FMGE Exam Pattern and Subject-Wise Weightage: 300 MCQs, Marks and Timing

The FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduate Examination) is the screening test conducted by NBEMS for graduates who obtained their primary medical qualification outside India. Before you plan your revision, it helps to know exactly how the paper is built: how many questions there are, how the time is split, and how many marks each subject carries. This guide explains the FMGE exam pattern and the subject-wise weightage as printed in the official NBEMS information bulletin for the October 2026 session. The fastest way to get used to this structure is to take a full FMGE mock test online that follows the same 300-question, two-part format.

FMGE exam pattern at a glance

According to Section 5 ("Scheme of FMG Examination") of the NBEMS bulletin, the FMGE is a single paper of 300 multiple choice questions, delivered on a computer network. Each question has four options in English only, and you must pick the correct, best or most appropriate answer.

NBEMS also states that it "shall now be conducting FMGE (Screening Test) three times in a year". Dates, fees and eligibility cut-offs change for every session, so always read the latest information bulletin on natboard.edu.in before you apply.

Time-bound sections inside each part

Each part is split into time-bound sections. The bulletin gives an example of three sections (A, B and C) of 50 questions each, with 50 minutes per section plus one minute for attendance and verification. Two rules matter a lot here:

• You cannot move to the next section until the time for the current section is over.
• Once a section's time ends, you cannot go back to review or change its answers. The next section starts automatically.

The bulletin adds that the actual number of sections may vary. In practice, this means you cannot "save" time from an easy block and spend it on a hard one. Your pacing has to work section by section, which is exactly why timed practice matters.

Mark for review

Inside a section, you can mark any question for review, whether you have answered it or not, and come back to it before that section's time runs out. Questions marked for review are evaluated as per the normal marking scheme, so an answer you have selected still counts.

FMGE subject-wise weightage (official NBEMS blueprint)

Section 12 of the bulletin publishes the "FMGE (Screening Test) Blue Print". It divides 300 marks into 100 marks of pre- and para-clinical subjects and 200 marks of clinical subjects. The syllabus itself follows the Competency Based Undergraduate Curriculum for MBBS published by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

A. Pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects (100 marks)

B. Clinical subjects (200 marks)

Grouped the way the blueprint groups them, Medicine and its allied subjects carry 48 marks and General Surgery and its allied subjects carry 47 marks. The blueprint gives marks per subject for the whole paper; it does not say which subjects appear in Part I and which in Part II, so do not assume a fixed split between the two parts.

What the pattern means for your preparation

The numbers above are more useful than any rumour about "important topics". A few practical points follow directly from them:

1. The clinical side is two-thirds of the paper. Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Community Medicine together make up 125 of the 300 marks. Weak preparation in any one of these is hard to make up elsewhere.
2. Small subjects add up. Psychiatry, Dermatology, Radiotherapy, Anaesthesiology, Orthopaedics and Radiodiagnosis carry 5 marks each, 30 marks in total. That is a fifth of the 150-mark pass line, so short, focused revision of these subjects is worth the time.
3. Do not ignore the first-year subjects. Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry carry 17 marks each. Many graduates studied them years ago, so plan regular recall practice instead of one last-minute read.
4. Attempt every question. Because there is no negative marking, an unanswered question can only cost you. Use mark for review for doubtful questions, but make sure every question in a section has an answer before its time ends.
5. Train for section locks. Since you cannot return to a closed section, practise finishing 50 questions in about 50 minutes, with a few minutes left to revisit the questions you marked.
6. Practise the full day. Two sittings of about two and a half hours with a break in between are tiring. Full-length practice helps you hold concentration in Part II as well as Part I.

How to use mock tests with this blueprint

A mock test is most useful when it copies both the format and the subject weightage. After each attempt, compare your marks subject by subject against the blueprint: a low score in a 30-mark subject such as Community Medicine or Obstetrics and Gynaecology deserves more attention than the same score in a 5-mark subject. Keep a simple log of your weakest three subjects each week and revise those first.

The XEAL Education Works FMGE mock test follows the NBEMS pattern of 300 single-best-answer MCQs in two parts of 150 minutes with no negative marking, and spreads questions according to the official subject-wise split. It costs Rs 9 for one year, gives you one full test every week, and sends your result with a subject-wise report by e-mail so you can see where your marks are going. A mock test cannot predict your FMGE result, but it does show you which subjects need work while there is still time.

When you are ready, attempt the FMGE mock test online in the real exam format. You can also browse more exam guides on our articles page.