Exam Pattern  

NEXT 1 Exam pattern will have to be one with MCQs like the erstwhile MCI Screening Test/FMGE. Also, like the FMGE, NEXT 1 will have questions from the 19 subjects in the MBBS curriculum. This is where the resemblance will end.

To begin with, this exam in 2023 will have questions from the revised version of the MBBS curriculum, the Competency-based MBBS curriculum. This modified curriculum will generate a different pattern of questions as the core focus areas have shifted. To understand the new topic-wise outcomes, click here. (link to competency-based MBBS curriculum page)

Syllabus 

Predicting the NEXT 1 Exam syllabus is not much of a challenge. As mentioned, all the 19 subjects in the MBBS curriculum can very much be question sources.

There is every probability that the exam may take place in 2 phases and that these phases would be Pre- & Para-Clinical subjects in Phase 1 and the Clinical subjects in Phase 2.

Just to confirm, the Pre-Clinical subjects are Anatomy, Biochemistry, & Physiology. The Para-Clinical subjects are Pharmacology, Microbiology, Pathology, Forensic Medicine, & Social and Preventive Medicine. Finally, the Clinical subjects are Medicine, Dermatology, & Venereology; Surgery, Orthopaedics, & Anaesthesia, Radiodiagnosis, Obstetrics & Gynaecology; Pediatrics, Ophthalmology, & ENT.

Question Types 

One thing is sure. The NEXT 1 Exam questions will not primarily be recall ones that require ‘rote learning’. On the contrary, most of the questions in NEXT 1 will be analytical and very clinical in the setting. The number of questions & scoring pattern is trivial details that will eventually come out.

Starting NEXT 1 Exam preparation 

Most of the students keep enquiring about the right time during their MBBS when they should start preparing for exams like the erstwhile MCI Screening or USMLE or the erstwhile NEET PG. Let us sort out the issue, once and for all.

To begin with, one needs to understand that any exam pertaining to the Competency-based MBBS curriculum will rely on horizontal and vertical integration. In other words, one should not only grasp the concepts taught in any particular year of MBBS but also be able to relate the various disciplines in the 4 years of information download.

Students start preparing for licentiate or PG entrance exams at different points in their MBBS. The students who are aware of the path start preparing for whichever exams they choose in 1st year of MBBS. This is, by far, the best thing to do. As the concepts are being taught, these students have the benefit of securing the info in the right slots in their minds to integrate and refer to later.

Then there is a group of students who don’t start preparation till their Final Year. This is the worst thing to do and the chances of success fall below 30%. Also, one must remember that the erstwhile FMGE used to take place after the Internship. The aspirants got almost a year to prepare for the exam. NEXT 1 has to happen before the Internship and thus, one doesn’t have this extra 1 year anymore to prepare for it.

However, most of the students begin their prep in the 2nd Year or 3rd Year of MBBS. We will go deeper and see what differences exist between these two options.

Preparation from 2nd Year MBBS 

At this point, the strategy should be to study regularly and sincerely to understand the Pre- and Para-Clinical concepts all through the first 2 years of MBBS. At the end of 2nd year, one should start integrating and establishing the concepts in your mind. For instance, the concepts of Anatomy, Physiology, & Biochemistry need integration with Pathology as the latter is the outcome of disease affecting the former. Meanwhile, Microbiology introduces the various pathogens that cause disease. Pathology is thus, the effect that Microbiology brings when it brings changes in Anatomy and Physiology.

So, the strategy should be to revise the entire 2nd-year syllabus along with relevant MCQs solving for practice. Once that is done, one should go back to 1st-year subjects and practice MCQs pertaining to these. You will be surprised as to how much one can deduce by logic if the concepts are in place. Of course, the Clinical subjects, both Medicine & allied subjects, and Surgery & allied subjects need a firm foundation in Pre- & Para-Clinical subjects for flawless concept-building.

Preparation from 3rd Year MBBS 

By 3rd Year, the concepts of Pharmacology come into play along with advanced Pathology & Microbiology. The foundation for Clinical subjects is complete at this point, so, the strategy should be to study the concepts of Para-Clinical subjects along with MCQs practice and then, go back to 2nd-year subjects and do the same. Finally, take up the 1st year Pre-Clinical subjects and sort them out.

NEXT 1 Exam Tips & suggestions 

Based on a lot of research, we have devised this list of suggestions for taking this Exam like a champion. The NEXT is definitely going to happen and there are certain aspects of the exam that are predictable. We have prepared this set of suggestions so that you are prepared to take up the challenge when you eventually face it.

Nature of questions 

It can be safely opined that the NEXT pattern will simulate that of the USMLE in many ways. Most importantly, many of the questions of NEXT, especially NEXT 1, will be Application Questions that one needs to get used to. Though the erstwhile FMGE also included such questions, their frequency is going to increase.
The term Application Question actually refers to questions that have a clinical backdrop. This is the most frequently asked question type in USMLE.

Here is a typical Application Question for your comprehension.

“A 29-year-old man goes to a doctor in Mumbai with a year-long history of painful micturition that aggravated during the past 3months. Also, he has history of blood in urine over a period of 5 years. He lived in the scorching heat of Rajasthan 6 months ago. His temperature is 104.0°F, pulse, rate of respiration, and blood pressure are well within the normal range. Upon physical examination, you learn that he has tenderness in the supra-pubic region.
Further studies reveal water retention in the kidney & ureter bilaterally. It also reveals calcification at places in the bladder. Biopsy indicates pronounced chronic inflammation with scattered granulomas & fibrosis. What do the Biopsy findings indicate?

(A) Vesicoureteral reflux
(B) Schistosomiasis
(C) Malacoplakia
(D) Interstitial cystitis
(E) Exposure to a chemical toxin”
 

Online mode 

The NEXT will be an online exam. The NEET PG was not online, so, here’s another factor you need to consider in your prep. To cope, one should practice as many online NEXT 1 mock tests as possible. The main aspect you need to prepare yourself with here would be the time that you invest per question.

Real-time full length NEXT 1 mock tests 

Attempting MCQs from one topic or a section of one particular subject is very different from attempting a NEXT 1 full-length mock test. One learns a lot of things about the degree of his/her preparedness for the real exam. Most importantly, one gets an idea about the areas of the curriculum he/she needs to focus upon. At Moksh NEXT coaching, we make sure that the candidate gets as many full-length NEXT 1 mock tests all supervised and real-time.

Practice strategy 

Indeed NEXT 1 2023 will be the first conduction and you will not get to attempt previous years’ tests. However, one can’t deny the experience of attempting an earlier version of the test that you are preparing for. So, though you will not find any previous year tests, you can attempt previous year tests of MCI Screening test and NEET PG. The NEXT 1 pattern may differ slightly, the degree of difficulty and other challenges can’t be very different. Practice solving previous year's tests of FMGE and/or NEET PG.

General 

Some instructions never change whether you are appearing in a regular college exam or a highly competitive one. For instance, every exam entails a stress factor and one should handle it realistically. The number of hours one studies in a day should not be less or very high. Eating healthy and getting sufficient sleep is mandatory for optimum performance.

All said and done, make sure you keep visiting the NMC Official website for updates.