Islamabad: Federal health minister Mustafa Kamal put provincial authorities and designated public universities on notice on Wednesday, saying they alone will be answerable for any paper leak, deviation from the syllabus, or lapse in transparency during the Medical and Dental College Admission Test on October 26. Speaking at the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council head office in Islamabad, he said PMDC has delivered a uniform national syllabus and a 6,000-question item bank, while operations and on-ground management rest entirely with the exam-conducting universities.
The minister said 140,129 applicants have registered to compete for around 22,000 MBBS and BDS seats nationwide. The exam will be held at 32 venues across the country, including one international centre in Riyadh. He urged provinces to run a free, fair and transparent test and asked the media to help inform candidates and families about exam protocols.
Mustafa Kamal said PMDC created a common national syllabus for the first time after months of work with vice chancellors and other stakeholders. He said universities have drawn their papers from the national item bank to their satisfaction, adding that last year’s complaints about out-of-syllabus questions were a key reason for moving to a single curriculum. According to PMDC, each province has been issued multiple sets prepared from the bank and will choose its paper from within that approved pool.
Operational responsibility has been placed squarely on the universities. They have been instructed to provide suitable centres with proper seating, ventilation, heating or cooling and drinking water; install jammers to block electronic devices; set up walk-through gates; deploy adequate security; appoint and pay trained invigilators and administrative staff; and ensure secure development, printing and transfer of confidential question papers. Parent waiting areas and verification counters for students will be set up to keep entry and identification smooth.
The council has asked universities to carry out pre-hoc and post-hoc analyses so that no incorrect or out-of-syllabus questions appear, and to document and address any anomalies before declaring results. The council also clarified that it retains exclusive authority over candidate registration, policy oversight and validation of results to protect national uniformity and merit.
Mustafa Kamal said half of the allocated examination funds have already been released to universities. If any irregularity occurs, the remaining 50 percent will be withheld. He added that this structure is designed to promote transparency and efficient management of the process in every province and region.
On fees, PMDC officials explained that candidates paid Rs 9,000 for the test. Of this, approximately Rs 7,500 goes to provinces and their universities to cover logistics and conduct, while PMDC retains about Rs 1,500 for administrative needs linked to registration, oversight and result validation.
PMDC reiterated that the MDCAT score will carry at least 50 percent weightage in admissions to public and private colleges, will be valid nationwide and will remain valid for three years. The council said its syllabus and exam framework must be implemented in letter and spirit across all centres, and that any breach of security or transparency will be attributed to the concerned university.
The minister repeated that there will be no tolerance for paper leaks or mismanagement. With a common syllabus, a national question bank and funds in place, he said, provinces and universities have both the tools and the responsibility to run what he described as the best administered MDCAT to date.
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