LAHORE: Around 66,000 candidates including 42,000 female and 24,000 male would appear in Punjab Medical & Dental Colleges’ Admission Test on Sunday (today). The test shall be conducted by University of Health Sciences (UHS). The Punjab government has finalised the arrangements for the test and has deputed senior bureaucrats including provincial secretaries, commissioners and deputy commissioners as monitoring officers whereas senior medical professors will conduct the test. Divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners of respective districts will act as ‘focal persons’ to look after the arrangements of the test. UHS has deputed around 5,500 invigilators and around 1,000 superintendents and deputy superintendents for the conduct of the test. The test shall be held simultaneously at 28 centres established in 13 cities of Punjab including Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sargodha, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Dera Ghazi Khan and Hassan Abdal. The test shall start at 10am. The candidates, however, must reach their respective centres at least an hour before the commencement of the test as all the centres would be sealed at 9:15am and nobody would be allowed to enter after that. In Lahore, there are eight centres established at the examinations halls of Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education, Lawrence Road, examination halls of Punjab University, Wahadat Road, Government Comprehensive Girls High School, Wahadat Road, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road, University of Engineering & Technology, Grand Trunk Road, Government Postgraduate College for Women Samanabad and Divisional Public School Model Town where around 19,000 candidates will sit for the test. The test shall comprise 220 Multiple Choice Questions divided into four sections namely Biology, Chemistry, Physics and English. Total duration of the test shall be two and a half hours. Total marks of the test are 1,100. There shall be negative marking in the test like previous years and while five marks will be awarded for each correct answer, one mark will be deducted for each incorrect answer. Briefing media on the arrangement of the testy, UHS Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Javed Akram said that the Punjab chief secretary had directed all concerned department to make immaculate arrangements for smooth and flawless conduct of the admission test. The district administration, under the supervision of concerned divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners, had finalised the security and logistic plans at their respective centres, UHS VC Professor Dr Javed Akram said. He added that district police officers would be responsible for security and deployment of police personnel at the test centres. Police would ensure extensive patrolling and technical sweeping of the area before the commencement of the test. Walk-through gates and mobile jammers would be installed at all major centres. Restrictions would be imposed under Section 144 on the entry of unauthorised persons in the premises of examination centres, UHS VC informed. He said that parents and other attendants of the candidates would be provided waiting areas near test centres. Traffic police had been directed to make proper traffic and parking arrangements to ensure smooth flow of traffic near the test centres, he said. Emergency healthcare services will be ensured at all centres which would include fully equipped ambulances, doctors along with paramedical staff and emergency medicines. Moreover, the nearest teachin g hospital or district headquarters hospital would be on high alert to ensure a state of readiness to meet any emergency. Arrangements have also been made with power supply companies to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply at all the centres during the test. Candidates are not allowed to bring any cell phones, calculators, laptops, watches, books and electronic devices at the test centre. Professor Dr Javed Akram said that there would be zero tolerance for the use of unfair means in the test. Published in Daily Times, September 23rd 2018.