Samina, a 42-year-old housewife, reflects on her unfulfilled dreams and sacrifices. “I was only 18 when I got married, and in the middle of my studies, dreaming of becoming a doctor. But I had to let that dream go.” She hopes her four daughters can achieve what she could not. However, the recent Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) paper leak casts a shadow over those dreams."
Samina’s daughter scored 179 on the 2024 MDCAT, but their hopes were dashed due to the paper leak and subsequent cancellation. “Students known for poor performance in mock tests somehow scored above 190,” she says. Her younger daughters, who had prepared for years, have abandoned their medical aspirations. “We’re opting for chartered accountancy. It feels safer, and less at the mercy of corruption,” she concludes.
In 2023, her eldest daughter scored 186, but when the paper leak surfaced and results were cancelled, all her hard work was wasted. “She was devastated,” Samina recalls. Although her daughter excelled again in the re-conducted test, the emotional scars remain. “We now live in fear that another leak will shatter her dreams. It’s not just about exams; it’s about trust which feels fragile.”
For Samina and families like hers, the MDCAT paper leak is a breach of faith in a system meant to reward merit. This issue impacts every student who deserves a fair chance in a good college, undermining hopes for a bright future in a country burdened by fierce competition and limited resources.
The MDCAT is a crucial, standardised exam for aspiring medical and dental students in Pakistan. Administered by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), it serves as a key determinant for admission to public and private institutions. In 2024, the PMDC assigned six universities across the country to oversee the exam, with centres abroad in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. This year, over 164,000 candidates competed for 17,615 MBBS seats and 3,837 BDS seats nationwide, including 1,691 open merit and 254 self-finance seats in Sindh.
On September 22, 2024, a written test was simultaneously conducted at Karachi's NED University, Ojha Campus, as well as in Jamshoro, Larkana, Nawabshah, and Sukkur, where over 38,000 candidates from Karachi and other parts of Sindh participated. Out of these, 13,000 were from Karachi alone. These candidates appeared in the written test for 858 seats in medical and dental colleges.
The MDCAT examinations for admissions to medical and dental colleges in 2024-25 were to be held under Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, but the children of several senior faculty members of the said university were to appear in the examination, therefore, Liaquat University faculty refused to conduct the exam after which the government again directed Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) to conduct the exam and prepare the September 22 test paper. After which, images of leaked papers started circulating on social media and DUHS had to face various allegations in connection with the conduct of the exam.
For many students, protests were a moral necessity. They faced dismissive statements from (DUHS) officials, and some were even labelled as “troublemakers.” Snap judgments about these students obscured the root issue: an exam process marred by negligence and an education system unwilling to admit its flaws. The real scandal, it seemed, wasn’t the leak alone but the response or its lack, from those in power.
After this situation, candidates filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) in September, following which the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted an inquiry that revealed that the paper had indeed been leaked. The report identified one candidate, stating that during the investigation, it was found that he secured 194 marks out of 200 in the MDCAT exam, while his inter-science was from Nawabshah and domicile was from Sanghar. It is practically impossible for any student to score such high marks. The FIA's Cyber Crime Circle has summoned the candidate to their office on November 1 at 12 PM. During the inquiry, the candidate may also be tested. If the candidate fails to appear, the agency may initiate legal action against him.
Farhan, a candidate who appeared in the exam in 2024, alleged that why the papers of the MDCAT exams are leaked in Sindh, while these exams are also held in other provinces of the country, but there is no paper leak. The paper leak, then the probe, then the re-conduct of these exams pushed back the academic session of the students by 6 to 8 months, causing a significant age gap in the student’s post-graduation and public service exams and employment.
This year, following a surge of petitions, the Sindh High Court intervened, on October 26, nullifying the results and ordering a retest within four weeks. The court’s intervention, however, highlights a deeper issue: the urgent need for systemic reform in Pakistan’s examination security. As students deal with mounting stress and uncertainty, the flaws in these processes highlight the critical need to restore integrity and transparency to Pakistan’s educational assessments.
Timeline
The issue of MDCAT paper leaks has a troubling history, particularly in Sindh. In 2023, Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) conducted the MDCAT exam, quickly engulfed in scandal with allegations of a paper leak. The Sindh government formed an inquiry committee, which confirmed the allegations, leading to the cancellation of the results, and the test was reconducted by DUHS. However, controversy persisted when allegations of another leak surfaced, sparking widespread protests from students, parents, and civil society. Despite these protests, the interim Sindh government declined to launch a new inquiry. In contrast, the MDCAT exams held in 2019 and 2020 were conducted under the Pakistan Medical Council and no complaints of paper leaks were reported during those years. In 2017, large-scale protests erupted across Sindh over paper leaks during the MDCAT exam conducted by the National Testing Service, but the results were upheld.
