The National Exit Test (NExT) for Ayush will be effective from the 2021-2022 batch onwards, said Union Minister of State for Ayush (Independent Charge) Prataprao Jadhav while addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.
The NExT is a key examination introduced by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) under the NCISM Act 2020 to assess the clinical competency, medical ethics understanding, and ability to handle medico-legal cases for graduates in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Sowa-Rigpa.
The test is mandatory for licensing and enrollment in State or National Registers after completing a one-year internship, and the structure is a problem-based examination featuring clinical case scenarios, images, and videos to evaluate practical skills.
Those interns who have not completed their internship but qualified in the National Exit Test (NeXt) shall be eligible to register in the State or National registration board only after completion of a one-year internship.
This announcement was made after various representations came from students of the Ayush stream regarding the implementation of NeXT and a meeting between some representatives of the students with Minister Prataprao Jadhav.
“The decision was taken on the recommendation of the committee set up in this regard to review the concerns of students in this matter. We aim to ensure a fair and transparent process along with maintaining the quality of Ayush education and healthcare standards,” said the minister.
The committee was presided over by Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, Vice Chancellor, National Institute of Ayurveda Jaipur, who was responsible for reviewing the suggestions from students and submitting the recommendations to the Ministry.
