A few days before their exam is to start, students of the second and third year of MBBS have raised serious concerns over writing papers physically in their respective colleges. Instead, the students want an alternative mode of examination, a survey by a students’ body has shown. Authorities say physical exams are a must for MBBS students.

About 70 per cent of medical students stay far away from their colleges in Maharashtra and 80 per cent of them will need public transport to reach exam centres. Since 82 per cent students live in hostels, there is a fear of transmission, said the Association of State Medical Students Maharashtra (ASMI-UG Wing) that carried out the survey. It has shared the findings with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) that conducts the exam.