Candidates with at least 60 per cent marks in their FSc (pre-medical) or
equivalent examinations and who are residents of any district of the
Punjab, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan are eligible to take the entrance
test. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
The entrance test for admission to medical and dental colleges in the Punjab will be held on September 22 in 12 cities.
Entrance test forms will be available at the University of Health
Sciences (UHS) and other public medical colleges from August 20 while
the deadline for applications will be August 30, said UHS
Vice-Chancellor Prof Muhammad Aslam at an orientation seminar on the
admission test here at the Allama Iqbal Medical College on Thursday.
The 150-minute test will start at 9am simultaneously in Lahore,
Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Gujrat, Gujranwala,
Sargodha, Sahiwal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan and Hassan Abdal.
Candidates can choose where they wish to sit the test. However, once a
testing centre is allotted, requests for changes will not be
entertained.
Prof Aslam advised candidates to go to their centres at least one
hour before the start of the test. They must take their admittance cards
with them because nobody would be allowed to enter the examination
centre without a valid card issued by the UHS, he said. All centres will
be sealed at 8:15am after which nobody will be allowed in.
Candidates with at least 60 per cent marks in their FSc (pre-medical)
or equivalent examinations and who are residents of any district of the
Punjab, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan are eligible to take the
entrance test. Those still waiting for exam results must provide a Hope
Certificate issued by the principal of their institution stating that
the candidate is expected to get at least 60 per cent marks in the
exams.
The vice chancellor said the entrance test would consist of a single
paper with 220 multiple-choice questions, divided into four sections:
physics (44 questions), chemistry (58 questions), English (30 questions)
and biology (88 questions).
“A candidate will answer the test by filling the circles on the
response form. Only one circle must be filled for one question. Filling
more than one circle for a single question will be considered a wrong
answer. There will be negative marking in the test and for each wrong
answer one mark will be deducted from the total score. Each correct
answer will carry five marks,” he added.
Candidates are not allowed to carry calculators, cell phones or notes
with them into the exam hall. “Candidates are only allowed to bring
blue ballpoint pens with them. No markers, pointers or pencils,” he
added.
After the test, candidates will be asked to take an aptitude test and
fill a feedback form for which they will get an extra 30 minutes. The
test is for research purposes only and will have no effect on the
entrance test score, said Prof Aslam.
The UHS will upload the answers to the questions in the entrance exam
on its website on the day after the test. Candidates will be able to
calculate their scores using a carbonised copy of their response form,
which they may keep after the test. The answer key will also be
published in national dailies the next day, the vice-chancellor said.
Citing Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) regulations, Prof
Aslam said the final merit score of each candidate would be determined
through a combination of their matriculation, intermediate and entrance
test marks, in a 10:40:50 ratio, respectively.
He said that on the directions of the chief minister, the entry test
fee and annual tuition fee for medical and dental colleges had not been
increased this year.
There are a total 3,042 MBBS merit seats in 17 public medical
colleges and 175 BDS merit seats in three government dental colleges in
the Punjab. Some 3,000 students and their parents attended the seminar.
AIMC Principal Prof Mahmood Shaukat was also present.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2013.
