Russian Universities to help Indian students prepare for MCI screening exam

In an attempt to help their Indian medical graduates to clear the mandatory screening test in India, Russian medical universities are reported to be taking some desperate measures. This is because of the low pass percentage scored by the foreign medical graduates in Russia. Education consultants and Russian universities are now helping their Indian medical students to clear the mandatory screening test.

Some of the collective measures taken by them include providing students with practical classes in summers, and an annual program to depart special coaching after completion of their course. Besides, MBBS teachers from India are now deployed at Russian universities to effectively tackle the present situation.

The 2015 pass percentage for the mandatory screening test (for Russian medical graduate degree holders) is only 10.7%. In 2014, the pass percentage was 4.93%. This clearly indicates that the number of students required to appear for the screening test has improved considerably over the years. However, the students clearing the test at the same time has dropped. There is an 80% drop in clearance. MCI statistics reveal that it stood at 50.12% in 2005.

This screening test is mandatory for all students with a foreign medical degree who wish to practice in India. It is compulsory to clear the test and do a one-year internship.

TOI in its report implied that for many parents take the option for sending their children abroad for pursuing a medical degree. The competitive cut-offs of 198 out of 200 accompanied with a high course fee (can be higher than Rs 40 lakh), gives them an easy choice to make. Medical education in countries such as Russia, China or Ukraine, is almost a fraction of the cost in India.

MD team earlier reported that an average 77 per cent Indian students who returned with a foreign medical degree in the past 12 years failed to clear the mandatory screening examination conducted by Medical Council of India.

The highest percentage of 76.8 successful candidates was registered way back in September 2005 when 2,851 students appeared for the test and 2,192 passed it. In March 2008, 58.7 per cent candidates were able to clear the screening with 1,087 out of 1,851 candidates clearing it. The last two sessions of the screening exam in 2015, however, saw only 10.4 per cent and 11.4 per cent candidates clearing the test. In June last year, 5,967 candidates appeared for the exam of whom only 603 cleared it while in December, 6,407 candidates took the screening test and only 731 passed. In most of the sessions over the past 12 years, the percentage of pass candidates hovered in the twenties with only 282 out of 5,724 (4 per cent) clearing the exam in June 2014, according to the data provided to PTI by the examination conducting body.