NTS conducts first MBBS entry test across Sindh

Test was prepared on the pattern of the International Education Service

KARACHI: Around 25,000 students appeared for the entry test of MBBS conducted by the National Testing Service (NTS) on Sunday. The test was conducted for the first time for government and private sector medical universities. During the test, some rumours of the paper having been leaked went viral, but were immediately rejected by NTS as bogus.

At the NED University on Sunday, the large number of students and parents at the gate led to a traffic jam on University Road. The test started at 10am and lasted two hours. According to Sindh NTS Operations In-charge Muhammad Khurram, 8,329 students appeared for the test in Karachi alone while 7,880 appeared in Hyderabad, 1,499 in Nawabshah, 3,559 in Larkana and 3,714 in Sukkur.



"The test started at the same time in all cities. The questions are generated randomly," he said, adding that the test was conducted at a pattern of International Education Service, which is a testing service worldwide. There were 100 questions to be solved in 120 minutes. The difficulty level was 40%, according to Khurram.

Regarding the leak of the exam paper, Jinnah Sindh Medical University Vice Chancellor Dr Tariq Rafiq said that it was the responsibility of NTS to look after such affairs. "From the formation of the test paper to dispatching it securely to the examinations centres is the responsibility of NTS," he said.

To this, Khurram responded that the test material was dispatched to the centres directly from the airport as they come in from Islamabad, where the head office is situated. He said that the test material was always sealed and could be opened only through a code given exclusively to the in-charge one hour before the test is scheduled. "There is one box for every 600 students and it is sealed," he explained.



After the test the box is re-sealed and dispatched to Islamabad along with a member of every medical, private or public university, who travel with the box. "Our result scanning facility is also based in Islamabad," he said.

Clarifying the rumours of the leaked papers, he said that the paper that was allegedly leaked didn't match the actual question paper, except for a few similar questions. NTS In-charge of Sindh Syed Masood Hussain Rizvi said that the rumours of paper leakage were rife for more than a month. The paper that was allegedly leaked was an old MBBS admission test which is also available in Saddar's Paper Market.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2018.