The first ever All India “Online test” for Post Graduate medical students will start from Friday. The new system offers flexibility for aspirants to choose any date between November 23 to December 6, 2012.
After following paperpencil format for years, this will be the first time that an online test will be conducted for Post Graduate (PG) medical students.
The National Board of Examination (NBE) which agreed to conduct the common entrance test (Cet) for PG medical students decided to replicate the IIM modelan “online test” format for the students.
About 36 centers all across the country have been shortlisted for the exam. The candidates will also have a flexibility in chosing their center on first come first basis.
All candidates who have completed their MBBS internship or those who will be completing it by 31 March, 2013 will be eligible to sit in the exam.
The new system for PG medical test will offer flexibility for candidates to choose any date in the “fourteen day” period for the test. While, the format will same as has been in the paper-pencil test format, the 14 day window allows student to appear for the test at their convenience, making it user friendly.
Besides invigilators, CCTVs and biometric identification systems are also put in place for the exam.
The NBE has also decided that there will be no negative marking in the test.
Earlier this year the health ministry had approached the NBE for conducting Cet for PG students after the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) expressed its inability in conducting it, citing lack of manpower. Approximately 60,000 students appear every year for various PG medical examinations. The AIIMS conduct PG entrance for 50 per cent of government seats-which comes to around 4,000 seats.
Salient features of the PG exam Common test to be conducted in 33 cities Candidates will have an authority to choose their center in first come first basis Candidates who will be completing their MBBS internship by March 2013 will be eligible to sit for the exam No Negative marking