The number nobody advertises

NRE pass rate for MBBS graduates: what the official numbers show.

Updated: 2026-10-07 Author: a healthcare professional working in Beijing Sources: NUMS results as reported by Dawn and The News; PMDC/NUMS official channels

Short version: In the December 2025 National Registration Examination (NRE), about 1 in 5 foreign medical graduates passed — and graduates from Chinese medical universities passed at 15.5%, one of the lower rates among major source countries. The NRE, not the admission letter, is the real gate. Plan for it from day one.

1. What the NRE is

The NRE (National Registration Examination; you may still see the older name NLE) is the exam Pakistan's Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) requires from graduates of foreign medical schools before they can register and practice in Pakistan. PMDC's own law requires the exam to be held twice a year. The exam is conducted by the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS). Passing the theory component (NRE-I) and the clinical component (NRE-II) leads to provisional PMDC registration.

2. The official results, exam by exam

These figures were reported by Dawn from NUMS announcements:

Exam	Registered	Appeared	Passed	Medical pass rate
June 2025	5,036 (4,995 medical, 41 dental)	4,991	1,252 (all medical)	~25.3% (as reported)
December 2025	7,076 (6,993 medical, 83 dental)	7,012	1,473 (1,467 medical, 6 dental)	21.17%

Dental candidates sat in far smaller numbers and passed at only 7.23% in December 2025.

3. The China-specific number

The News, citing official PMDC data for the December 2025 exam, published a country-wise breakdown: 333 candidates out of 2,154 graduates from China passed — about 15.5%. For context, the same data set put Kyrgyzstan's graduates at roughly 951 passes out of 4,256 candidates (about 22%). We could not locate PMDC's country table published directly on pmdc.pk, so treat this as press-reported official data and confirm against PMDC's own release when it appears.

Eligibility gate (updated): PM&DC notice PF-5-ADR-PM&DC/2026/1220 (31 July 2026) makes ECFMG recognition of your foreign institution the precondition for NRE eligibility. Before you count yourself into these statistics, confirm your school is in the World Directory of Medical Schools with an ECFMG note — see our verification checklist.

Read this before you choose a school: a 15.5% pass rate does not mean a China MBBS is a bad bet. It means two things. First, the exam is genuinely hard and most candidates are underprepared. Second, outcomes differ by which university you attend and how seriously you study — English-medium MOE-listed programs with real hospital exposure are not the same experience as a marginal program an agent pushed for commission.

4. Why the pass rate is low

Scale: thousands of graduates sit each exam (7,012 in December 2025 alone) from dozens of countries.
Preparation gap: most candidates treat NRE prep as a post-graduation problem. The commonly reported requirement — at least 60% in each component — is a bar many reach only after multiple attempts.
Quality spread: foreign programs vary enormously. PMDC maintains its own recognized-list criteria precisely because of that spread.

5. What a serious student does differently

Pick a university on the MOE English-medium list and verify PMDC recognition before applying — not after graduating.
Start NRE-format study in the clinical years, not after the degree. Past papers and the NUMS/PMDC syllabus are your map.
Take ward rotations seriously; the clinical component (NRE-II) fails people who coasted through clerkships.
Keep HSK moving. Strong Chinese during rotations means real patient exposure, which is what the clinical exam tests.
Book the earliest sitting after graduation you are eligible for — PMDC holds the exam twice a year by law, so a failed attempt costs you months, not years.

FAQ

Is the NRE mandatory for China MBBS graduates?

Yes. Any graduate of a foreign medical school — including China — must pass the NRE before PMDC registration and practice in Pakistan.

How often is the NRE held?

Twice a year, as required by PMDC law — recent sittings were in June and December.

What is the passing requirement?

Commonly reported as at least 60% in each component (theory NRE-I and clinical NRE-II). Confirm the current rule on pmdc.pk or the NUMS announcement for your exam.

Does 15.5% mean I shouldn't study medicine in China?

It means you should treat NRE preparation as part of the degree, not an afterthought. Students who choose recognized English-medium programs and study deliberately do pass — and China's total cost still undercuts most Pakistan private options by a wide margin.

Where do I get official NRE schedules and results?

Watch pmdc.pk and NUMS announcements. Be skeptical of any agent claiming special NRE access, leaked papers, or "guaranteed pass" coaching.

Source note

Primary data: Dawn, 25 December 2025 (NUMS-reported December 2025 NRE results, including June 2025 comparison figures); The News, 15 January 2026 (country-wise PMDC data for the December 2025 exam, including China 333/2,154). Historical per-city NRE-I figures from the June 2025 sitting were cross-checked against Dawn's June 2025 coverage. Where press-reported numbers conflict slightly, we use the figures NUMS reported most recently.