UNIVERSITIES, NOT PM&DC WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MDCAT PAPER LEAKS OR MISMANAGEMENT
Islamabad : Syed Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, in a press conference held at the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) head office, has asked the provincial authorities and universities to conduct a free, fair and transparent MDCAT on October 26.
A total of 140,129 applicants have been registered for the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) for admission against 22,000 seats of MBBS and BDS in public and private colleges and universities across the country. The test will be conducted nationwide at 32 venues, including one international center i.e Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
The Federal Minister announced that the PM&DC in a major milestone, developed a uniform national syllabus an item bank for the MDCAT, containing over 6,000 standardized questions. The syllabus was created in consultation with vice chancellors and other stakeholders nationwide. Universities have prepared from the national item bank upon their full satisfaction. He warned that provinces will be responsible if the MDCAT paper is leaked. He urged the media to help raise public awareness about the exam. The Minister appreciated the President, Registrar, and PM&DC examination department for creating an excellent item bank. MDCAT-2025 will be conducted across Pakistan through designated public sector exam-conducting universities in each province and region. While all matters relating to the organization, management, and conduct of the examination and results shall be handled by the respective exam-conducting universities in accordance with the standards and framework already conveyed by the Council.
The PM&DC has further emphasized that if any exam-conducting university fails to ensure the smooth and transparent conduct of the MDCAT, or if any incident of paper leakage, deviation from the approved syllabus, or breach of transparency occurs, the concerned university shall be held fully responsible for such lapses.
He also clearly announced that 50% of the total allocated amount has already been released to the universities to facilitate the smooth and efficient conduct of the examination. However, in the event of any such irregularity or misconduct, the remaining 50% payment shall be withheld.
He added that this strategic decision has been made to ensure transparency, regional facilitation, and efficient management of the MDCAT-2025 examination process nationwide. Each university will act as the examination authority within its jurisdiction, ensuring adherence to PM&DC’s prescribed rules, syllabus, and security protocols.
According to PM&DC the MDCAT score will carry at least 50% weightage for admission to public and private medical colleges, will be valid nationwide, and will remain valid for three years. Universities must conduct pre-hoc and post-hoc analyses to ensure no incorrect or out-of-syllabus questions appear in the exam.
All participating universities have been required to make comprehensive arrangements for the conduct of MDCAT-2025, which shall include, Provision of suitable examination centers with proper seating, ventilation, heating/cooling, and drinking water arrangements, Installation of jammers to block electronic devices, establishment of walk-through gates at entry and exit points, and deployment of adequate security personnel, appointment and remuneration of trained staff for invigilation and administration duties, development, printing, and secure transfer of confidential question papers; maintenance of strict. Additionally, universities will arrange for a parent waiting area, student verification counters, and other miscellaneous facilities to ensure a smooth and secure examination experience.
The PM&DC curriculum and syllabus for the MDCAT-2025 shall be implemented in letter and spirit by all universities.
The PM&DC has also clarified that while universities will manage all operational and logistical aspects of the MDCAT-2025, the Council retains exclusive authority over candidate registration, policy oversight, and validation of results to ensure national uniformity and merit-based transparency.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
