Medical colleges’ session on hold

Wrong questions’ in MDCAT blamed for delay in results and admissions

KARACHI:

Sixteen days on, the results of National Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT- 2022) for admissions in Sindh’s medical and dental colleges for the academic year starting 2022- 23 could not be released.

According to those who appeared in the MDCAT, which was conducted on November 13, there were many wrong questions in the questionnaire, which has triggered protests by the affected candidates in the province.

The candidates from Sindh are also facing an inordinate delay in the issuance of the final merit list which is likely to delay the academic session in the medical and dental colleges of the province by almost six months.

This delay in the academic session could create problems for the graduating doctors to find jobs in the government-run hospitals.

When contacted by The Express Tribune, Prof. Saeed Qureshi, Vice Chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences, admitted that eight wrong questions were included in this year’s MDCAT due to a “typographical mistake”.

“But Dow University is giving eight grace marks to the candidates in lieu of this mistake,” he added.

Prof. Qureshi said that rechecking of the tests was underway on the instructions of Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) during which human errors and mistakes have been found.

“Any objections to the questionnaire can be submitted till November 27,” he added.

“We have informed MDCAT that DOW University has received hundreds of objections.” Prof. Qureshi said that after rechecking the university would try its best to send the final test results to PMC by November 28 or 29 which it would publish on its website.

As many as 44,118 candidates from Sindh appeared in the test conducted by Dow University.

The test fee was Rs6,000 per student, which means the University has received more than Rs.260 million through the admission test.

According to PMC sources, a large number of complaints have been received from candidates who appeared in MDCAT-2022 in Sindh.

Subsequently, the PMC instructed Dow University on November 14 to recheck the questionnaire.

Sources added that wrong questions in the test are the main reason behind the delay in issuing final results.

New academic session will start in April 2023.