Mard writes to PM on ‘iilogical’ method of entrance exams

The Maharashtra association of resident doctors (Mard) has written to the Prime Minister and the Union health minister’s office highlighting the ‘illogical’ way of conducting the entrance test for post-graduate courses. The association has justified their claim on the grounds that the entrance exam is held over a period of 10 days and students are given different question papers as a result of which there is no uniformity and the entire process boils down to ‘luck factor’, hence it should be changed.

Speaking about the entrance test for PG courses that is held by the centre for MBBS students hoping to pursue speciality and super speciality courses, Dr Sagar Mundada, president of Mard said, “Every year around one lakh doctors appear for the centralised eligibility test for admission to post-graduate courses from all over the country. However, due to the current format of the entrance test, students from a single region may appear for the same on different days and have to attempt different question papers. While it may be an effective way of curbing any form of cheating and malpractice it gives rise to complaints of unfairness. Mard has already received such complaints in huge numbers,” said Dr Mundada.

He added that in the letter addressed to PM Narendra Modi and Union health minister J.P. Nadda, Mard has highlighted this fact and also questioned the validity of such a format as it was a gamble and the luck factor mattered more over merit and fairness.