The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) has officially announced that the National Exit Test (NExT) will be applicable to all AYUSH students admitted from the academic year 2021-22 onwards. The first such test under the updated policy is tentatively scheduled for March 2027 across Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Sowa-Rigpa programmes. This decision was issued in a public notice on December 12, 2025, under the directions of the Ministry of AYUSH and approved by NCISM at a meeting held on October 24, 2025. The reform aims to streamline exit assessment and licensing standards for AYUSH graduates nationwide.
NExT 2027 for AYUSH Students: Purpose and Implementation
The National Exit Test (NExT) has been introduced as a unified assessment to evaluate clinical competency, understanding of medical ethics, and ability to manage medico-legal cases among AYUSH graduates. This test is being introduced under provisions of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) Act, 2020, which mandates exit examinations for professional licensure and practice registration. The NExT framework also aligns with the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Act, 2020. Students from the 2021-22 academic cohort onwards will now be required to clear NExT as a licensing exam before enrolling in state or national registers upon completion of their one-year internship.
AYUSH NExT 2027: Tentative Timeline
The following table summarises the tentative implementation schedule for NExT as announced by NCISM. This gives AYUSH students clarity on key milestones leading up to the exam. Before the table, note that while the exact exam date will be confirmed later, March 2027 has been set as the expected month for roll-out of NExT for the current academic batch.
What AYUSH Students Should Know About NExT?
AYUSH students should prepare for NExT as a high-stakes examination with the following key purposes:
- Standardises exit assessment across AYUSH disciplines.
- Assesses clinical skills, reasoning and ethical understanding.
- Acts as a licensing criterion for state or national practice registers.
Institutions have been directed to inform students and faculty and complete administrative preparations to implement NExT smoothly according to NCISM guidelines.
