PM&DC NRE: pattern, syllabus and dates
The National Registration Examination (NRE) is the exam Pakistani nationals who studied medicine abroad must pass for full registration with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. NUMS Rawalpindi conducts it in two steps: a written MCQ exam, then a clinical skills exam. The structure below is from the NRE (Medical) standard, structure and syllabus 2024, the latest PM&DC has published.
Checked against the official sources below on 21 October 2026.
At a glance
| Held by | Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC), under section 18 of the PM&DC Act 2022[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Conducted by | National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi[3] |
| Who sits it | Pakistani nationals with a medical or dental degree from a foreign institution; passing it is required for full registration[4] |
| Structure | Two steps, held at least twice a year: Step-I (theory, MCQs) and Step-II (Clinical Skills Examination)[3] |
| Step-I | 200 MCQs: 140 (70%) from clinical sciences and 60 (30%) from basic sciences[2] |
| Step-II | An OSCE-style Clinical Skills Examination of 20 stations, 8 minutes each with 2 minutes to change over (about 3.5 hours with briefing); only for those who pass Step-I[2] |
| Pass mark | 60% in each step; in Step-II you must also pass all three mandatory stations[2][3] |
| Negative marking | None[3] |
| Attempts | No limit[4] |
| Validity | A Step-I pass stays valid for five years, within which you must pass Step-II[2] |
| Next Step-I | Sunday 8 November 2026 (moved from 11 October 2026)[5] |
Syllabus
PM&DC publishes the number of Step-I MCQs from each subject:
Clinical sciences: 140 MCQs[2]
- Medicine and allied: 52
- Surgery and allied: 48
- Obstetrics and gynaecology: 14
- Paediatrics: 14
- Ophthalmology: 6
- ENT: 6
Basic sciences: 60 MCQs[2]
- Applied pathology: 11
- Applied anatomy: 11
- Applied physiology: 10
- Clinical pharmacology: 8
- Applied biochemistry: 6
- Community medicine: 6
- Forensic medicine and toxicology: 4
Step-II stations[2]
- Medicine and allied: 7
- Surgery and allied: 7
- Obstetrics and gynaecology: 2
- Paediatrics: 2
- Eye: 1
- ENT: 1
Good to know
- To sit the NRE you need your primary medical degree and a provisional licence from PM&DC. Since a PM&DC notice of 31 July 2026, only graduates of foreign institutions recognised by ECFMG are eligible, and graduates of institutions in Afghanistan are not.[2][6]
- Foreign graduates also do a one-year house job after provisional registration.[4]
- Doctors with a foreign licence and a recognised postgraduate qualification such as MRCP, FRCS or an American Board fellowship are exempt.[4]
- If you fail only Step-II you retake Step-II, but after three failed Step-II attempts you must sit the whole NRE again.[2]
- Dental graduates sit a dental NRE, which has its own syllabus.[7]
Practise for the NRE
Clinical and basic science MCQs by chapter, marked instantly with an explanation.
Practise PM&DC questionsSources
- PM&DC: Public notice on the NRE schedule for 2026
- PM&DC: NRE (Medical) standard, structure and syllabus 2024 (PDF)
- PM&DC press release: NRE is a standard examination
- PM&DC: Registration Regulations 2023 (PDF)
- PM&DC: NRE Step-I rescheduled (5 October 2026)
- PM&DC: NRE eligibility of Pakistani nationals graduating from foreign institutes (31 July 2026)
- PM&DC: NRE (Dental) standard, structure and syllabus 2024 (PDF)
Waraq is an independent study platform, not affiliated with PM&DC or NUMS. Exam rules change from year to year: always confirm with the official source before you register or apply.