Postpone INI CET exam, say medical students

New Delhi: Medical students have expressed their concerns over the decision to hold the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI CET) on June 16 and want the exam to be postponed.

Earlier this year, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) rescheduled the INI CET from May 8 to June 16, along with the application process. Students seeking admission to postgraduate MD, MS, DM (6 years), MCh, and MDS courses for the July session could apply online at aiimsexams.org till June 2.

However, medical interns and junior residents say that they should be given at least one month's time to cover the 19 subjects that will be tested in the exam. "During the pandemic we were asked to leave studying and serve the nation but now this exam date is contradictory to the AIIMS administration's earlier appeal", one resident said.

Students also said that the INI CET will be conducted in exam centres, leaving interns and doctors exposed to the COVID-19 virus. This was also the reason behind delaying the NEET-PG exam to after August 31 this year.

Among other reasons, medical students said that those who had spent the better part of this year preparing from home had not been vaccinated, while those who had served in COVID-19 duty have been exposed to the virus already and are mentally and physically drained.