No common PG medical entrance test next year

Updated on: Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Government has decided not to hold the common PG medical entrance test next year as proposed earlier, citing lack of resources and expertise.

The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for all postgraduate medical seats across the country will now be held only in 2013, given the lack of resources and expertise required to conduct the examination on a national scale in different medical streams.

"In view of lack of resources we have decided that the test will now be held in 2013 and the National Board for Examination (NBE) will be roped in to conduct the test. It will by then strengthen its own resources and infrastructure. At present, it does not have the capabilty for holding the exam," Health Secretary PK Pradhan told.

The test was earlier scheduled to be held in January-February 2012 for admissions in the academic year 2012-2013 and the Medical Council of India had requested the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to hold the test on its behalf.

There are, in all, 21000 PG seats in the country at present.

AIIMS has now, in writing, declined MCI's request citing its infrastructural inability in conducting the proposed NEET on such a large scale. At present, AIIMS conducts entrance examinations for 50 per cent of the existing PG medical seats in the country.

Importantly, AIIMS, being a deemed university created under an Act of Parliament, will not be covered by the proposed NEET for PG medical seats even when the exam is finally held in 2013. It may be mentioned here that AIIMS had been consistently opposing its participation in the said test.

"AIIMS will not participate in the exam but it is yet to be ascertained whether the PG seats for which it is presently conducting the exam will finally remain with the NEET-conducting body or with AIIMS," MCI sources said.

"The Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) in the NEET-PG would be based on the MBBS syllabus as well as the knowledge that needs to be acquired during internship... The distribution of questions, model questions and method of tie breaking for ranking would be placed on the website in the due course," MCI had earlier said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has accorded its sanction for conducting the proposed common entrance exam for entrance to undergraduate MBBS seats in 335 medical colleges across India. However, after Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh has now challenged
the exam in a court to stay out of its ambit.

"Andhra Pradesh Private Medical College Association moved court against NEET for UG test which is to be held next year. They have got a favourable order," MCI sources said.

No common PG medical entrance test next year

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