SOME 33,694 candidates (10,859 male and 22,835 female) shall appear in the entrance test on Tuesday (today) being conducted by the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, for admission to all public and private medical and dental institutions of the Punjab. According to a press release here on Monday, the UHS had established 21 centres in 12 major cities of the province where test would start at 9am. The test shall comprise 220 multiple choice questions (MCQs), divided into four sections, namely Physics (44 MCQs), Chemistry (58 MCQs), English (30 MCQs) and Biology (88 MCQs). Total duration of the test would be two and a half hours. After that, the candidates would be required to answer a separate test consisting of 22 MCQs related to aptitude and feedback and this section would have no weightage in the entrance test score. The candidates had been advised to reach their respective centres at least one hour before the start of the test as centres would be sealed at 8:15am and nobody would be allowed to enter after that.
In Lahore, three centres, namely the University of Engineering and Technology, BISE Examination Halls at Lawrence Road and Punjab University Examination Halls at Wahdat Road, had been established where 10,083 candidates (6,973 female and 3,146 male) would take test.
In Rawalpindi, 5,252 candidates would appear in four centres, in Multan 4,779, Faisalabad 2,430, Gujranwala 2,594, Bahawalpur 1,712, Sahiwal 1,313, Rahimyar Khan 853, Gujrat 1,115, DG Khan 1,024, Sargodha 1,170, and in Hassan Abdal 369 candidates would take the entrance test.
The Punjab government has completed the arrangements for smooth conduct of the entrance test. Foolproof security arrangements have been made at each centre, walk-through gates are being provided at each centre whereas mobile jammers have been installed in major cities.
The government has deputed divisional commissioners as regional coordinators for the entrance test.
Parents and other attendants of the candidates will be provided with comfortable waiting areas, with drinking water and toilet facilities, near examination centres. Traffic police have been directed to make special traffic and parking arrangements to ensure smooth flow of traffic near the centres.
Emergency healthcare services will be ensured at all centres, including fully equipped ambulances and doctors along with paramedics and emergency medicines. Moreover, the nearest teaching hospital or district headquarters hospital will be on high alert to ensure a state of readiness to meet any emergency.