Getting your MBBS degree is a huge milestone. But if you've studied abroad, there's one more checkpoint standing between you and a stethoscope around your neck in an Indian hospital — the licensing exam. For most returning graduates, that means the FMGE. If you're currently exploring MBBS in Vietnam, or you're already enrolled and thinking ahead, this guide walks you through exactly what that exam involves, how to prepare for it while you're still in Vietnam, and what's changing (or not changing) with NExT.
There's a lot of noise online about NExT replacing FMGE, and it's left a lot of students unsure about what they actually need to prepare for. Here's the current picture:
NExT was originally meant to replace both FMGE and NEET PG, but its rollout has been pushed back. As things stand, foreign medical graduates are still required to appear for the FMGE, and there's no confirmed date yet for NExT to take over for international MBBS graduates. So if you're studying now, or planning to enrol soon, FMGE is the exam to prepare for — not a hypothetical future test. That said, keep an eye on official NMC updates as your graduation year approaches, since these timelines can shift.
The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination is a licensing screening test conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences. It's not a ranking exam — there's no competition against other candidates. It simply checks whether your medical knowledge meets the standard required to practice safely in India.
A few things worth knowing:
The national pass rate has hovered between 40-50% over recent years, which tells you two things: it's genuinely challenging, and a large number of foreign graduates do clear it every session. The difference usually comes down to preparation, not talent.
A pattern shows up again and again among students who clear FMGE on their first attempt — they didn't wait until they got back to India to start revising. They built exam prep into their MBBS years, especially once clinical subjects began.
If you're doing your MBBS in Vietnam, this works in your favour more than you might expect. Universities like Buon Ma Thuot Medical University and Duy Tan University follow English-medium instruction, which means you're already studying and thinking in the same language you'll be tested in. That removes one major hurdle that students returning from non-English-medium countries often struggle with.
Don't aim to master FMGE-level material yet, but keep basics in Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, and Pharmacology fresh. These form a foundational chunk of the screening parameters.
This is where the real weight of the exam sits. Medicine, Surgery, and OBG together account for a large share of the questions, so treat your clinical postings as FMGE prep, not just university requirements.
Start taking full-length mock tests regularly — at least a couple a month. This builds exam stamina, since FMGE is a demanding five-hour test across two sessions in a single day.
Most successful candidates do a focused 3-4 month coaching stint in India before their attempt, using their MBBS years as the active structural foundation rather than starting completely from scratch.
This is where a lot of students underestimate how much their choice of university affects their FMGE outcome later. Studying at an NMC approved university in Vietnam isn't just a formality for your degree to be valid — it directly affects your eligibility to sit for the exam at all. Your medical qualification needs to be recognised and listed appropriately for the NMC to issue your eligibility certificate. This is one of the reasons working with a consultancy that only places students in recognised institutions matters.
At Invi Edutech, every university we work with — Buon Ma Thuot Medical University, Nam Can Tho University, and Duy Tan University — is chosen specifically because of this recognition, along with English-medium teaching and genuine clinical exposure through hospital partnerships. It's not just about getting a seat; it's about making sure that seat leads somewhere.
If you're comparing where to study MBBS abroad, Vietnam has quietly become one of the more practical choices, and not for flashy reasons — mostly because the fundamentals line up.
The cost is a big factor. MBBS fee in Vietnam typically falls in the $4,000-$6,000 per year range, which makes it one of the more affordable MBBS in Vietnam options compared to many Western destinations, without cutting corners on teaching quality. Add in living costs of roughly $100-$150 a month, and the six-year journey stays financially manageable for most Indian families.
Beyond cost, universities here offer things that matter once you're actually trying to become a competent doctor — hands-on clinical exposure from the early years, hospital-linked teaching models, and international faculty. Students also get support that eases the transition: separate hostel facilities for boys and girls, Indian food (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, North and South Indian), and full visa and admission assistance from application through to graduation.
MBBS in Vietnam isn't just about the six years you spend earning the degree. It's about what happens after — coming home, sitting for FMGE, and stepping into practice with a licence in hand. The students who navigate this smoothly usually did three things right: picked a properly recognised university, stayed academically consistent instead of coasting, and treated FMGE prep as something that starts on day one, not something that starts after graduation.
If you're figuring out where to start, that first decision — which university, which country, which support system — sets the tone for everything that follows.
