With the crucial Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) just over a week away, scheduled for January 17, 2026, a wave of uncertainty has hit thousands of medical graduates. The source of the anxiety is not the syllabus, but a fundamental logistical detail: the location of their exam centre. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the body conducting the test, has inadvertently created confusion by sending out conflicting information through its official communication channels.
Conflicting Official Communications Cause Panic
In the lead-up to the exam, NBEMS traditionally intimates candidates about their allotted exam city through both SMS and email. These two modes are supposed to convey identical information, allowing aspirants to plan their travel and accommodation well in advance. However, for the FMGE January 2026 session, this system has seemingly broken down.
Over the past several days, numerous candidates have reported receiving mismatched exam city details. In many instances, the city mentioned in the SMS is completely different from the one stated in the official email. For example, an SMS might allot Delhi, while the corresponding email points to a centre in Gurugram or Noida. Some candidates have reported receiving only an SMS with no follow-up email, while a smaller, more worried group claims to have received two entirely different city allotments simultaneously through the two channels.
The confusion has rapidly spread on social media platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Aspirants are sharing screenshots of their conflicting communications, desperately seeking answers to one simple question: Where are they supposed to report on exam day? One viral post on X highlights the extreme nature of the discrepancy, where a candidate's email allots a centre in another state, while the NBEMS SMS assigns them a centre in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Official Silence and the Crucial Admit Card Clarification
Amidst the growing anxiety, NBEMS has not yet issued any official clarification specifically addressing this mismatch between SMS and email intimations. This silence is particularly troubling for those who need to arrange interstate travel or book hotels, as costs and availability become critical issues with time running out.
However, there is one critical piece of information all candidates must understand. The SMS and email notifications are only preliminary communications. As per established NBEMS norms, the only document that holds final and official authority is the FMGE admit card. It is this hall ticket that definitively confirms the exam city and the exact test centre address.
The FMGE January 2026 admit cards are scheduled for release on January 14, 2026, just three days before the exam. Until that document is available for download, candidates are strongly advised against making any final travel or accommodation bookings based solely on the SMS or email information. Doing so carries a significant risk of financial loss due to last-minute changes.
What Candidates Should Do Now
The current advisory for all FMGE aspirants is clear:
- Do not panic or make firm travel plans based on SMS/email.
- Regularly check the official NBEMS website for any updates or notices regarding the FMGE December 2025 session examination (which corresponds to the January 2026 test).
- Wait for the admit card release on January 14, 2026, and use only those details for final planning.
- If, after downloading the admit card, any discrepancy in the exam city or centre details persists, candidates should immediately contact NBEMS through their official helpline or email support for clarification and resolution.
Importantly, there is no need to approach the authorities before the admit card is released. Such mismatches in early-stage communication are often resolved automatically when the final hall ticket is generated. For now, the confusion remains unresolved, leaving a nation of medical graduates in a state of limbo, waiting for the one document that will finally provide clarity: the FMGE admit card.
