In 2024, 16,648 candidates passed the MDCAT, while the total number of seats in colleges across the country was around 22,300.
The Senate Standing Committee on Health’s subcommittee has recommended major reforms to the MDCAT and the admission system for medical colleges, proposing consideration of holding the MDCAT twice a year and reducing its weightage in admissions from 50% to 30%.
The report of the Senate Standing Committee on Health’s subcommittee, comprising Convener Anusha Rehman, Senator Samina Zehri and Senator Jan Zeb, said reliance on deciding a student’s future solely on the basis of a single examination for admission to medical colleges should be reduced. It also recommended providing students with a second opportunity in the same year in case they fail the MDCAT, so that they do not lose an entire academic year.
The report recommended assessing the possible impact of introducing negative marking in the MDCAT and keeping examination results valid for three years. It also stressed announcing the examination date well in advance and not changing it except under extraordinary circumstances.
The subcommittee recommended establishing a formal complaint and review system for ambiguous, incorrect or disputed questions in the MDCAT. It said students should not need to rely on private academies for months to prepare for the examination.
The report stressed making the MDCAT uniform and fair for students with FSc, Cambridge, and O/A Level backgrounds. For this purpose, it also recommended including experts from the Cambridge, O/A Level and IB systems in the preparation of the MDCAT syllabus.
The committee’s report also raised important questions regarding the number of seats available in medical colleges and the number of candidates.
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