Medical admission test to be held on 2 April: Minister

The admission test for MBBS, at government and private medical colleges, will be held as scheduled on 2 April, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.

"The number of admission seekers this year is almost double compared to last year," he told reporters on Wednesday after a meeting in the conference room of the Department of Health Services.

Last year, the number of candidates for the MBBS admission test was 72,000 and this year the number of admission seekers is 122,874.

"All arrangements have been made to hold the admission test in 55 centres," the minister said.

He further said social distancing and health guidelines will be maintained during the test amid the pandemic – wearing masks and using hand sanitiser are mandatory.

"We have also looked into various issues, including the closure of photocopy shops near the examination centres and the closure of coaching centres," the minister added.

However, the High Court on Wednesday dismissed the writ petition filed seeking the postponement of the MBBS admission test.  On behalf of the admission seekers, the petition was also filed in the High Court in view of the Covid-19 situation.

The minister said Covid-19 infections are now on the rise in the country. The future of these talented students may be uncertain without the admission tests for medical and dental colleges.

Considering the issues, the admission test for medical and dental colleges in the country will be held as per aforesaid schedule, maintaining proper hygiene rules, he added.

He said the police force, intelligence branch and all departments of the government concerned will work together in order to maintain transparency in the admission test and maintain hygiene in and around the exam centres.

Relevant special branches of the government will also work to ensure that no rumours are spread on social media before the admission tests, the minister added.

Therefore, this year, the admission test will be taken as per the previous rules, i.e. an admission test of MCQ system of 100 marks as well as 100 marks on the basis of marks obtained in SSC and HSC examinations. The merit list will be made on the basis of these 200 marks.

The admission test for BDS courses of dental colleges and units will be held on 30 April.

Last year, the HSC and equivalent exams were postponed due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Later, HSC results were published on 30 January this year after evaluating the students based on their eighth-grade completion and SSC results.