Patna University (PU) on Thursday started preparations for conducting entrance examination for admission to undergraduate courses in colleges affiliated to it a day after Raj Bhavan gave its go-ahead to the varsity.

PU vice-chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh convened a meeting of all the college principals to chalk out plans for free and fair test. He also reviewed the preparedness of each institution for the maiden entrance exam.

The colleges would conduct the entrance examination between July 2 and July 7.

Confusion brewed over the admission test after the state education department had scrapped the varsity’s test plan on Tuesday. State education minister P.K. Shahi had said the entrance examination for the session 2012 was being cancelled because the university did not consult the education department.

Chancellor Devanand Konwar gave permission to PU to conduct examination for admission to its undergraduate courses on Wednesday, reversing the state government’s order.

A senior teacher of the university said on the condition of anonymity: “The state government and Raj Bhavan are already at loggerheads over the appointment of five VCs in August last year. The state government has even approached the high court with a plea that the Raj Bhavan did not consult the state government on the appointment of VCs.”

The political implications of the chancellor’s decision notwithstanding, the varsity officials on Thursday geared up to conduct entrance test without any hitch. Patna University dean Ejaz Ali Arshad said: “The university will depute five observers to each college on the day of the entrance test. Four sets of question papers would be prepared to ensure applicants do not indulge in unfair means.”

Each question paper will consist of 100 objective questions, each carrying one mark. Students will have to mark their answers in OMR (optical mark recognition) sheets.

Magadh Mahila College will conduct the entrance test first — on July 2. The test in Patna Women’s College is slated for July 3. Science College will conduct the entrance test on July 6.

Patna Science College principal Arun Kumar Sinha said: “The college has already sent the question paper for printing.”

Till Wednesday evening, the colleges and the students were in a state of confusion over the entrance exam because Shahi said on the previous day that the entrance examination for the session 2012 had been cancelled since the university did not consult the education department.

Shahi had said: “Under Section 38(III) of Patna University Act, 1976 it is clearly mentioned that the university should have consulted the state government for conducting the test.”

The university sources said a day after the state government cancelled the PU’s decision to hold entrance test, the VC camped for more than three hours at Raj Bhavan seeking “written nod” from the chancellor for conducting the written test.