The nationwide Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MD-CAT) was held on Sunday, with stringent security measures in place to prevent cheating and ensure fairness. Over 167,777 candidates vied for more than 18,000 seats across Pakistan.

Section 144 was imposed in areas around testing centres and mobile signals were also restricted.

Administrators caught at least 21 students allegedly cheating during the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) in Quetta, Balochistan on Sunday, sources said.

The test was conducted in 26 centres across 12 cities in Punjab, with 82,500 students participating. In Sindh, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) was entrusted with the responsibility for the third consecutive year, with approximately 38,700 candidates taking the test, including 12,846 from Karachi alone.

Soon after the exam began, rumours began that the MDCAT paper had been leaked. But a spokesperson for DUHS denied any such occurrence.

Anti-cheating measures

Candidates were prohibited from bringing electronic devices, including mobile phones, calculators, and Bluetooth devices, into the examination centre. Watches, water bottles, and bags were also confiscated.

Furthermore, the examination centres were monitored through cameras.

Punjab

The University of Health Sciences conducted the MDCAT across 12 cities in Punjab, including Lahore. A total of 26 examination centres were established.

Over 58,000 candidates appeared in the exam.

In Lahore, eight examination centre were set up, with six dedicated to female candidates and two for male candidates. The largest centre was located at the Examination Halls of Punjab University on Wahdat Road.

Other examination centres in Lahore included COMSATS University, DPS Model Town, University of Education Township, Government Girls Graduate College Gulberg, Lahore College for Women University, DPS Township, and Government Islamia College for Women.

Over 4,000 teachers served as invigilators for the exam, with 1,000 invigilators deployed in Lahore alone.

Sindh

In Karachi, the exam was held at the NED University and Dow University’s Ojha campus, with 6,000 students took the test at NED and 6,846 at Dow. The test was for 858 seats in Karachi’s medical and dental colleges and universities, with 746 open merit seats and 112 self-finance seats.

Dow University implemented strict measures to prevent paper leaks, a recurring issue in past years. Concerns about irregularities and potential leaks have been raised by doctors’ organisations, adding to the anxiety of the candidates.

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The test was held from 10am to 1:30pm, with candidates allowed entry from 7am to 9am. Mobile phones, calculators, Bluetooth devices, and even watches and water bottles were prohibited. Any candidate found with these items will be disqualified and removed from the exam centre.

The MDCAT paper comprises 200 questions, with 68 questions from Biology, 54 from Chemistry, 54 from Physics, and 18 from English.

Karachi police were deployed to ensure smooth traffic flow, and the exam centres were monitored by CCTV cameras.

Balochistan

In Balochistan, 5,806 students took the test for entry into medical colleges in the province.

Khyber Pakhtunkwa

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 42,000 candidates participated in the test, which was held at 13 centres across eight districts.

Candidates were advised to bring their coloured printouts of the admit card, CNIC or B-form, and domicile or PRC to the exam centre.