Islamabad: Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Tuesday said it could not ‘legally disadvantage or discourage’ MDCAT 2024 candidates in this year’s admissions. The Council made the statement despite growing demands from some legislators who want a relative marking or equivalence formula to reduce the competitiveness of last year’s students.
The Council said the MDCAT result remains valid for three years under the PMDC Act. It added that any change to this rule can only be made by Parliament, not during an active admission cycle.
The position was presented during a high level meeting at PMDC headquarters. Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health, Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, attended the meeting as a special invitee.
Dr Malani and some committee members argued that last year’s candidates should be discouraged from competing this year and suggested creating an equivalence mechanism to adjust their scores and address what they called an imbalance between the two batches.
Council members said such proposals were neither legally possible nor academically defensible. They explained that both MDCAT papers had different difficulty patterns and could not be compared fairly.
According to PMDC Council, the 2024 exam included 20 percent easy, 60 percent moderate and 20 percent difficult questions. The 2025 paper had 15 percent easy, 70 percent moderate and 15 percent very difficult questions.
Because of these differences, the Council said no relative marking or equivalence formula could be applied without compromising fairness. It said such an attempt would also risk legal challenges from students.
The Council told the meeting that the three year validity is written into law and cannot be changed mid session. It added that the 2025–26 admission process is already in its final stages and the merit list is almost complete.
Any attempt to introduce a new formula now would create confusion and invite litigation. The Council said only Parliament can amend the law and any future change can be discussed for the next academic session.
Dr Malani referred to a similar situation during the former PMC in 2021 and suggested revisiting the formula used at the time. He said 42,000 candidates appeared in MDCAT this year and the Council must offer clarity before the courts, where three petitions on the matter are pending.
PMDC members said all suggestions from students, universities and parliamentary members were reviewed. They said the Council must remain within constitutional limits and cannot exceed its authority.
They said all possible options will be placed before the High Court with full transparency. Whatever decision the Court issues will be final and binding on all institutions and candidates.
The special meeting was convened after the Council took notice of media reports and acknowledged the uncertainty faced by students. Vice Chancellors, IBCC representatives, legal experts and Council officials attended the meeting to examine every proposal.
PMDC said it considers every candidate an important stakeholder and will continue supporting students at all forums. It said the Council will present a clear and lawful position before the Court and ensure that students can proceed with admissions with confidence.
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