VIJAYAWADA: The confidence and eagerness to face the much-awaited test was clearly visible on their faces. Nearly 33,548 students took the Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (Eamcet) in the city region here on Sunday, amidst fool-proof arrangements made by the officials concerned.

The day witnessed students taking whatever mode of transportation available to them to reach their respective examination centres. Special buses were run to meet the students' needs for transportation to the 57 centres in and other areas in the district.

Hope and expectation was also writ large on the faces of parents and guardians, who waited eagerly outside while their children went in to write the entrance test. The students were allowed into the examination halls 45 minutes before the beginning of the test. At VR Siddhartha Engineering College centre, they were permitted into the halls a few minutes even before considering the long road they have to walk within that campus to reach their examination halls.

EAMCET regional coordinator K. Mohana Rao, who is also principal of VR SEC, said that the examination passed off peacefully without any untoward incident. As many as 882 students were absent. The number of students who took engineering examination was 27,727 while it was 5,821 in respect of the medical stream.

Mr. Rao said that not a single student was allowed into the examination hall even if he or she was late by a minute. Some students were transported from the main gate to the examination halls inside the VR SEC by cars and two wheelers, as they came just in time at the centre.

At the Montessori Mahila Kalasala centre, one student was not allowed into the hall because he was late by six minutes.

At some centres, parents struggled hard to help their children reach the examination hall when they arrived there at the last minute.

EAMCET

GUNTUR: Braving the scorching heat, over 20,000 students appeared in the EAMCET-2010, the common entrance test for gaining admission into Engineering and Medical Courses, passed off without any hiccups in Guntur district on Sunday.

Thanks to the directive of the State Government allowing students to sit in the examination hall well before 45 minutes of the commencement of test at 10 a.m., most of the students were in their seats by 9.15 a.m.

The test was conducted peacefully without any hiccups as police seeing that no traffic hassles were caused. A large number of students appeared for the test at Government Women's College and Guntur Medical College centres. But traffic snarls were reported at the centres as the students rushed outside after writing the exam at once, leaving the cops clueless on managing the traffic.

Regional Coordinator, Eamcet, G. Raveendra Babu said that about 1,000 students absented themselves from the test.

As has been the case for the last fortnight, the district witnessed searing heat conditions. Guntur resembled a simmering cauldron with mercury soaring to 45 degree Celsius. Parents who had accompanied the students had a torrid time waiting under the shade of trees, while vendors selling water bottles and cool drinks had a field day.

Mr. Raveendra Babu thanked the police and revenue departments for ensuring the smooth conduct of the test.