The Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association – Foreign Medical Graduates (TNMSA FMG) wing has expressed serious concern over the outcome of the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) June 2026, in which only 12.78% of the candidates who appeared were declared successful.
In a statement issued, the wing’s State secretary S. Vasanth Philip Abishak said the exam was, by all accounts of the candidates, an exceptionally difficult and mentally exhausting one. According to students who appeared for the test, Paper 1 was relatively balanced and manageable.
However, Paper 2 was significantly more challenging, with a large number of clinical scenario-based questions, image-based questions, and video-based questions introduced for the first time. This had a major impact on time management during the examination.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) results, published on July 7, reflect the severity of this difficulty, he said. Out of 37,428 registered candidates, 36,280 appeared for the examination. Of these, only 4,635 candidates passed, while 31,645 did not qualify. This relates to a pass percentage of only 12.78%, meaning that only one in eight candidates who appeared for the examination managed to clear it.
One of the concerns is that a large number of candidates fell just short of the qualifying mark. The pass mark for FMGE is 150. As per the available statistics, 327 candidates scored exactly 149, missing qualification by one mark. A total of 1,022 candidates scored between 147 and 149, while 4,157 candidates scored between 140 and 149. In addition, 9,905 candidates scored between 130 and 149, he said.
When compared to previous sessions, the decline in performance is even more alarming. The FMGE pass percentage stood at 18.6% in June 2025 and 23.9% in December 2025, the association said.
In light of these developments, the TNMSA FMG wing placed certain demands to NBEMS and the National Medical Commission. It called for a comprehensive review of FMGE June 2026. NBEMS must conduct a transparent and detailed review of the exam, particularly examining whether the length of questions, clinical complexity, image/video-based format, and the time allotted were appropriate to fairly assess the actual medical knowledge and competence of candidates. It also called for reframing of the examination pattern.
Prior notice must be issued before introducing new examination formats, the association said. It also urged the bodies to consider reduction of the passing mark for FMGE June 2026 as a one-time exception, Dr. Abishak said.