BDS students on tenterhooks as MDS application process delayed
HYDERABAD: Students across the country seeking admission to MDS this academic year have been on tenterhooks as the apex body responsible for conducting all the medical examinations in the country, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), is yet to open the web portal for applications for the NEET MDS 2025 entrance exam.
The board has tentatively fixed January 31 as the date for the exam, but it has not opened the web portal to submit the applications for those seeking admission to the PG course.
The delay in the communication and the lackadaisical approach of the board has left the students in a dilemma. Although the board has a history of delaying the entrance exam process since 2022, the crisis has deepened this year.
In 2024, the exam was scheduled for March 18 and the application window for the NEET MDS was open from January 30 till February 19 with the final edit window being open till March 7. The admission cards were issued from March 13 onwards, giving ample time to the students to complete the application process smoothly.
However, this year, with only 20-odd days left for the exam, the board has been mute over issuing any notification for applications.
The All India Dental Students and Surgeons Association wrote to the apex body on Friday urging it to give clarity on the entrance exam process and to make the process more transparent.
Dr Md Manzur Ahmed, national president, All India Dental Students and Surgeons Association, speaking to TNIE, said, “We have been writing to the National Board of Examinations seeking clarity over the exam schedule. We even filed an RTI in November 2024 to the union health ministry over the same issue. The only response that we received to the RTI was to refer to the NBEMS website without mentioning any further details. If the NBEMS can release the NEET PG 2025 exam date six months in advance, why can it not take cognisance of the MDS entrance exam and issue the dates earlier and maintain transparency for the process. There is no clarity on the exact schedule of the NEET MDS 2025 so far.”
The issue also raises questions on the reliability and efficiency of the functioning of the central body responsible for conducting medical exams in the country.
Over 25,000 BDS students apply for the MDS entrance exam every year and with the lack of clarity, thousands of students are in a state of despair and cluelessness over their future.