NMC Announces Practical Exam To Be Invigilated Virtually By External Coordinators

After receiving requests from universities and institutions to hold the invigilation of the exam virtually because of the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases, the NMC has announced their decision of virtual invigilation for postgraduate programmes on April 22.

NMC Practical Exams: Virtual Invigilation

According to the institutions, many teachers are declining to be examiners due to the second wave of the pandemic. The statement released by NMC stated, "The Postgraduate Medical Education Board has decided to permit the examiners from outside the state to participate in the practical examination process through video conferencing." However, the two internal examiners have to be present physically. The internal examiners may be from the same institution or from different institutions under the same university.

The statement further mentioned that the concerned universities may decide the time and the method of examination after considering the situation in their area in view of the pandemic.

The Undergraduate Medical Education Board of the National Medical Commission issued an advisory related to the conduct of annual MBBS examinations on April 19 that declared the option of online invigilation for external examiners.

The advisory stated, "The universities are notified to adhere to the existing norms for administering theory exams." However, all necessary precautions including the staggering of small batches must be adhered to, considering the risk factors of the areas where medical colleges are located.

It added, "If the external examiners are not able to travel, they may conduct the exams online".

"All the students who are unable to appear for the examinations can take up the examinations with the supplemental batches. This attempt will not be counted as an additional attempt."