MBBS Syllabus 2025: Subjects, Semester-wise, Books, Top Colleges

What is the Syllabus of MBBS in India?

The MBBS course lasts for five and a half years, followed by an internship at a hospital for one year. The internship is compulsory to allow students to study the MBBS subjects to acquire some practical experience before completing the course. It also helps strengthen the knowledge they would have acquired through course books in the past four years.

The course employs a semester system. Each semester lasts for six months. MBBS subjects are taught across nine semesters in total.

There are three phases in the MBBS subjects taught: Pre-clinical, Para-clinical, and Clinical Phase. The pre-clinical phase lasts for two semesters (1 and 2) and covers Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology. 

The para-clinical phase lasts for three semesters (3, 4, and 5) and covers Community Medicine, Forensic medicine, Microbiology, and Pharmacology. Clinical Postings in Wards and OPDS also begin here. 

The clinical phase lasts for the last 4 semesters (6, 7, 8, and 9) and covers subjects of Community Medicine, Pediatrics, Gynae, Obst., Medicine, Psychiatry, Dermatology, Surgery, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, E.N.T., and Anesthesiology. Clinical postings happen in this phase.

MBBS Subjects Year Wise

The sections below give the syllabus breakdown year-wise.

What are the Subjects Taught in 1st Year of MBBS?

MBBS subjects in the first year consist of Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology.

What are the Subjects Taught in 2nd Year of MBBS?

MBBS subjects in the second year consist of community medicine, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, forensic medicine and toxicology, clinical postings, and OPD.

What are the Subjects Taught in 3rd Year of MBBS?

MBBS Subjects in 3rd year consist of Community Medicine, ENT, Ophthalmology

What are the Subjects Taught in Final Year of MBBS?

MBBS Subjects in the final year consist of Psychiatry, Dermatology, Venereology, Paediatrics, Anesthesiology, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology.

19 Subjects of MBBS

• Anatomy
• Biochemistry
• Physiology
• Community Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Pathology
• Microbiology
• Community Medicine
• Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
• Clinical postings inwards
• OPD
• ENT
• Ophthalmology
• Psychiatry
• Dermatology and Venereology
• Pediatrics
• Anesthesiology
• Orthopaedics
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology

MBBS Entrance Exams

MBBS Entrance Exam Syllabus: Biology

As per the new NEET Biology Exam Pattern, both subjects will have 2 sections i.e. A and B in the paper. The sections will have 35 and 15 questions, where aspirants can score 4 marks whereas for a wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted.

NEET Biology Syllabus: Class Wise

MBBS Entrance Exam Syllabus: Physics

NEET Physics Syllabus carries 25% weightage in the paper which is 180 marks. Some of the important topics based on the questions asked in previous years are Alternating current, Current electricity, Physics Laws, Optics, etc.

MBBS Entrance Exam Syllabus: Chemistry

NEET Chemistry syllabus is further divided into three categories: Physical Chemistry, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry. Inorganic has 19, Organic has 15 and Physical has 16 questions which are from subjects studied at class 11 and 12 levels respectively. It is considered to be the scoring section, most questions are NCERT-based and are easy to understand and answer.

MBBS Exam Pattern

• MBBS Subjects in Semester 1 and Semester 2 are Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology. 
• The pre-clinical phase of the MBBS Syllabus consists of 2 semesters. The Para-clinical phase of MBBS Syllabus consists of 3 semesters. 
• MBBS Subjects in para clinical phase of the MBBS syllabus consist of Forensic Medicine, Community Medicine; Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Clinical postings in wards and the OPDs studies begin in this phase. 
• The clinical phase of the MBBS Syllabus has 4 semesters. MBBS subjects of the clinical phase are Community Medicine, Psychiatry, Dermatology, Gynaec, Pediatrics etc.

MBBS Syllabus: Pre-Clinical Phase

• The preclinical phase of MBBS Subjects is spread over the first two semesters of the MBBS course. 
• The MBBS subjects of the pre-clinical phase consist of different MBBS subjects such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology.
• The candidates have to conduct practicals on gross anatomy, microanatomy, Embryology, genetics, Neuroanatomy, etc. in the MBBS syllabus.

MBBS Syllabus: Para-Clinical Phase

• It starts in the second year of the MBBS course. It consists of MBBS subjects such as Pathology, Pharmacology, Forensic medicine and Toxicology, Microbiology, etc. 
• Candidates are introduced to community medicines in this phase of the MBBS course. 
• This phase of MBBS Subjects continues for three semesters, i.e from the third to the fifth semester. 
• During the semester of MBBS subjects, the aspirants would be posted to the different wards in the hospital and would also have to take up OPD responsibilities.

MBBS Syllabus: Clinical Phase

• The candidates continue to study community medicine, from phase 2 of the MBBS Syllabus.
• Candidates learn about medicine and allied MBBS subjects such as dermatology, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, etc.
• Candidates also gain knowledge about surgery and allied fields such as (Anesthesiology, E.N.T., Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, etc.
• The candidates would continue with their clinical postings throughout the clinical phase.

Popular MBBS Books and Authors 

Several books are available at the students' disposal with all the material needed to study during their MBBS degree. As mentioned above, there are around 18 subjects, each with almost two to three recommended readings. Some of the important books are as follows:

MBBS 1st Year Books

MBBS 1st yearbooks that are MCI recommended are very useful for students. MBBS Subject books help students understand the concepts. Some of the MCI-recommended MBBS 1st yearbooks are mentioned below:

• Gray’s Anatomy for Students, South Asia Edition
• BD Chaurasia’s Textbook of Anatomy
• Vishram Singh’s Textbook of Anatomy
• Netter’s Atlas
• Di Fiore's Atlas of Human Histology with Functional Correlation
• Inderbir Singh’s Textbook Of Human Histology
• Langman’s textbook of Medical Embryology
• Harpers’ Illustrated Biochemistry
• Textbook of Biochemistry for Medical Students, DM Vasudevan
• Guyton and Hall, Text of Medical Physiology (South Asian edition)
• Textbook of Medical Physiology. G K Pal
• Textbook of Medical Physiology. D Venkatesh, H H Sudhakar

MBBS Books in AIIMS