No common medical entrance test this year

Two days after the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to the Medical Council of India (MCI) to hold a single eligibility-cum-entrance test for MBBS and post graduate medical courses,the MCI has expressed its inability to hold a Common Entrance Test (CET) this year. A senior official in the MCI said,Starting the CET from this year will not be possible as we want to give enough time to the students to prepare for the exam. We are already in March,holding the CET this year is not possible. Even the CBSE has expressed its unwillingness to hold the exam this academic year. But next year,they have communicated,they can do it.

Speaking to The Indian Express,Health Secretary K Chandramouli clarified,Conducting the CET is not possible this year. All the states will have to be taken on board before we start it. Even the MCI officials know they will not be able to conduct it this year.

Another official added: Many states have already announced their entrance tests. Sources said a formal announcement to this effect will be made on Tuesday.

Proposed by the MCI,the discussion on having a single test started after some students went to the court alleging that there are too many entrance exams for MBBS. A notification on National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test was issued last year in December,meant to replace all medical entrance examinations. The Union Health Ministry was at that time discussing the matter with the states and,therefore,it announced the test as invalid. Thereafter,the proposal was discussed during the state health ministers meet in Hyderabad. Even as most states supported it,Gujarat and Tamil Nadu rejected it.