Status check: Myriad of medical entrance tests in the country

MCI's proposal to replace all of them with one common test is an important first step in reforming medical education in the country. By evolving all-India admission norms, it may eventually pave way for bringing in better quality standards in colleges all over the country.

Here is how medical entrance exams are being conducted in the country at present.

Andhra Pradesh

AP has been holding a centralised exam, Engineering Agricultural and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET), for different professional courses.  The coaching industry for EAMCET is estimated at nearly Rs. 5000 crore a year. The exorbitant fees charged by these institutions have made coaching unaffordable for many students.

(J.B.S Umanadh, Hyderabad)

Bihar

The admission to government medical and dental colleges takes place through entrance tests conducted separately by CBSE and Bihar State Combined Medical Entrance Examination Board. Bihar State Private Dental College Association (BSPDCA) holds a test for admission to three private dental colleges.

The Government-run medical colleges in the State are likely to face a severe teaching problem as 30 senior faculty members are on the verge of retirement in the next couple of months.

(Abhay Kumar, Patna)

Goa

Goa's only school of medicine, the government-run Goa Medical College, hived off its dentistry section into Goa Dental College and Hospital (GDCH) in 1980.  Admissions to professional degree courses, including medical,  were centralised with the introduction of the Goa Common Entrance Test (GCET) ten years ago.

What has often been a point of contention is the 10-year domicile requirement for applicants trying for the 'general' category seats. This clause has been challenged in the courts in the past and the courts have often ruled in favour of the aggrieved applicants.

(Devika Sequeira, Panaji)

Gujarat

Students seeking admissions in medical and dental courses in Gujarat are selected on the basis of their twelfth standard marks. Twelfth standard science toppers get admission in the top five colleges, which are run by the government.  Once the seats of the government colleges are full students are then offered seats in self financed colleges (SFI). SFI colleges have been on a rise in the state to cater to the increasing demand for medical education.

(Swati Bhan, Ahmedabad)

Jammu and Kashmir

The Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BoPEE) conducts the common entrance test (CET) for all professional courses, including medicine and dental. Jammu and Kashmir has three government medical colleges and one private medical college. It also has two government dental colleges and one private dental college. The J&K government has communicated its opposition to NEET to the central government.

(Zahoor Malik, Srinagar)

Kerala

Students aspiring to enroll for medical courses in Kerala have to appear for three entrance exams. The Common Entrance Examination (CEE) is conducted by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations while the other two are held by two consortiums of private medical college managements.

One consortium is run by self-financing medical colleges under the Inter-Church Council and fills up all seats on its own. This consortium controls four private medical colleges. The second consortium, comprising nine colleges, has an agreement with the government and 50 per cent of its seats go to the students from the CEE list. 

(R Gopakumar, Thiruvananthapuram.)

Maharashtra

The government conducts Maharashtra Health and Technology Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET), a combined entrance exam for admissions to health sciences, engineering and pharmacy degree courses in government and specified unaided colleges. The government runs 19 medical and four dental colleges.

Then, there is the Association of Management of Private Unaided Medical and Dental Colleges, which conducts a separate test (ASSO-CET) for the 11 medical and 21 dental colleges under its control.

Besides these two exams, institutions such as Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, the Mahatma Gandhi institute of Medical Sciences and the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) have their own tests. The entrance tests generate a lot of revenue and colleges are unlikely to let that go.

(Parag R Rabade, Mumbai)

Orissa

There are six medical and five dental colleges in Orissa. Of these three medical colleges and one dental college are run by the government. The state government's Industries department holds entrance test for all the medical and dental colleges, barring two private medical colleges, which hold their own separate entrance examinations.

(S.T.Beuria, Bhubaneshwar)

Punjab

In Punjab, an autonomous university, Baba Farid Medical University, conducts the entrance test for medical colleges located in Amritsar, Patiala, Faridkot, Ludhiana, Rajpura and Muktsar. In Chandigarh, the Panjab university conducts a common entrance test for the Government Medical College. 

MCI rules are reportedly flouted in Punjab. Colleges here face problems such as poor infrastructure and staff shortage.

(Gautam Dheer, Chandigarh)

Uttar Pradesh

The state has already launched preparations for conducting the Combined Pre Medical Test (CPMT) for the next academic year. The CPMT for admission to the state's medical and dental colleges is limited to the bonafide residents of Uttar Pradesh. The state officials see problems ahead if they have to replace CPMT with NEET. CPMT is conducted both in Hindi and English, whereas NEET is being proposed to be held only in English.

(Sanjay Pandey, Lucknow)

Tamil Nadu

The state Common Entrance Test was effectively abolished in 2007-08 following a demand by all political parties who said it favoured city students.  Admissions to undergraduate medical courses is done purely on the basis of the candidates' 'Plus Two' marks in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Based on the 'Plus Two' marks, a rank list of students is prepared and admissions are done by a selection committee.

(M R Venkatesh, Chennai)

West Bengal

The West Bengal Board for Joint Entrance Examination(WBJEE) conducts the Joint Entrance Test (JET), which is the lone channel for medical and dental admissions in the State. The JET exams have been dogged by several problems such as leakage of question papers, loss of examination papers and poor invigilation in the last few years.

(Prasanta Paul, Kolkata)

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