Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has announced a new schedule for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), set to take effect from 2027.
As per details, the latest announcement by the federal minister will impact private coaching centres across Pakistan.
The MDCAT remains a mandatory requirement for students seeking admission to both public and private medical and dental colleges, for a transparent and merit-based selection process nationwide.
According to the minister, from 2027 onward, the test will be conducted within six days of the FSc results, effectively eliminating the traditional gap of several months that students previously used for preparation.
What will be the new MDCAT passing marks?
Earlier, the chairman of the Senate committee said that the seats in medical colleges in Sindh and Punjab have not yet been filled.
Committee Chairman Senator Aamir Waliuddin stated that admissions could not be completed due to the high PMDC weightage numbers.
He further said that the government’s special committee had fixed medical college fees at Rs 1.8 million, while private medical colleges are charging up to Rs 3 million. He added that PMDC should pay attention to the fees of medical colleges.
Senator Anusha Rehman demanded that a supplementary examination be arranged for students who failed the MDCAT test. She noted that even a student who falls short by a single mark in MDCAT loses an entire year, calling it unfortunate that a child could lose a year over just one mark.
Committee Chairman Senator Aamir Waliuddin said that the passing marks for MDCAT should be 33%.
Senator Mustafa Kamal said that the committee should instruct PMDC to consider reducing the MDCAT passing marks. He added that PMDC should submit a report on MDCAT passing marks to the committee, noting that no more than 22,000 students can be admitted each year.
