Admission seekers are worried about their preparations for the coming public university entrance exams as most of the universities are yet to decide whether the exam syllabus would be shortened or not.

Students are concerned about it as they took last year's HSC exams only on three optional subjects and the syllabuses were cut also amid the pandemic. No exams were held on compulsory subjects like Bangla and English.

Admission seekers say many public universities usually set admission test questions from Bangla and English.

"The decision regarding the syllabus should be taken as soon as possible to relieve worries of students and guardians. It would also help students' preparations for the exams," said Rizwan Hossain, father of an admission seeker from the capital's Pallabi.

Sultana Razia, an admission seeker from the city's Mohammadpur, said the situation is different this year. "We hardly read Bangla and English ahead of HSC exams as we did not need to sit exams in those subjects."

She said it would be better for them if the entrance tests were held under the curtailed syllabuses of the HSC exams.

Last year, a total of 13.07 lakh students passed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent exams, according to results published on February 13. Of them 1,89,169 secured GPA-5.

In Bangladesh, students usually prefer public universities and medical colleges to other higher education institutions. There are around 60,000 seats in 45 public universities and 4,350 in 47 public medical colleges.

The Dhaka University authorities said they have not decided on which syllabus the entrance test will be held.

DU Vice Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman said teachers involved in overseeing admission tests will decide on the syllabus and question patterns.

"They would give consideration to the shortened HSC exam syllabus on which the exams were held [last year]," he hoped.

Professor Abdus Salam of Rajshahi University said the admission committee will make the decision regarding the entrance test syllabus.

Authorities of 20 science and technology, and general public universities, which conducted a uniform entrance test last year, are yet to make a decision on the entrance test syllabus.

Prof Munaz Ahmed Noor, VC of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital University in the capital, said they would soon sit in a meeting on the admission test.

"We will hold the meeting following the one of Bangladesh Biswabidalaya Parishad, [an association of public university vice chancellors] which would discuss entrance tests in public universities."

He said they would ensure equal opportunities for all admission seekers. "An admission test is an 'elimination exam' and there is no fixed syllabus for such a test."

Munaz said they will need to hold detailed discussion on abridged syllabus as well as on subjects like Bangla and English as students did not take HSC exams on those.

Additional Secretary Nitish Chandra Sarker, who looks after medical education at the health ministry, said they would sit in a meeting soon to discuss the issue.

Jahangirnagar University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) have decided to hold admission tests on a shortened syllabus.

"Students will not have enough time to prepare for the entrance exams if those are held on full syllabus," Buet VC Satya Prasad Majumder said.