The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has decided to hold the Medical Dental Admission Examination (MDCAT) on August 27.

The decision was made in the council meeting chaired by PMDC President Dr Rizwan Taj.

The council decided that the syllabus of the MDCAT will remain the same as last year’s exam while directing all provincial secretaries to start preparing for the said exam.

The council expects 210,000 students to appear in the exams, compared with the last year when almost 204,259 students appeared in the exams. Medical universities from all four provinces and the federal capital will again conduct the exams as per the provincial curriculum.

The council added that all stakeholders will be taken on board prior to exams, including public medical universities’ examination departments to ensure the secrecy of exams.

The MDCAT paper’s difficult index will also be taken into consideration for ease of students to ensure that all provinces conduct exams without any trouble to students.

It was also decided that the National University of Medical Sciences will be the admitting university responsible for admissions in all armed forces-administered medical and dental colleges and institutes.

The varsity admission test will be considered at par with the national MDCAT, to be applicable only for admission in all armed forces-administered medical and dental colleges.

The council members included Dr Amjad Siraj Memon, Dr Muhammad Zubair Khan, Jawad Amin Khan, Barrister Ch Sultan Mansoor, Noor ul Haq, Dr Mahmud Aurangzeb, Dr Tahmina Asad.

Surgeon General Lt Gen Mohsin Qureshi, Health Ministry of National Health Services Secretary Dr Muhammad Shoaib Shafi, and all provincial secretaries and nominees also attended the meeting.