The Government of India established the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) in 1975 with the objective of improving the quality of the Medical Education by establishing high and uniform standards of postgraduate examinations in modern medicine on an all-India basis and utilizing existing infrastructure for capacity building.

NBEMS at present conducts postgraduate and postdoctoral examinations in approved specialties leading to the award of Diplomate of National Board (DNB) and Doctorate of National Board (DrNB) respectively.

The Examinations conducted by NBEMS provide a common standard and mechanism of evaluation of minimum level of attainment of the knowledge and competencies of medical specialties. Moreover, intra country and international comparisons are facilitated with the availability of common evaluation mechanism.