MDCAT held across the country, more than 138,000 candidates participate

The MDCAT (Medical and Dental College Admission Test) was conducted across Pakistan under the supervision of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for admissions to medical and dental colleges; a total of 138,160 candidates were registered for the exam.

The test was held at 34 centers across Pakistan as well as in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Candidates participating in the test included 49,000 from Punjab, 38,000 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and over 34,000 from Sindh.

Strict instructions were issued for candidates at the examination centers. No candidate was permitted to leave the center before the exam concluded, and remaining seated until the test ended was mandatory. Bringing any digital device, including mobile phones, into the examination center was also prohibited.

Organization of the Exam Across Provinces

According to the PMDC, the responsibility for conducting the MDCAT in Punjab was assigned to the University of Health Sciences, Lahore. In Sindh, this responsibility was entrusted to Sukkur IBA; in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Khyber Medical University; and in Balochistan to Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences, Quetta.

Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, handled the arrangements for the exam in Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Special Arrangements for Candidates from Riyadh and Balochistan

The MDCAT in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was also conducted under the supervision of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad.

To facilitate students from Balochistan, an additional MDCAT center was established in Islamabad, allowing candidates holding a Balochistan domicile to take the exam.

A separate MDCAT portal has been created for students from Azad Kashmir. Arrangements were made to provide hard copies of the exam to these candidates due to internet issues, and a special examination center was also established for them in Islamabad.

Contingency Plan for Paper Leaks

According to the PMDC, the MDCAT paper will consist of 180 questions prepared by experts selected from across the country. To avoid the risk of cancelling the nationwide exam in the event of a paper leak, two separate sets of papers have been provided to each province.

The MDCAT will include questions on Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, and IQ. This three-hour multiple-choice question (MCQ) test will carry a total of 180 marks.

The passing marks for admission to medical colleges have been set at 55%, while for dental colleges, the requirement is 50%; there will be no negative marking in the exam.