NEET PG: Check the eligibility criteria/ tests for PG in medicine in foreign countries

The postgraduate medical entrance exam in the USA is the USMLE and for admission to medical colleges in the UK, it is the PLAB test.

While India admits candidates to its postgraduate programmes in medicine through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG), USA, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, China, Ukraine and UK accept score of their own entrance exams. The postgraduate medical entrance examination in the USA is the United States Medical Licensing Examination, or USMLE, and for admission to medical colleges in the United Kingdom (UK), it is the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test.

Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has been awarded the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) recognition status for 10 years. This is the highest standard in medical education and accreditation. With this recognition, Indian medical graduates will now be able to practice or pursue post-graduation in countries including the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Here are the postgraduate exams Indian medical graduates can appear

UK’s PLAB test 

The PLAB test consists of two parts – part 1 and part 2. While part 1 is a written MCQ exam, part 2 is a practical objective structured clinical exam.

The PLAB part 1 exam question paper will have 180 questions and student must score above 120 to be considered qualified. Part 2 exam is known as an OSCE. MBBS graduates will be required to pass both parts before they can apply for registration with a licence to practise medicine in the UK.  

Once both the exams are cleared, a candidate must apply within two years for the medical license to practice in the UK. Students will next have to apply for a PG residency to a college of their choice.

USMLE for medical graduates

An applicant must qualify USMLE to be considered eligible for the residency programme in the US after receiving their MBBS. Students may take the USMLE-2 CK exam in India to become eligible for residency in the USA. As and when the doctors get the proof of their residency, the PG medical aspirants can later apply for a work visa in the USA. 

The USMLE has three steps. While the first two steps are considered to be the most important steps, the third step can be taken at any point during the PG residency.

Students from India pursuing MBBS can take the USMLE exam after the second year. PG medical students generally appear for the USMLE step 1 in their third and fourth year of MBBS. 

The USMLE step 1 exam is a 280 marks exam where the passing marks is 192. USMLE Step 2 CK is a qualifying exam. Students generally take this exam in their 5th year of MBBS. The step 2 of USMLE is a clinical knowledge computer-based exam. While the USMLE step 3 is required to get an official medical practicing license. 

Post Step 2, candidates have to apply for PG programs across colleges in the country. Based on their eligibility, candidates are called for an in-person or online interview session with the admission committee of the respective college. 

A PG medical aspirant’s clinical knowledge, extra curricular activities, research associations and papers written are assessed. Based on this, the final admission list is prepared. In the USA, only scores are not important, focusing on extra-curricular activities and research work also hold a lot of importance during the admission process.

USMLE Exam

PG Medicine in Australia for Indian students

The eligibility criteria and admission requirements for PG in medicine in Australia vary university-wise. However, the general admission requirements include an academic degree, letter of recommendation and proof of English language proficiency.

 PG in medicine in Germany 

Candidates who have done their MBBS in India and now want to pursue their PG in medicine from Germany will be required to take out at least six to seven months before going to Germany as there are many requirements for the country. 

MBBS graduates will have to compulsorily clear A1 and A2 levels of the German language and get an admission letter from a government-approved test for TELC B2 and TELC C1. The normal B2 and C1 standards will not be accepted. The candidates must also learn the German language up to C1 Level.

The candidate will then be required to get an observer-ship from a German hospital approved for the PG in Germany. The observer-ship will be provided by the German Medical Council. Also, candidates must go through the ‘Approbation system’ by getting themselves registered to a German Medical Practitioner.

Postgraduate in medicine from Russia

MBBS graduates from India, who wish to study postgraduation in the Russian Federation, will have to apply to the Russian Ministry of Education for certification of equivalency of their degrees. The PG in medicine course can be completed in 2 to 5 years. For an MD course in Russia, the students need to finish MBBS course from a college which is recognised by the Medical council of India. For some courses in Russia, the students will have to qualify a Russian language test. Otherwise, Indian students do not need to furnish scores of TOEFL or IELTS.