One Entrance Test for Medical Courses will be Initiated Soon

The Medical Council of India will soon operate its admission for various undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses across the country by conducting a single common entrance test. The Union Health Ministry has given its nod to the matter and the amendment is on the hands of Parliament now. If the cabinet approves the proposal, the single window test will get started in the year 2016 itself.

Before it gets presented to the cabinet, a draft note of the proposal has been sent to all the ministries concerned. If it gets cleared by the cabinet, it has to undergo clarification from the Parliament in order to provide MCI the powers to conduct such an examination. The amendment will be made in the existing Indian Medical Council Act.

Previously, the MCI has tried to hold a common examination for admission in postgraduate and undergraduate seats in 2012 and 2013 respectively. But it was criticized by almost 80 private colleges in the country, who claimed that they have the authority to still organize their own tests and dragged MCI to court on the front. The Supreme Court decided that the present law allows MCI to only decide about the curriculum and not the administration of entrance tests in the country.

According to the President of Indian Medical Association, “The Indian Medical Association fully supports a common test. It is merit-based and will reduce the problem of expensive capitation fees. It is now a question of whether the government has the political will to ensure that this amendment goes through.” If the model of single entrance test could get initiated the students would not have to undergo multiple entrance tests giving multiple entrance fees.