LAHORE: Amid tight security, some 45,156 candidates (30,575 females and 14581 males) appeared in the entrance test for admission to medical and dental colleges, simultaneously held in 13 cities of Punjab on Sunday.

The candidates started reaching the prescribed centres as early as 6am where a large number of policemen were deployed to prevent any disruption of the examination. Ambulances and fire brigades were also there while close circuit TV (CCTV) cameras, mobile phone jammers and walk-through gates were installed.

Arrangements had been made at the centres for students with special needs, while back-up electricity generators were also provided to most centres.

Parents were seen reciting Holy Quran and praying for the success of their children at waiting areas near the examination centres.

Held by University of Health Sciences (UHS), the test started at 9am and was conducted peacefully throughout the province. No untoward incident was reported during the course of the test from any of the 25 centres set up in Lahore, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Hasan Abdal.

Despite tension at the Constitution Avenue, Islamabad, more than 5,000 candidates appeared at four centres established at Sixth Road in Rawalpindi.

In Lahore, some 9,198 female and 4,176 male candidates appeared for the test.

At the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education examination halls on Lawrence Road 3,400 candidates took the test. At the Punjab University examination halls on Wahdat Road 4,000 female and 800 male candidates turned up. At the Government Comprehensive Girls High School and Government Central Model School, Lower Mall, 1,542 female and 1,970 male candidates appeared, respectively. At University of Education, Lower Mall, 1,170 male candidates appeared for the test. At Government Pilot High School, Wahdat Road, 256 female and 236 male candidates took the test.

In Rawalpindi, 5,721 candidates appeared in the test. The number of candidates in Multan was 6,575, in Faisalabad 4,423, Gujranwala 2,671, Bahawalpur 2,051, Sargodha 1,845 Sahiwal 2,281, Gujrat 1,377, Dera Ghazi Khan 1,426, Rahim Yar Khan 1,261, Hasan Abdal 646 and Sialkot 1,505 candidates appeared in the test.

UHS Vice-Chancellor Maj-Gen (retired) Prof Muhammad Aslam told the media in the evening that medicine and dentistry attracted the most brilliant students every year and these students demand a system that is duly probing, robust and fair. Last year, 41,677 candidates appeared for the test.

“UHS has tried to make the process structured and transparent which is regularly reviewed to ensure that only suitable and capable candidates are admitted”, he said.

Meanwhile, the UHS uploaded the answer keys to the question papers having different colour codes on its website www.uhs.edu.pk. With the help of these keys, candidates can calculate their scores themselves. The official result will be announced within 10 days. In the next stage, candidates scoring 82pc or above aggregate marks, in accordance with the formula of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, would opt for the colleges of their choice by submitting admission forms from September 23 to October 2. The forms, along with the prospectus, would be available free of cost from UHS, Lahore, Nishter Medical College, Multan and Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi, during the said dates. The first selection list for medical colleges would be displayed on October 30.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2014