By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 will be held across Pakistan on Sept 20, with authorities introducing additional measures to improve the security and transparency of the examination, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said on Wednesday.
Speaking to a news conference, the minister said 138,160 candidates had registered for the test. A total of 34 examination centres have been established across the country, along with an international centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He claimed that no complaints had been received regarding last year’s MDCAT, but the examination process had been further strengthened this year.
According to Mustafa Kamal, a question bank comprising 8,000 questions was prepared with the assistance of around 80 experts from across the country. The experts worked for nearly two months under special security arrangements.
He said each province had been provided with two separate sets of 180 questions, from which the respective provinces and designated medical universities would prepare examination papers.
“In the past, there was a single paper for the entire country, which meant that a leak at one location could affect the examination nationwide,” he said, explaining the decision to introduce separate provincial papers.
The minister said Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had completed its responsibilities relating to registration and provision of the question bank. The provinces and designated universities would now oversee printing, secure custody and transportation of papers, conduct of the test and announcement of results, he said claiming that the health ministry and PMDC would monitor the process.
Special arrangements have been made for Azad Kashmir students, including hard copies in view of internet connectivity problems and a special examination centre in Islamabad,” he said.
Mustafa Kamal said universities would have to conduct pre-hoc analysis of papers to exclude erroneous or questionable questions.
He warned that universities could face financial penalties, legal action and disqualification from conducting future MDCATs in case of paper leaks or serious negligence.
Replying to questions, the minister said around 22,000 medical college seats were available this year and termed the proposal to hold MDCAT twice a year impractical.
He said complaints about the quality of education at private medical institutions were being addressed through strict action by PMDC.
