LAHORE: The entrance test for admission to public and private sector medical and dental institutions of Punjab will be held on Aug 30 in 13 cities.

Entrance test kits containing an application form, an information booklet and other relevant material would be available at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) and 14 other public sector medical universities and colleges of the province from Aug 1 while the last date for submission of applications would be Aug 8, said UHS Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Junaid Sarfraz Khan at an orientation seminar organised by the varsity on medical colleges admission test at Allama Iqbal Medical College here on Thursday.

Prof Khan said the Punjab government, like previous years, would bear 50 per cent expenses for each candidate intending to appear in the test. Each candidate would be charged only Rs500 for the whole admission process.

The 150-minute test would start at 9am simultaneously at Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan and Hasan Abdal on Aug 30.

Candidates would be allowed to choose the city from where they wish to appear in the test. However, the centre once allotted would not be changed subsequently. All examination centres would be sealed at 8:15am.

Candidates securing at least 60pc marks in HSSC (pre-medical) or equivalent examinations and having domicile of any district of Punjab, Islamabad, and Gilgit-Baltistan would be eligible to take up the entrance test.

Those awaiting results could sit the test after providing a hope certificate issued by the principal of their respective institution or an undertaking on a stamp paper stating that the candidate was expected to secure at least 60pc marks in HSSC or equivalent examination.

Mr Khan said there would be a single question paper consisting of 220 objective-type questions, divided into four sections: physics (44 questions), chemistry (58 questions), English (30 questions) and biology (88 questions).

Quoting regulations of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), Mr Khan said the merit of a candidate would be worked out by adding the marks of matriculation, intermediate and entrance test in the ratio of 10:40:50pc respectively.

He said after the entrance test only those candidates who would score at least 82pc aggregate marks as per PMDC formula would be eligible to apply for admission on open merit and reciprocal seats. This condition would not be applicable on those candidates who would apply against underdeveloped districts, Cholistan and disabled students’ seats.

There are total 3,022 MBBS open merit seats in 17 public sector medical colleges and 175 BDS open merit seats in three government dental colleges of the province.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2015

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