessions held in 2026 highlights a marked improvement in the October results. In the June 2026 session, only 4,635 out of 36,300 candidates cleared the exam, resulting in a 12.77 per cent pass rate. Following those results, unsuccessful candidates staged a hunger strike for several days to protest the low pass numbers.
The impact of those developments was reflected in the October 2026 session, where the pass percentage climbed to 22.87 per cent, marking an improvement of about 10.1 percentage points over June. While roughly 13 out of every 100 candidates passed in June, the figure rose to nearly 23 per 100 in October. Despite this recovery, nearly three-fourths of the candidates still failed to clear the test.
Mandatory Qualifying Score Set at 150 Marks
The FMGE serves as a mandatory screening test for Indian citizens and overseas candidates holding foreign medical degrees who wish to obtain medical registration and practice in India. To qualify, candidates must score at least 150 marks out of a maximum of 300.
Only those who clear the screening test become eligible to move forward in the medical registration process required to practice as doctors in the country. Although the October 2026 results show an upward shift compared to the June session, the failure of 31,539 candidates underscores the persistent difficulty foreign medical graduates face in clearing the licensing hurdle.
