PMDC Moves to End MDCAT Controversy
ISLAMABAD: In response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has announced plans to conduct an independent analysis of the test. Starting next year, all candidates across the country will receive the same questions to ensure a uniform difficulty level.
To facilitate this, the PMDC will collaborate with the Inter-Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to develop its own question bank.
The MDCAT is a crucial requirement for admission to medical and dental colleges in Pakistan. Since approximately 170,000 candidates took the exam on September 22—administered by six universities both domestically and abroad—there have been significant complaints regarding the integrity of the test. Allegations surfaced about a question paper leak in Sindh, as well as reports that over 20 questions were outside the syllabus during the exam conducted by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) in Islamabad.
A document obtained by Dawn reveals that Prof. Tariq Saleem, President of the Azad Kashmir College Teachers’ Association, wrote to SZABMU and representatives of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government, voicing concerns over multiple errors in the exam paper that caused distress among candidates and demanding that these issues be addressed.
Additionally, a bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito, has summoned the chief secretary, health secretary, PMDC president, and vice chancellors of Jinnah Sindh Medical University and other institutions to appear in court on October 9 to address the allegations regarding the paper leak.
Candidates have begun filing complaints with both the university and the PMDC, claiming that some individuals achieved nearly perfect scores—199 out of 200—due to the alleged leaks.
