A record number of aspirant doctors are sitting for the medical and dental college admission tests on Friday amid unprecedented security measures.
This year’s tests – to be held in 23 centres around the country – will be taken by a staggering 68,172 candidates, significantly up from last year’s 58,000.
Since this could the last med school admission test under the current government, strict measures have been taken around the country to make sure that there is no controversy.
For the first time history, candidates would not be allowed to have any electronic gadget – such as mobile phones, electronic watches, calculators – in the examination hall.
Even the invigilators would not be allowed to use any such device. Only the heads of the examination centers, who are generally the principals of the respective medical colleges, and the hall superintendents can carry mobile phones.
It has been seen in the past that every year before the med school admission tests, rumours are spread about question leakage. Before the tests, students are often told by unscrupulous groups that the questions are available in various places in the capital such as Nilkhet, Polashi, Katabon, Arts Faculty Building and TSC of Dhaka University, and Buet.
Many candidates, lured by these rumours, throng these areas looking to get a copy of the so called leaked question in exchange for money.
Sources said some of the tuition homes, who get candidates prepared for taking the tough admission test, are the ones who mainly spread the rumours for making money.
The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that a high-powered six-member team consisting of high officials of the health ministry and the DGHS, will inspect all the examination centres to make sure everything is going right.
The test carries 100 marks for the written examination with multiple choice question and another 100 for the weights of the HSC and SSC results. 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer.
The health ministry has decided that the cut mark for qualifying in this year’s medical and dental admission test would be 120.