ISLAMABAD: Around 200,000 students are likely to participate in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has decided to conduct on Sept 22.

In a recent meeting, the council has decided to conduct the MDCAT for aspiring medical students on the same date in Pakistan and abroad.

The council has also decided that the syllabus for the MDCAT will be uploaded next week on the PMDC website and the registration portal will also be open for the registrations. To facilitate the students, the council has decided to keep the syllabus unchanged.

The council has directed all the provincial secretaries to start preparation for the MDCAT, the statement said, that the decision had been taken keeping in view the larger interest of the students.

Last year, 180,534 students appeared in the exams. According to estimates this year 200,000 students are likely to sit the exam.

The MDCAT paper difficult index would also be taken into consideration for ease of students without compromising merit to ensure that all provinces conduct exams without any trouble to students.

The President PMDC Prof Dr Rizwan Taj has stated that MDCAT-2024 will be a paper-based exam, will be held in a single day through provincial public admitting universities supervised by PMDC. He emphasised that students’ bright future was top priority and PMDC was working tirelessly to facilitate them.

He has directed all the universities that will conduct the exams to keep strict adherence to guidelines and regulations to ensure fairness and transparency in the admission process.

He said the council understands the importance of the MDCAT for students seeking admission in medical and dental colleges. Therefore, PMDC will ensure that all necessary arrangements shall be done in time.

Further details regarding the MDCAT, including the schedule, registration process, and other information, will be communicated to the candidates in the coming days.

“Aspiring medical students are advised to stay updated and prepare for the upcoming exam and keep visiting the PMDC website,” Dr Taj said.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2024