Chandigarh: ‘Screen test’ for PGI seats, entrance online from now

CHANDIGARH: Pen and paper will disappear from the MD/MS entrance test of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). It’ll be an online examination from now on, saving candidates’ travelling time and money.
Every year, nearly 10,000 doctors from across India come to the city to compete for seats at this prestigious medical institute.For the January 2020 session, these courses have 206 spots. Customized software will generate questions and prepare the results. The PGI’s dean of academics, professor Rajesh Kumar, said, “We have been planning for this decentralized system for some time. The recruitment tests for all members of the staff, including security personnel, will be online next.”

The test format will be objective and the merit list prepared on the basis of percentile score and not marks. PGI spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said: “The deadline for online registration is November
14. We cannot say until then how many candidates will appear.” The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) fellowship programme at the PGI has been reformed to provide candidates with an online answer key to let them contest any solution and seek a correction.
Dean Rajesh Kumar said: “Recently, we had a meeting about the feasibility of extending this procedure of handing over question papers and answer keys to the other entrance examinations of the PGI. The online system will help the paper setters decide quickly which set to use. Initially, it took us three days to choose. Now we can upload any one set a few hours before the test. Computerized test will not allow the examinee to open the paper after the time is up.”