National entrance test for PG medical quota admissions from 2015–16

NBE to conduct test for 2014–15 admissions

From the academic year 2015–16, postgraduate (PG) medical seat aspirants in Karnataka will join students from 10 other States in writing the All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination (AIPGMEE) for admissions to both the State and national quotas. Karnataka will be the 11th State in the country to use the national entrance test for the State quota admissions as well.

Confirming this, Rashmi V., Secretary, Medical Education, said the State government initially wanted to implement the plan for the academic year 2014–15.

However, the date for the exam got advanced due to which the implementation was postponed to the next year, Minister of State for Medical Education Sharanprakash R. Patil said. For the AIPGMEE 2014, Karnataka, along with Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, have not consented to the National Board of Examinations (NBE) for utilising the merit list of the AIPGMEE 2014 for admission to their 50 per cent State quota M.D., M.S. and PG diploma seats.

This year

However, for the 2014–15 admissions, students in the State will see a change. Instead of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), the NBE will be conducting the Postgraduate Entrance Test (PGET) for admissions to the 50 per cent State quota as well.

Ms. Rashmi said the test would be conducted online. The counselling will be conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which will also be online.

Dr. Patil also said that this year, only students with 10 years’ domicile would be eligible for the NBE-administered PG test for the 50 per cent State quota. “Earlier, students who had completed their MBBS in Karnataka were also eligible. This year, we have ensured that all the State quota seats go to students from Karnataka,” he said.

While the State government has consented to using the national entrance test for PG admissions, it has not joined the list of States using the scores of the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) for the undergraduate (UG) medical admissions. The test is scheduled for May 4.

‘In students’ interest’

Dr. Patil said the decision to limit using the national test only to PG admissions and not UG was taken keeping in mind the interest of students, as those passing out of II PUC would find it difficult to adapt to the AIPMT.

“These are competitive exams; parents and students would have got jittery. But for PG students it will not be that difficult. This year’s exam will be of a different level, but it will definitely be a better exam,” he said.

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