In another ten days, when the notice for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for undergraduates (NEET-UG) is issued by the Union Health Ministry, there will be no more EAMCET for would-be medical students in Andhra Pradesh. From next year onwards, students seeking admission to medical colleges in the state will have to appear for a common national-level test to be held by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). A similar examination for post-graduate courses will be introduced from 2013, state health minister D L Ravindra Reddy announced on Thursday.

The move kicked off a debate on its implications for rural students and the syllabus candidates would have to prepare for. According to sources, the state government was opposed to the Medical Council of India's (MCI's) proposal to have one national-level common test because of the difficulties it would have overcome in implementing reservations for local and non-local quota and for the state's underprivileged classes. Apart from Andhra Pradesh, the move attracted opposition from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. But the Supreme Court gave the MCI the go-ahead in July and states will have to fall in line.

Moreover, officials say the test would be conducted in Hindi and English and not in any other language. Tamil Nadu has strongly opposed this and demanded that states be allowed to conduct the test in their local languages. Thousands of students studying in Telugu-medium schools are in a fix with this move as they would find it hard to write in Hindi or English. On this issue, other states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal too are demanding that the test be conducted in their local language.