Online applications are invited for NEET – MDS the national level entrance exam for admissions to post-graduate dental courses. The last date for online application is 24 January. Website – https://nbe.edu.in. The exams will be conducted by the National Board of Examinations. Meanwhile, the counselling for admission would be held by the Medical Counselling Committee that comes under the ministry of health. Website – www.mcc.nic.in.

The applicants should pass BDS and complete the internship before 31 March this year. Besides, they should also have the registration of the state dental council. The application fee is Rs 4250; meanwhile, it is Rs 3250 for candidates from the scheduled categories and persons with disabilities.

The computerised test has been scheduled on March 6. As per the BDS syllabus that has been approved by the Indian Dental Council, the 3-hour long session would have 240 multiple choice questions from 17 subjects.

The correct answers score 4 marks while 1 mark would be deducted for every wrong answer.

There are 79 exam centres around the country, including in major cities like Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. In Kerala, exams centres are at Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur. The results would be published on March.21

The candidate should be placed at least within 50th percentile to be eligible for admission. The applicants from the scheduled categories and backward categories need to be in 40th percentile while it is 45th percentile for persons with disabilities.

The seats
The admission to all the MDS seats in India, barring AIIMS, Delhi is held via this exam. These include the All-India quota seats (50%), the state quotas everywhere, seats at the private dental colleges and at the universities and the institutes of the Armed Forces Medical Services. This would also be the screening test for the short service commission in the army dental corps.