Senate Raises Alarm Over MDCAT Complaints as 135,000 Students Prepare to Sit the Test

A Senate subcommittee has raised serious concerns about the conduct of this year’s Medical and Dental College Admission Test, with lawmakers pointing to over 1,000 complaints received from students and families ahead of the August examination.

The meeting, chaired by Senator Anusha Rahman, was attended by vice chancellors from several universities alongside officials from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal also attended after the session had been rescheduled three times due to his previous absences — a fact that drew visible frustration from committee members.

PMDC officials confirmed the test will be held across 36 cities — 35 in Pakistan and one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — with approximately 135,000 students registered to appear. Officials noted that the final board exams concluded on July 20, leaving a three-week gap before the MDCAT date.

Senator Rahman raised concerns about the high fees charged by private coaching academies preparing students for the test, and flagged complaints from FSc students being directed to study A-Level materials and vice versa. The health minister, however, dismissed the concerns, saying the system was functioning well and attributed the alarm to what he called a “mafia” of academies creating unnecessary panic.

Senator Samina Mumtaz also raised the issue of exam date clashes with FSc and A-Level finals, which PMDC officials said had been resolved with the current schedule.

Source: Dawn, 22 July 2026