National Medical and Dental College Admission Test

Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) is a paper based test conducted in Pakistan and internationally each year for those who want to pursue undergraduate medical and dental education in Pakistan. It is a pre-requisite for admission in all medical and dental colleges (both public and private) in Pakistan.

MDCAT is conducted annually by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. In 2020, the test replaced the provincial medical entrance exams conducted in the past. But in 2023, after the dissolution of PMC, the test becomes provincial level and each province has to choose a University to conduct MDCAT exam.The test in Punjab conducts by University of health sciences lahore (UHS) and in KPK by Khyber medical university (KMU).

History
Provincial medical entrance exams included the MDCAT conducted by the University of Health Sciences, Lahore in Punjab and Balochistan before the NMDCAT. It was implemented in 1998 as the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) on the initiative of the then chief minister of Punjab Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to counter replete cheating in HSSC exams at the time. Other provinces also started conducting their medical entrance exams in the years to follow. From 1998 to 2007, it was conducted by the King Edward Medical University, Lahore. From 2008, University of Health Sciences, Lahore conducted the test in Punjab. Initially, Institute of Business Administration used to conduct separate Entry Tests for MBBS and BDS courses in public colleges of Sindh under the provincial government. Later, National Testing Service (NTS) started to conduct the tests. After the PMDC regulations were amended in 2016, NTS started to conduct a centralized Entry Test for public and private medical and dental colleges in Sindh. Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) used to conduct the provincial medical entrance exam before the NMDCAT in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After the PMDC was dissolved by the federal government in 2020 and Pakistan Medical Commission was introduced, the NMDCAT was introduced. Over 125,000 students registered for the NMDCAT from all over the country.

For the first time, in 2021, the test was computerized and conducted internationally through a local testing service. In 2022, the mode of examination shifted back to pen-and-paper based and provinces were given the authority to conduct the exam through their respective Admitting Universities.

Seat distribution
The seats are limited as there are some 3405 seats for admissions solely based on previous academic record (locally called open merit format) in public medical colleges and some 216 open merit seats in public dental colleges of Punjab only. In addition, some seats are reserved for foreign and dual nationality holders. There are also 76 seats for overseas Pakistanis. Overseas Pakistanis are not charged higher tuition fee as opposed to foreign nationals who pay around $10,000 per year, which is often far less compared to many institutes in other parts of the world.

Test structure and scoring
NMDCAT consists of multiple choice questions. Each question carries 1 mark with no negative marking for wrong answers. Total score is 200. 68 questions are from Biology, 54 from Chemistry, 54 from Physics, 18 from English language, 6 from Logical reasoning.

Only in 2021 the total score was increased to 210. The next year the score was back to 200.

Syllabus
The syllabus for the exam is available on the website of Pakistan Medical Commission. It is claimed by the organization that it follows a common curriculum of HSSC. It consists of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English language and Logical reasoning.You can download official syllabus from mdcat syllabus website.

Aggregate formula for merit
The MDCAT merit formula, also known as the aggregate formula, plays a crucial role in determining the overall merit for admissions in medical and dental colleges in Pakistan. The formula comprises contributions from different academic stages, allowing a comprehensive evaluation of a candidate's qualifications. According to Medico Engineer Aggregate Calculator, the MDCAT aggregate formula is calculated as follows:

10% from Matriculation (SSC) results 40% from Intermediate (HSSC/FSc) results 50% from the MDCAT (Medical and Dental College Admission Test) score This formula is designed to provide a balanced assessment, taking into account a candidate's performance in matriculation, intermediate studies, and the MDCAT examination.

Aspiring candidates and stakeholders often use an MDCat aggregate calculator to easily determine their overall merit score. This tool simplifies the calculation process, enabling candidates to understand their standing in the admission process.

It's important to note that the specific details of the formula may vary among institutions, and candidates are advised to check the official guidelines of the respective admission authorities for accurate and up-to-date information.

Conducting body
Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, regulator of medical education in Pakistan, conducts the entrance exam.

Reliability
The results of the NMDCAT 2020 were announced on December 16, 2020. The exam achieved a 0.96 on Cronbach's alpha and was determined to be extremely reliable and consistent with its structure and objectives.

Controversies
In 2001, IBA received heavy criticism as its reputation was largely undermined when a massive fraud was found in the Entry Test conducted by Sindh government.

Medical admissions in Pakistan received for the 20 additional marks given to students who have memorized the Quran. These additional marks sometimes prevent non-Muslim students from getting onto the merit list. In 2012, a Christian student went to Lahore High Court because he couldn't get onto the merit list while his Muslim peers with less marks were on the merit list with the additional 20 marks. However, his plea was dismissed by the Lahore High Court.

In 2020, the date of the NMDCAT clashed with the Hindu festival of Diwalia. The Hindu students and activists protested against it. The Hindu civil rights activist Kapil Devil said, "If you don't schedule exams on your Eid, how come you schedule it on Diwali?". However, despite these protests, the Pakistan Medical Commission refused to change the date of NMDCAT.

Protests started in Punjab as the syllabus released by PMC included out of syllabus topics of UHS despite the syllabus from the Admitting Universities already being released in accordance with the PMDC Regulations, 2020. PUMHSW (the Admitting University of Sindh as per the defunct PMDC Regulations, 2020) had also announced the date of Entry Test in Sindh and the National Testing Service had also issued the admit cards in accordance with the directives by Government of Sindh. Sindh government heavily criticised the federal government on introducing a centralized test for admissions and did not allow them to conduct NMDCAT in Sindh. However, it was on November 11, 2020, the Entry Test was cancelled by the Sindh High Court and the NMDCAT by PMC was declared legal and constitutional. It led to chaos and confusion among students from all over the country as the provincial entrance exams were cancelled only two weeks before and a centralized medical entrance exam came into existence for the first time. On November 11, 2020, the NMDCAT was delayed by Sindh High Court as key bodies weren't formed by the PMC in order to structure the syllabus and the date. After the formation of National Medical and Dental Academic Board, the Pakistan Medical Commission approved the syllabus and conducted the NMDCAT on November 29, 2020. After it was conducted, the test was heavily criticised by all provinces as it was alleged the content was out of provincial syllabi. It led to Sindh government rejecting the NMDCAT. After the results were announced, protests over the alleged discrepancies in the results took place all over the country which led to PMC giving the option of recounting. In 2021, the computerized MDCAT received heavy criticism due to alleged discrepancies in the way it was conducted.

According to Medico Engineer, MDCAT test held in Sindh, KPK in 2023 faced a massive cheating scandal that has prompted calls for a reconduct. Reports of cheating through Bluetooth devices and leaked papers emerged, leading to widespread discontent among candidates.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, after acknowledging the severity of the cheating scandal, decided to re-conduct the MDCAT 2023 examination. This decision comes amid petitions filed by candidates seeking a fresh MDCAT test. The Peshawar High Court is actively involved in this matter, which also concerns the ETEA MDCAT reconduct.

In Sindh, the MDCAT 2023 situation also remains under scrutiny. Papers were leaked by JSMU (Jinnah Sindh Medical University), reports by social media later confirmed via official page of Health Department Government of Sindh, further fueling the demand for a reconduct. However, as of now, no official notification regarding the reconduct has been released by the government of Sindh or PMDC (Pakistan Medical and Dental Council), despite the clamor for MDCAT 2023 reconduct and the MDCAT reconduct 2023 chances.