It is back to square one for aspiring medical students who are preparing for a national-level entrance test with the return of the older All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) in 2014.
To be held on May 4, 2014, AIPMT will be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). It had been replaced by the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) last year. However, in July, the Supreme Court quashed it while questioning the authority of Medical Council of India (MCI) to conduct the test. The apex court also added that admissions on basis of NEET 2013 would not be. affected.
AIPMT 2014 pattern
Students should not confuse AIPMT with its previous version, say experts. “In fact, AIPMT 2014 will be similar to NEET, and won’t affect students preparing for the common medical entrance tests,” says Aakash Chaudhry, director, Aakash Education Services Ltd.
According to Joseph Emmanuel, joint secretary (OSD) NEET, CBSE, “The syllabus for AIPMT 2014 will be the same as NEET (UG) 2013. The format will also be the same. This will be a pen and paper test comprising objective-type multiple-choice questions. There will be 180 objective type questions from physics, chemistry, botany and zoology (45 questions from each subject) to be attempted in three hours, in one, single exam.”
NEET 2013 vs AIPMT 2014
The difference between NEET and AIPMT 2014 is that AIPMT will be conducted only for the 15% national quota in government medical/dental colleges all over India. “The ministry of health and family welfare has given the go-ahead for AIPMT 2014. AIPMT was conducted for filling in seats under 15% all-India quota in government medical colleges. In every state in government medical colleges, 15% seats are surrendered to the union government. The union government is filling up seats through AIPMT but this is only in government medical colleges. Two states, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, are, however, not joined in the 15% all-India quota. This is not applicable in the medical colleges of these states and their students are also not eligible to participate. The state directorate of medical education and research will conduct its own test in these states.”
NEET 2013 vs AIPMT 2014
The difference between NEET and AIPMT 2014 is that AIPMT will be conducted only for the 15% national quota in government medical/dental colleges all over India. “The ministry of health and family welfare has given the go-ahead for AIPMT 2014. AIPMT was conducted for filling in seats under 15% all-India quota in government medical colleges. In every state in government medical colleges, 15% seats are surrendered to the union government. The union government is filling up seats through AIPMT but this is only in government medical colleges. Two states, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, are, however, not joined in the 15% all-India quota. This is not applicable in the medical colleges of these states and their students are also not eligible to participate. The state directorate of medical education and research will conduct its own test in these states.”
Talking about admission to private colleges, Emmanuel says, “The state governments and private institutions can implement their own examination systems. For instance, private medical colleges such as the Christian Medical College, Vellore; CMC, Ludhiana; and Manipal University are conducting their own tests. Some private colleges have formed their associations such as the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges, Karnataka (COMEDK) and will be conducting their own tests,” says Emmanuel.
AIPMT will not replace state-level entrance tests. “AIPMT 2012 was a two-tier test, preliminary and final. But in 2014, we are proposing only a single exam like NEET to avoid any confusion. NEET was a big success and taking that into account, we are proposing a single stage exam in 2014. A majority of 22 states and union territories followed NEET,” adds Emmanuel.