MDCAT paper withheld, candidates demand clarity

The release of the answer key and results of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) in Sindh has raised questions after candidates were not given access to the question paper.

More than 33,000 candidates appeared in the MDCAT across Sindh on September 20. More than 9,000 of them were from Karachi.

The question paper was not released after the examination. Candidates were instead provided with carbon copies of their Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) answer sheets.

It has now emerged that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had instructed universities not to release the question paper.

The council issued a notification on September 10, 10 days before the examination. It directed universities conducting the MDCAT to collect question papers from candidates immediately after the test.

The universities were also told to ensure that no candidate retained a copy of the paper. The PMDC said the measure was intended to ensure a better examination process.

The notification was issued by the council’s Registration Office and Examination Department. It was also shared with the health secretaries of all four provinces.

Sukkur IBA University conducted the MDCAT in Sindh. Its vice chancellor, Dr Asif Sheikh, said the university had released the question paper after last year’s examination.

He said the university could not release the paper this year because of the PMDC directive. He added that the university could still make the paper public if the council gave permission.

PMDC President Dr Rizwan Taj said the decision was taken on the recommendation of vice chancellors of the universities conducting the test. According to him, the vice chancellors had advised against releasing the question paper.

The MDCAT consisted of 180 multiple-choice questions. The answer key was uploaded on the night of September 20.

However, the question paper remained unavailable. Some candidates questioned the transparency of the process and said the answer key alone did not allow them to properly check their responses.

Several candidates also raised concerns about answers in the English and Logical Reasoning sections. They claimed some answers in the published key appeared to be incorrect.

Candidates argued that access to the question paper would allow them to compare the questions with the official key and identify any possible discrepancies.

The Sukkur IBA vice chancellor said the university had reviewed the answer keys several times. He maintained that the university was satisfied with their accuracy.

He nevertheless said the university remained bound by the PMDC’s instructions and could release the question paper only after receiving approval from the council.