MDCAT being held across country amid tight security measures

ISLAMABAD: The nationwide Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) is being held today under the supervision of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), with strict security measures in place.

Over 167,777 candidates are vying for more than 18,000 seats across Pakistan. Section 144 has been imposed in areas around testing centers.

Mobile and internet services have been suspended within a 500-meter radius of the examination centers from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm to ensure the smooth conduct of the test.

In Punjab, 26 centers across 12 cities in Punjab, including 8 centers in Lahore are holding tests for 82,500 aspiring medical

Test centers have been established in Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Sahiwal, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujarat, and Rahim Yar Khan.

In Sindh, six examination centers have been set up across the province for 38,700 candidates, including 12,846 in Karachi alone under the supervision of Dow University of Health Sciences.

In Karachi, the exam is being held at NED University and Dow University’s Ojha campus for 858 seats in Karachi’s medical and dental colleges and universities, including 746 open merit seats and 112 self-finance seats.

Dow Univeristy has prohibited mobile phones, calculators, Bluetooth devices, and even watches and water bottles in examination centers.

Karachi police have been deployed to ensure smooth traffic flow, and the exam centers are being monitored by CCTV cameras.

In Balochistan, 5,806 students are taking the test for entry into medical colleges in the province.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 42,300 candidates are participating in the test, which is being held at 13 centers across 8 districts, including six in Peshawar. Khyber Medical University is overseeing the examination process in the region.

Each examination center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be under the watch of a Senior Superintendent of Police (SP) and an Assistant Commissioner to ensure smooth proceedings.