No MBBS, BDS entrance test in Tamil Nadu?

Rejecting the all new NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admission to undergraduate medical courses), the government of Tamil Nadu has decided to stick to class XII board performance for MBBS and BDS admissions in 2013. Earlier, the state government had scrapped the common entrance test for professional UG courses considering that students would be stressed if they were to also appear for a CET after the Class XII board examination.

The state will continue to use class 12 marks as admission eligibility for MBBS & BDS courses through single window counselling and will have no Common Entrance Test (CET) next year, as per media reports.

Until a national curriculum is put in place for Science and Mathematics, the state government is not in favour of holding the NEET-UG exam, which is based on the CBSE syllabus. While the state government’s stance may help to relieve medical aspirants in the state seeking clarity on the NEET entrance exam, however, in light of the fact that the Medical Council of India (MCI) has not granted any exemption to any state, it is advisable for students of Tamil Nadu to apply for NEET UG to be on the safer side. Application forms for the same are available online and the last date for submitting the completed application form without late fee is December 31, 2012. NEET-UG will be held on May 5, 2013.

The higher educational institutions offering UG medical courses will continue to fill up 15 per cent of seats through NEET. The state has scheduled to hold NEET-PG on January 27, 2013, that will pave the way for admission to 50 per cent of the PG seats in the medical colleges under the state quota.