MBBS admission: No cut of marks on SSC, HSC results

The marks calculated based on students' SSC and HSC results during their admission into the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree at private and public medical colleges will not be deducted for the 2020-21 academic session.

Dhaka University has already decided to deduct 60 marks out of 80 from SSC and HSC results in its admission tests this year. The university made the decision as the HSC examinees this year will get their results based their JSC and SSC results.

Also, the seekers will have to sit for a 100-mark admission test, similar to the case in previous years. Additionally, 200 marks will be calculated based on two public exam results: 75 on SSC and 125 on HSC scores.

The Medical Education and Family Welfare Division of the health ministry took the decision on 2 November.

It has already published the MBBS admission policy 2020 but has not decided on the date for the test.

AHM Enayet Hossain, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told The Business Standard that they will decide the date at the next meeting to be held soon.

"Actually, the test is a must for admission to public and private medical colleges," he added.

Asked whether multiple choice question (MCQ) marks will be cut from the admission test, Enayet said, "Although the Dhaka University authorities decided to deduct 40 marks from written and MCQ tests, we have no way to do so. We must give examinations with full MCQ marks."

Earlier, the authorities concerned informed The Business Standard that the MBBS admission test for the 2020-21 academic session would be held amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Medical experts said there is no scope to enrol the fresh students for medical education without any admission test.

The students to be enrolled in medical colleges this year would provide medical care to people after four years. People will be deprived of proper treatment if they are admitted through a wrong process, they also said.

Former vice chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Professor Md Nazrul Islam said the admission test is a process to select the future doctors. "So, I welcome the ministry's decision to hold the test."

As per the MBBS admission policy, all domestic and foreign admission seekers must have an aggregate grade point average (GPA) of at least 9.00 in SSC and HSC or equivalent exams – to be eligible for the admission test. But foreign students may apply with GPA 8 in SSC and HSC for the admission at private medical colleges.

Students of ethnic minority groups or from hill districts must have GPA 8 in both SSC and HSC exams to apply.

Students who have less than GPA 3.5 in any of the two public exams will not be eligible to apply for admission. Those with less than GPA 3.5 in Biology in HSC and equivalent exams will also not be eligible. The total marks in the MBBS admission test is 300.

The one-hour written test will be held with MCQ questions for 100 marks: with 30 for Biology, 25 for Chemistry, 20 for Physics, 15 for English, six for History and Culture of Bangladesh, and four for International Affairs. The authorities will deduct 0.25 marks for every wrong answer.

Second-time admission seekers will lose five marks from their SSC results and 7.5 from their HSC marks. No student will be allowed to be admitted to any college if they attain below 40 marks on the MCQ exams.

Last year, the MBBS admission test was held across the country on 1 October when 69,405 aspirants took part in the test against 10,404 seats.

Of them, 49,413 examinees passed the test. Among the students passed, 26,531 were male and 22,882 female.

There are 4,068 seats in 36 government medical colleges and 6,339 seats in 70 private medical colleges in the country.

However, this year, the number of admission seekers may increase as there will be no HSC examinations and all the 13 lakh HSC examinees will get their certificates.

Their results will be determined based on their JSC and SSC results. The results will be published in December.