MCI to conduct national level test for PG medical entrance

The Medical Council of India (MCI) will for the first time hold an All India level examination for admission in post-graduate medical courses across the country early next year. According to MCI, the syllabus for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET-PG) will be that of MBBS and further information carrying relevant details in this regard would soon be put on its website. "The Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to Medical Post-graduate Courses across the country i.e. NEET-PG shall be held in Jan-Feb 2012 for admissions in the academic year 2012-2013," a notice issued by MCI said. "The Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) 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 said. The move assumes significance as MCI decision to hold a national level examination for admission in undergraduate and post-graduate courses was opposed by various stake holders. Whereas, several group of students had moved the Supreme Court supporting an All India level examination. After a brief legal battle, the apex court had in March this year held that the MCI will oversee the common entrance test each for undergraduate and postgraduate medical programmes following which the recent notification was issued. In general, an aspirant has to take over a dozen examinations for one medical seat despite facing problems like clash of dates and multiple fees. Various students' bodies have demanded single examination for PG medical entrance on the lines of All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE). Every year about 40,000 students are admitted to undergraduate programmes and some 19,000 for postgraduate courses, MCI officials said. As per official statistics, there are close to 300 private and government controlled medical colleges in the country.

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