NEET will come into action from 2013

India is all set to roll out its first common medical entrance test.

National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the first ever common entrance test for admission to Under Graduate (UG) will roll out in 2013. It will be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) whereas NEET for admission to Post Graduate (PG) will be conducted by the National Board of Examination.

The Union health ministry has also cleared the air about the reservation policies. It has informed the state governments that there will be no changes in the current reservation policies. For admission in various states medical colleges, state wise eligibility merit lists will be prepared keeping in mind their admission criteria. (Read full story)

Syllabus for NEET-UG has also been revised by the Medical Council of India (MCI). To ensure that no seat remains vacant, the qualifying criterion has been changed from percentage of absolute marks to percentile. NEET will be a single entrance examination for admission to MBBS and MD courses offered by the 271 medical colleges, 138 run by governments and 133 under private management.

These colleges offer over 31,000 seats for MBBS courses and another 11,000 seats for PG degrees. After the launch of this exam, it will be applicable to all the medical colleges that come under the umbrella of MCI.

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