Islamabad: Barely one out of every five foreign medical graduates managed to clear Pakistan’s mandatory National Registration Examination (NRE) this month, as fresh results released by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council once again exposed deep quality gaps in medical education pursued by Pakistani students abroad.
Results of the NRE Step I, held on December 14, 2025, show that just 21 percent of medical candidates and only seven percent of dental graduates passed the exam, which is required for provisional registration and house job placement in Pakistan.
The examination was conducted by the National University of Medical Sciences, which was tasked with paper setting, evaluation and result compilation under PM&DC policy. According to official data shared by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, a total of 7,076 candidates registered for the exam, including 6,993 medical and 83 dental graduates.
Out of 7,012 candidates who actually appeared, only 1,473 cleared the test, including 1,467 medical graduates and just six dental graduates. The figures translate into a medical pass percentage of 21.17 percent and an alarmingly low dental pass rate of 7.23 percent, while 64 candidates were absent.
This means nearly four out of five foreign medical graduates failed to meet the minimum competency threshold required to practise medicine in Pakistan.
The latest results mirror the outcome of the previous NRE held in June 2025, when only 25 percent of medical graduates passed, and not a single dental graduate managed to qualify, reinforcing concerns that many students graduating from foreign institutions are ill prepared for clinical practice.
Health regulators say the primary reason behind the consistently low pass rate is poor academic and clinical training at substandard or unrecognised medical and dental colleges abroad, particularly in countries where regulatory oversight is weak and admission standards are low. Officials note that many students are enrolled without adequate screening and receive limited hands-on clinical exposure, leaving them unable to meet internationally accepted competency benchmarks.
PM&DC reiterated that, under the law, two NRE examinations must be conducted every year for foreign medical graduates. Candidates who clear Step I and later pass the Step II clinical examination will be issued provisional registration certificates, allowing them to undertake house jobs in Pakistan or abroad.
The council said dates for the NRE Step II clinical examination would be announced shortly. Meanwhile, results of Step I have been uploaded on the PM&DC website, where candidates can check their pass or fail status using their roll numbers.
Defending the examination process, PM&DC stressed that the NRE is conducted strictly on merit and in line with international practices to ensure patient safety and professional standards. The council warned that lowering the bar would compromise public health and undermine trust in the medical profession.
In a pointed advisory, PM&DC urged parents and students to exercise caution when choosing medical education abroad, warning that admission in low quality or unrecognised institutions often leads to repeated exam failures, wasted money and lost years.
“Medicine is not just another degree. It is a profession that deals directly with human lives,” the council said, emphasising that informed educational choices are essential to protect both future doctors and the patients they will eventually serve.
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