MBBS/BDS aspirants should have to take KCET 2013

The Karnataka state MBBS/BDS aspirants should have to participate in Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) for the academic year 2013. Earlier, it was notified that students have to attempt the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) from the year 2013.

According to the SC Venkatesh, Director of Medical Education, this decision was taken at a meeting chaired by medical education minister SA Ramdas on Dec 17, 2012. The rationale behind this decision being the numerous petitions filed by several colleges, state and autonomous institutes in the state against NEET.

However, the Supreme Court is due to rule on this Jan 15 to 17 in 2013. Taking the number of petitions against NEET, the apex court had directed the states to conduct CET. As CET results are subject to the court verdict in January, the minister mentioned that court has even directed Medical Council of India and Dental Council of India to hold NEET simultaneously. Therefore it was decided to ask the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) to prepare a bridge course to benefit the students in case the SC decides in favor if NEET.

SA Ramdas said that Karnataka had agreed to NEET rankings because it ensured 85% of seats in Karnataka Colleges to be reserved under state quota and therefore the state would have got 4,804 MBBS out of 6,005 against the 2,212 seats under CET. He also felt that NEET would have eased the stress on the students on account if multiple entrance tests otherwise.

NEET will burden the state students as they are inappropriate to face the examinations which follow CBSE syllabus was an untruth, he declared. He also said that the question paper for NEET were prepared keeping in the view of the various states syllabus.

According to the SA Ramdas, the students from karnataka would have different from other state students in preparing for entrance exams. The department had already been asked to prepare the students to face NEET by releasing the study material and having sample tests & lessons.