Bhubaneswar, March 5: Students across the state are gearing up for the CBSE-conducted All-India Pre-medical Test (AIPMT) examinations 2014 for MBBS and BDS courses scheduled to be held on May 4.

Aspiring candidates from the state are excited with the increase in number of seats at prominent medical colleges of the state.

At present, there are three government and five privately managed medical colleges in the state. The government colleges are SCB Medical College in Cuttack, MKCG Medical College in Berhampur and VSS Medical College in Burla.

From the next academic session, SCB Medical College will have 250 seats as against 150 each at present.

Although the government has already announced that the two other medical colleges would also have 250 seats each, the seat matrix announced by CBSE does not reflect the decision.

CBSE officials in the state said that they were coordinating with the state health directorate for the examination.

“The nodal officer of the state for the upcoming AIPMT will be from the directorate and will be involved in identifying AIPMT exam centres in the state and selection of the invigilators,” said an official.

After completion of the entrance examination, the answer sheets will be collected by CBSE personnel and will evaluate them.

Besides, the three government colleges, there are five medical colleges in the private sector. Through AIPMT — three private medical colleges — Hi-Tech in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela and Gandhi Dental College in Bhubaneswar — candidates will be selected for admission.

Two other institutes — KIMS of KIIT University, SUM Medical College of SOA University — have their own admission process, as they are autonomous.