LAHORE: The 50th meeting of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Board of Studies in Medicine held here on Monday approved the annual examination schedule for MBBS.

Chaired by UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore, the meeting was participated by affiliated government and private medical college principals, including the board’s convener, Prof Dr Sardar Al-Farid Zafar.

It was decided that the First Professional MBBS annual exams will commence in the last week of December while the Second Professional MBBS annual exams are scheduled for the last week of January 2025. The Third Professional MBBS annual exams will be held in the third week of December 2024 and the Fourth Professional MBBS exams in the second week of January 2025, according to a spokesperson for the UHS.

Additionally, he said, the final Professional MBBS annual exams are set to take place in the first week of February 2025.

The examination schedule was developed based on feedback received from all affiliated medical colleges, which provided information regarding the commencement and conclusion of MBBS classes.

A minimum of nine months of the academic year must be completed by the colleges for students to be eligible to appear in the exams, followed by one month for exam preparation.

The meeting also agreed that, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgement, the students who fail the supplementary exams cannot legally proceed to the next class. Moreover, it was decided that the identity of external examiners in practical exams will be kept completely confidential, even from the college administration.

In his address, Prof Rathore stated that practical/clinical exams will be conducted within three weeks of the final written exam.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024