Islamabad: Entry tests for admission to medical and dental colleges across Pakistan are being held today (Sunday), with more than 140,000 students appearing for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) at various centers nationwide.
According to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), examinations are being conducted simultaneously in all provinces under strict monitoring protocols, while one international test center has been set up in Saudi Arabia for overseas Pakistani students.
The test will determine admissions to both MBBS and BDS programs across public and private sector medical colleges. Only 22,000 students will secure seats, highlighting the intense competition for medical education in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, social media has been flooded with reports alleging that the MDCAT paper was leaked ahead of the exam. However, Professor Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Chief Executive Officer of the Sindh Testing Service (STS), categorically denied these claims. “All question papers circulating online are fake,” he said in an official statement. “We have verified that none of these leaked papers match the actual MDCAT content.”
He further added that students who have not yet received their juvenile identification cards should not lose hope. “Such candidates can present their original matriculation or intermediate mark sheets as proof of identity to gain entry to the exam halls,” he explained.
Across Pakistan, 32 examination centers have been established, including major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta. In Karachi, test centers have been set up at Dow University and NED University, where thousands of candidates are appearing.
