PMDC to standardize MDCAT amid controversy over recent exam

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has announced plans to standardise the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) for the next year following controversy surrounding this year’s exam.

Complaints have arisen about a potential question paper leak in Sindh discrepancies in exam difficulty, particularly regarding the test administered by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU).

Around 170,000 candidates participated in the MDCAT on September 22, but many have reported issues, including claims that over 20 questions were outside the syllabus. The PMDC is collaborating with the Inter-Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to create a unified question bank for future tests.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) bench has summoned various officials, including the PMDC president and university vice chancellors, to address allegations of the leaked exam paper on October 9. SZABMU’s vice chancellor responded to the complaints by stating that a committee of subject specialists has received and is currently reviewing 210 reports.

Despite assurances from SZABMU about maintaining the integrity of the exam process, candidates are demanding remedial measures, including automatic marks for all students if retaking the exam is not feasible.

The PMDC has emphasised the need for a thorough analysis of the test results and aims to ensure a consistent difficulty level for all students nationwide starting next year.