Court Orders Retake of MDCAT Exam Following Complaints of Irregularities

Published at: October 29, 2024 3:06 PM

Updated at: October 29, 2024 3:07 PM

The Islamabad High Court has ruled in favor of students who challenged the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), directing Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University to reconduct the exam within a month. The petitions were filed by students who claimed that the test included questions outside the official syllabus.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, who presided over the case, considered a report from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), which confirmed that several exam questions were indeed outside the prescribed curriculum. In light of this, the court instructed the university to organize a retake of the exam.

Advocate Qazi Adil, representing the affected students, highlighted that 30 questions in the MDCAT were not aligned with the syllabus. He also pointed out significant disparities in test results, with only three students in Islamabad scoring above 190, while thousands from Punjab faced an uneven playing field.

Students expressed relief over the court's decision, saying it has saved them from academic setbacks. Advocate Adil emphasized that expert involvement in paper preparation is essential to ensure fairness in future exams and to allow students from all regions to compete on an equal footing.

This decision mirrors a previous ruling by the Sindh High Court, which had ordered a re-conduction of the MDCAT due to similar complaints of irregularities. The court had stressed that students should not be placed under unnecessary stress and urged authorities to ensure transparency in the exam process.

The issue of exam leaks was also highlighted, with reports of questions circulating on social media platforms like WhatsApp. The PMDC is currently investigating the matter to hold accountable those responsible for the compromised exam process.