NEET PG Medical Entrance Test may not happen in 2012 (likely in 2013)

The Medical Council of India has proposed to hold National Eligibility cum Entrance Tests (NEET) for Post Graduate and Super Speciality courses in a changed format from next year.

A total of 1,50,000 under graduate candidates, who have completed internship, or those expecting to complete by March 31, 2012 will be eligible to take the NEET for entrance to Post Graduate courses.

The NEET 2012 notification will come out in August 2011 with applications collected by September end, MCI sources said.

It seems that the Post Graduate Medical All India Common Entrance Test (CET) popularly known as NEET-PG from 2012 seems to have hit the wall, reports the media.

The Government has decided not to hold the common PG medical entrance test next year as proposed earlier, citing lack of resources and expertise.

The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for all postgraduate medical seats across the country will now be held only in 2013, given the lack of resources and expertise required to conduct the examination on a national scale in different medical streams, reports moneycontrol.com

"In view of lack of resources we have decided that the test will now be held in 2013 and the National Board for Examination (NBE) will be roped in to conduct the test. It will by then strengthen its own resources and infrastructure.

At present, it does not have the capabilty for holding the exam," Health Secretary PK Pradhan told PTI.

The test was earlier scheduled to be held in January-February 2012 for admissions in the academic year 2012-2013 and the Medical Council of India had requested the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to hold the test on its behalf.

Earlier AIIMS had in writing, declined MCI''s request citing its infrastructural inability in conducting the proposed NEET on such a large scale. At present, AIIMS conducts entrance examinations for 50 per cent of the existing PG medical seats in the country.