Islamabad: Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday said the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 would be held across the country on September 20, with 138,160 candidates registered to appear in the examination.
Addressing a press conference, the federal minister said 34 examination centres had been established across Pakistan, besides an international centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to facilitate candidates.
He said the examination process had been further strengthened this year to ensure security, transparency and confidentiality.
The minister said a question bank comprising 8,000 questions had been prepared with the assistance of around 80 experts from across the country. The experts worked for nearly two months under special security arrangements to prepare the questions.
Of the question bank, each province had been provided two separate sets of 180 questions, from which the respective provinces and designated medical universities would prepare the examination papers.
Kamal said previously a single paper was used for the entire country, creating the risk that a leak at one location could compromise the examination nationwide. The provincial-wise papers had been introduced to minimise this risk.
He said the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had completed its responsibilities relating to candidates’ registration and provision of the question bank.
The respective provinces and designated medical universities would now be responsible for printing, secure custody and transportation of papers, conduct of the examination and announcement of results.
The Ministry of Health and PMDC would monitor and oversee the examination process and remain in coordination with provincial authorities and heads of the concerned universities in case of any protest or other issue, he added.
The minister said special arrangements had also been made for students from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
In view of internet connectivity issues, hard copies had been provided to students there, while special examination centres had also been established in AJK and Islamabad for such candidates.
He said Prime Minister had directed the authorities to ensure complete confidentiality, security and transparency in the conduct of MDCAT.
Kamal further directed the concerned universities to conduct pre-hoc analysis of examination papers to ensure that incorrect, flawed or questionable questions were not included.
He warned that in case of a paper leak or failure to ensure transparency, the concerned university would be held responsible. The PMDC could withhold or forfeit the remaining 50 percent payment to the university as a penalty, he added.
He said disciplinary and legal action would also be taken against officials and employees found negligent or irresponsible, while the concerned university could also be disqualified from conducting MDCAT in the future.
Regarding medical college admissions, the minister said around 22,000 seats were available in medical colleges this year.
He said the proposal to conduct MDCAT twice a year was not feasible, adding that around 300 seats had remained vacant last year. He rejected reports that seats had remained vacant because of high fees.
Kamal said complaints regarding inadequate quality of education in private medical institutions had been received in the past and the PMDC was taking strict action in this regard.
He also said individuals whose documentation for stay in Pakistan was incomplete were being sent back. He clarified that the policy was not limited to Afghan students and also covered students from other countries, engineering students and foreign nationals working in Pakistan.