Free PMDC NRE (NLE) Step 1 Practice Test 2026
200 original MCQs for foreign medical graduates, 30% basic and 70% clinical sciences as the PM&DC syllabus sets them, with the 60% pass line. Tuned for mobile. No account needed.
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The PMDC NRE exam at a glance
The National Registration Examination (NRE), formerly called the National Licensing Examination (NLE), is the exam a Pakistani graduate of a foreign medical college must pass before the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council grants full registration, under section 18 of the PMDC Act 2022. It has two steps. Step 1 is a theory paper of 200 multiple-choice questions, 30 percent applied basic sciences and 70 percent clinical sciences, and Step 2 is a 20-station clinical skills OSCE. Each needs 60 percent, with no negative marking. NUMS, Rawalpindi conducts it for the PM&DC at least twice a year.
Tigertest has 200 PMDC NRE practice questions with explanations, all free with no account required.
- Run by
- PM&DC, conducted by NUMS Rawalpindi
- For
- Pakistani graduates of foreign medical colleges
- Step 1
- 200 MCQs: 60 basic sciences, 140 clinical
- Step 1 length
- 3 hours 30 minutes (June 2025 sitting)
- Pass mark
- 60% in each step, no negative marking
- Step 2
- Clinical Skills Examination, 20 OSCE stations
- Next Step 1
- 8 November 2026 (PMDC notice of 5 October 2026)
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow PM&DC NRE (Medical) Standards, Structure and Syllabus 2024 and PMDC press releases and notices, checked November 2026. Exam rules change, so confirm current details with Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.
How It Works
Train, Then Test
Four training sets, one per mock test: Set 1 holds exactly the 50 questions of Test 1, and so on. Master Set 1, take Test 1, then move on. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Mock Tests
Four 50-question mock tests, each a quarter of the real 200-question paper with the same basic and clinical mix, a 60 percent pass line and an explanation on every question. The Step 2 clinical skills OSCE is not modelled.
The Real Step 1 Paper
200 MCQs: 140 from clinical sciences and 60 from applied basic sciences. The PM&DC's basic sciences rows add up to 56 although the table gives a total of 60.
| Discipline | MCQs |
|---|---|
| Medicine and Allied | 52 |
| Surgery and Allied | 48 |
| Obstetrics & Gynaecology | 14 |
| Paediatrics | 14 |
| Ophthalmology and ENT | 6 + 6 |
| Applied Pathology and Anatomy | 11 + 11 |
| Applied Physiology | 10 |
| Clinical Pharmacology | 8 |
| Biochemistry, Community Medicine, Forensic Medicine | 6 + 6 + 4 |
Source: Pakistan Medical & Dental Council, National Registration Examination (Medical) Standards, Structure and Syllabus 2024. Checked November 2026. Tigertest is not affiliated with the PM&DC or NUMS.
Built for Practice in Pakistan
Each mock test keeps the official 30 to 70 split between basic and clinical sciences, with the disciplines grouped as below. Clinical questions are written for the diseases and programmes a house officer meets in Pakistan: hepatitis B and C, XDR typhoid, dengue, vivax and falciparum malaria, Congo fever, rabies, snakebite, organophosphate and wheat pill poisoning, and the EPI schedule. Teachers and academies can set Tigertest for a class at tigertest.io/teach and see which topics the class misses most.
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Share FeedbackHow to Pass NRE Step 1
1. Put medicine and surgery first
Medicine and allied subjects and surgery and allied subjects are exactly half the paper between them. Cardiology, gastroenterology and hepatology, infectious disease, trauma, the acute abdomen and orthopaedics repay the most time.
2. Learn the Pakistani version of the disease
The NRE is set on the curriculum of an MBBS in Pakistan. Know how hepatitis C, XDR typhoid, dengue, vivax malaria, rabies, snakebite and pesticide poisoning are managed here, and the EPI schedule, as well as what your foreign textbook says.
3. Revise basic sciences as applied questions
The 60 basic science questions are applied: which nerve a fracture injures, which mediator causes a sign, which drug interaction raised a level. Tie each fact to a patient rather than learning it alone.
4. Fix your misses, then retest
Tigertest tracks your accuracy by topic. Aim for at least 35 out of 50 on all four mock tests, comfortably above the 30 that the 60 percent line needs. After each test, drill the questions you missed and retrain that test's set.
PMDC NRE Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PMDC NRE, and is it the same as the NLE?
The National Registration Examination (NRE) is the exam a Pakistani graduate of a foreign medical college must pass before the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council grants full registration. It is required by section 18 of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act, 2022. It replaced the National Licensing Examination (NLE) of the former Pakistan Medical Commission, and many people still call it the NLE.
What is in NRE Step 1?
Step 1 is the theory component: 200 multiple-choice questions aimed at applying knowledge, 30 percent from applied basic sciences and 70 percent from clinical sciences, under the PM&DC's NRE Standards, Structure and Syllabus 2024. The June 2025 sitting lasted 3 hours 30 minutes (the 2024 standards give no theory duration). The PM&DC's notices for later sittings do not restate the question count, so check the latest one. Step 2 is the Clinical Skills Examination, an OSCE of 20 stations, which only Step 1 passers may sit and which is not modelled here.
What is the pass mark, and is there negative marking?
The PM&DC sets the pass mark at 60 percent in the theory and 60 percent in the Clinical Skills Examination, passed separately, with no negative marking in either. Its 2024 standards also mention Angoff's method for standardisation. The mock tests here use the same 60 percent line.
Who sets the paper and when is the next sitting?
The National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi conducts the NRE for the PM&DC, which holds it at least twice a year. The June 2025 sitting was held in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar; later sittings may use other centres. The PM&DC's notice of 5 October 2026 moved Step 1 to Sunday 8 November 2026. Check pmdc.pk for the current schedule before you plan.
Are these the real NRE questions?
No. Tigertest is independent and not affiliated with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, NUMS or any medical college. Every question is original, written to the PM&DC's published syllabus and weightage with Pakistani practice in mind, such as the EPI schedule, hepatitis, typhoid, dengue and malaria. It is free practice, not past papers and not a guarantee of a result.
I teach an NRE preparation class. Can my students use Tigertest?
Yes, for free. Make a class at tigertest.io/teach, post one link, and students join with just their name. You see who practiced, their test scores and the topics your class misses most.
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