NEET: Not Just A Neat Idea?

So according to the latest update on the website of the Medical Council of India, the proposed merging of state and national level entrance examinations for the post graduate education is going on as planned, despite the stiff opposition from certain sections.

Though this notification is a bit vague and in no way a complete guide, this at least dispels the clouds of doubt that loomed large over the status of the common entrance test.

A few take home points from this message:

• State PG entrance exams are gone.
• A change in the question pattern is in the piping.
• A rather interesting addendum is “the knowledge that needs to be acquired during internship”. What exactly that entails is anyone’s guess, but I am sure they won’t be asking questions on my secret method to have a 90%+ success rate on getting I.V. cannulas in.
• The issue of the break up of seats is still not clear. Since this was the real contentious issue which had held this show up for so long, it would be interesting to see how things pan out. I think there will be a significant increase in seats accessible to us thanks to the opened up system, but how it finally pans out is anyone’s guess. With complex reservation policies and private college seats (with a black cloud of ominous rumors hanging over them!) to deal with, if the NEET does not open up seats from one state for students in another one, one of the prime benefits of the system will be lost.
• Also, it seems that the “AIIMS guys” who are usually responsible for the preparation of the final AIPGMEE question paper will not be playing a major part this year and the paper will be framed by a new group anointed by the MCI. Does that mean all the mugging based medicine that medical students usually follow to crack these exams will be rendered futile?

In conclusion, this announcement raises more questions than it answers but definitely it comes with several pros and cons. Another post to discuss them, but for the time being, all I want to know from you is, is this news going to impact your preparation strategy in any manner? If so, how?