Now, CET scores to be valid for medical, dental course admissions

This follows Centre’s decision to bring in an Ordinance to defer NEET for a year BENGALURU, May 21, 2016: With the Union government deciding to promulgate an Ordinance to defer the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for a year, students in Karnataka who were pinning hopes on the State’s Common Entrance Test (CET) to get a medical or dental seat for the coming academic year have reason to cheer. With this, nearly 3,000 government and government-quota medical seats in private colleges will be filled based on the CET scores, an official in the Medical Education Department said. Rank list Sources said that an announcement on declaring medical and dental ranks under the CET would be made after the State government receives a copy of the Ordinance. CET was conducted on May 4 and 5, and 1.67 lakh candidates appeared for the biology paper. Nearly 26,000 students wrote NEET Phase 1 held on May 1. However, majority of the students in the State who skipped NEET Phase 1 are still wondering if they have to write the phase 2 test scheduled for July 24 if they want to get a seat in a private college, since they are as yet unaware of the nitty-gritty of the Ordinance and do not want to take chances. Many of the students, who had signed up for NEET coaching paying a hefty fee, are now wondering if private colleges would have their own test or if they have to write NEET Phase 2 to obtain a seat in a private college. “I come from a middle-class family and joining a private medical college outside the government quota was never an option. But I decided to prepare for NEET after it was announced that it would be the only gateway for a medical seat,” said Priyanka R., a medical seat aspirant. Harini S., a medical seat aspirant, said she was thrilled that the CET would be considered valid to bag a medical seat. “But too many last-minute changes are unnecessarily confusing and stressing us,” she said. Minister of State for Medical Education Sharanprakash Patil, during a recent meeting convened by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, made a request, along with Ministers of other States, to allow the State governments to fill government and government-quota seats. Too many last-minute changes are unnecessarily confusing and stressing us. Harini S.a medical seat aspirant About 3,000 govt., govt.-quota medical seats in private colleges to be filled based on CET ranks Courtesy: Thehindu