Parliamentary Panel Recommends 6 Attempts for MBBS 1st Year Exams, 10 Years to Complete MBBS

First-year MBBS students struggling with the massive academic leap into medical college may soon get a major lifeline. A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has officially recommended increasing the number of permissible attempts to clear the First Professional MBBS exams from four to six.

The Proposed Changes

In its recently submitted 172nd report, the Department-related Parliamentary Committee addressed the immense pressure faced by fresh medical students. The panel suggested two major overhauls to the current National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines:

1. More Exam Attempts: Increasing the limit for clearing first-year exams (Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry) from a maximum of 4 attempts to 6 attempts.

2. Extended Course Duration: Allowing students a maximum of 10 years to complete the entire MBBS degree from the date of admission, up from the currently mandated 9-year limit.

Why the Shift?

The committee recognized that foundational subjects are exceptionally academically intense. They noted that the current four-attempt restriction laid out in the NMC’s GMER 2023 is “overly stringent” for students who are just adjusting to the grueling nature of medical education.

The panel stated that granting six attempts provides a much more humane, student-friendly framework, ensuring that otherwise capable students are not forced to completely abandon their medical careers due to early academic setbacks.

Background Context

This recommendation comes shortly after various doctor associations, including the United Doctors Front (UDF), strongly petitioned for an additional “mercy attempt” for the 2021 batch, citing severe academic disruptions and personal hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during their first year.