Nepal's council licensing exams for doctors, nurses and allied health

Medical and health education in Nepal

The MBBS in Nepal takes four and a half years of study, followed by a one-year compulsory internship. About two dozen medical colleges teach it, both government and private. Admission to MBBS is through an entrance examination run under the Medical Education Commission, and the Nepal Medical Council (NMC) registers doctors. Teaching is in English.

Nepal is unusual in South Asia for the weight it places on exams after graduation. Graduates of Nepali and foreign schools alike sit the NMC licensing examination before they can register. This is the main hurdle for newly qualified doctors, and it ties the end of training directly to the licence.

Nursing is available as a three-year diploma (Proficiency Certificate Level) or a four-year B.Sc., with a licensing exam from the Nepal Nursing Council. Pharmacy is a four-year B.Pharm registered with the Nepal Pharmacy Council. Dentistry is a BDS with an internship year. Programme lengths vary between universities, so check the council for the current curriculum.

Nepal sends thousands of medical students to China, Bangladesh, India and elsewhere. They come home to the same gate as everyone else: a national licensing examination, with no exemption for where you studied. That makes Nepal different from its neighbours, where local graduates register by paperwork and only returning graduates face an exam.

Who needs a licensing exam in Nepal

Almost everyone. The question is which council.

• Doctors and dentists: all MBBS and BDS graduates, Nepali and foreign-trained, after internship, sit the NMC licensing exam.
• Nurses (PCL and B.Sc): NNC licensing exam NLEN. Nepali nationals trained abroad may need a Medical Education Commission eligibility letter if study began after October 2020.
• Midwives: NNC licensing exam NLEM, written and practical.
• Pharmacists: NPC licensing (name registration) exam. Foreign degrees need an equivalence certificate.
• Physiotherapists and lab scientists: NHPC licensing exam, same exam series as radiography, optometry and other allied programmes.

Doctors: the NMC licensing examination

Regulator: Nepal Medical Council. Format: computer-based test of 130 one-mark MCQs plus 10 case-based short-answer questions worth 5 marks each, 180 marks in total, in 3 hours. A candidate needs 90. It is held several times a year.

The sharp point is the gap between home and foreign graduates. In 2018, more than 80 per cent of Nepal-trained candidates passed, but over 80 per cent of foreign-college graduates failed. In the August 2018 sitting, 903 candidates sat. Those figures are old, and the exam has moved on, but they explain the steady demand from Nepali students returning from China, Bangladesh and India.

1. Finish the degree and internship. Both are required before application.
2. Check document recognition. Foreign degrees need to be recognised in Nepal.
3. Apply to the NMC. Use the notice for the next sitting.
4. Sit the computer-based exam. 90 of 180.
5. Register and receive the licence.

Postgraduate entry: MECEE-PG

The Medical Education Commission’s PG integrated entrance exam selects MD and MS trainees from MBBS graduates registered with the NMC. It is MCQ-based. We did not open an official MEC page, so confirm the question count and dates there.

Dentists

BDS graduates sit the NMC licensing examination for dentistry, again for both Nepali and foreign-trained graduates. The format is understood to be CBT multiple choice, but the blueprint was not confirmed, so rely on the NMC notice for the current paper.

Nurses: NLEN

The Nepal Licensing Examination for Nurses is for PCL and B.Sc Nursing graduates.

There is no negative marking and the result is pass/fail. About 70 per cent passed in March 2024. A separate Specialist Nurse exam also has 150 MCQs but a 60 per cent pass line. Applications go through the council’s online system at application.nnc.org.np.

Midwives: NLEM

The Nepal Licensing Examination for Midwives has two parts: a 150-question MCQ test taken on computer (50% to pass), and a 50-mark OSPE practical, where the pass mark is 80 per cent. The cohort is small, since it serves graduates of the Bachelor in Midwifery Science. The practical bar is high, so skills practice matters as much as the theory.

Pharmacists: the NPC licensing exam

B.Pharm graduates take a 150-question MCQ exam spread across seven subject areas. The Nepal Pharmacy Council numbers its exam series; the 27th to 30th had run by 2024-25. A separate exam serves Pharmacy Assistants at certificate level. Foreign-degree holders must first obtain an equivalence certificate.

Physiotherapists and allied professions: NHPC

The Nepal Health Professional Council runs a licensing exam for Bachelor and PCL physiotherapy graduates, and uses the same series for medical laboratory technology, radiography, optometry, anaesthesia technology and public health programmes. The written exam is understood to be MCQ-based, but the format is unverified here. The NHPC syllabus page sets the scope.

The scale is worth knowing. The NHPC’s 11th licensing exam (2081 BS) had 3,364 candidates across all allied programmes: 1,403 Bachelor and 1,961 PCL. The PCL pass rate was 22.6 per cent. That is a low pass rate for a licensing exam, and it is a signal that preparation matters.

Preparing for the Nepal exams

Nepal’s papers differ in structure, so the preparation plan should too.

• NMC (doctors): the mix of 130 MCQs and 10 case-based short questions rewards candidates who can write a concise, structured answer, not only pick an option. Practise the short-case style under time, since those ten questions carry 50 of the 180 marks.
• NNC (nurses): with no negative marking and a 50 per cent line, answer every question. The third of the year’s sittings is a chance to retake, so plan your first attempt as the real one and the second as insurance.
• NNC (midwives): the practical needs 80 per cent, which is a higher bar than the theory. Rehearse OSPE stations with a partner and time each one.
• NHPC (allied health): the PCL pass rate of 22.6 per cent in the 11th exam suggests that candidates underestimate it. Start from the published syllabus page.

Returning foreign graduates should add one more step: map your overseas curriculum against the Nepali syllabus and list the gaps. That list is the most efficient revision plan you will make.

Exams in Nepal at a glance

Language and recognition

Exams are delivered in English. There is no separate language test. Foreign-trained Nepali nationals face an eligibility step before they can sit: a Medical Education Commission letter for nurses whose study began after October 2020, and an equivalence certificate for pharmacists. Doctors planning to work in the Gulf or the UK should note that the NMC licence is usually a prerequisite for their Dataflow or PLAB applications.

TriagePass is independent and is not affiliated with any Nepali council or commission.

Last reviewed October 2026