After the 18th Amendment, the responsibility to conduct the MDCAT exams were delegated to the public sector universities of the provinces. Each year, different universities in the province conduct these exams. However, since the exams commence in the public sector universities of Sindh, there have been continuous complaints in connection with paper leaks.
In this regard, the Pakistan Medical Association has expressed its concerns through a press conference, stating that this year, papers have been leaked from districts from interior Sindh. On the other hand, the National University of Medical Sciences, which conducted this year's MDCAT exam under the federal Ministry of Defence, denied any incident of paper leaks.
A message was sent via WhatsApp to the spokesperson of DUHS to get his stance for the Express Tribune representative, and multiple calls were made regarding the paper leak, but no response was received.
This issue is not limited to Sindh. In Punjab, a significant controversy arose in 2017 when a paper leak forced the reconduction of the MDCAT exam and suspects sold the exam paper for Rs 1.2 million or Rs 2,000 per question. Similarly, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018, a viral video claimed a leak had occurred, prompting the chief minister to order a cancellation and a fresh test. KP also faced a similar controversy in 2005 where paper was leaked before the MDCAT exam and test reconducted.
Meanwhile, a total of 2,450 seats are reserved for MBBS in the public medical colleges of Sindh. There are 12 public medical colleges and 7 public dental colleges across Sindh, along with six public medical universities. In Karachi, Dow Medical College has 350 MBBS seats, Dow International Medical College has 150 MBBS seats, Jinnah Sindh Medical University has 350 MBBS seats, Liaquat University of Medical Sciences in Jamshoro has 350 MBBS seats, KMD College has 250 MBBS seats, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Chandka Medical College in Larkana has 250 MBBS seats, Peoples Medical College for Women in Nawabshah has 250 seats, Khairpur Medical College has 100 seats, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Lyari Medical College has 100 seats, Ghulam Muhammad Mehr Medical College in Sukkur has 100 seats, Gambat Medical College has 100 seats, and Bilal Medical College for Boys has 100 seats reserved. The academic session for MBBS and BDS will start in January 2023.
Students’ reaction
The MDCAT paper leaks have inflicted profound emotional and social turmoil on aspiring medical students. Years of hard work and dedication are rendered meaningless when systemic failures overshadow meritocracy.
For 18-year-old Asfand Ali from Hyderabad, September 22 was meant to mark the culmination of years of dedication to becoming a doctor. After a smooth MDCAT test day, he felt relieved and hopeful. However, that hope crumbled when he discovered alarming posts in his study group on Facebook. Screenshots of questions identical to those he had just answered were circulating, fuelling rumours that the MDCAT paper had been leaked before the exam.
Initially, Asfand couldn’t believe the news about the leak. "I gave it my all in that exam, but now it feels like none of it matters," he laments. "We’ve worked so hard to secure a place in MBBS programmes, only to hear the paper was leaked on exam day. It's devastating."
"With leniency in cheating in board exams, and rampant paper leaks in pre-entry tests, students don’t study hard," says Israr Ali, another aspirant. He shared that countries with strong education systems focus on quality teaching, updated syllabi, and strict exam culture.
A question of ethics
"Parents, desperate to secure a medical future for their children, often resort to unethical means like paying for leaked exam papers," says Dr Kainat Balouch, an expert on the social, political, and religious dynamics of Pakistani society. “This behaviour teaches children that success can be bought rather than earned, normalising dishonesty and diminishing the value of hard work."
The societal consequences of such behaviour are far-reaching. "This perpetuates a cycle where dishonesty becomes the norm, eroding public trust in academic institutions," says Dr Balouch. “It is not merely about exams, but about the values we instill in the next generation."
She questions whether becoming a doctor is truly the only valuable profession, emphasising that parents, teachers, and the government are collectively failing to provide young people with diverse career options. Just as children inherit names, caste, or family connections without choice, they are often imposed with the narrow parental expectation of becoming a doctor. "This must also change," she argues, advocating career counselling to empower students with information on modern, globally relevant degree programmes across various fields.
Accountability
The lack of penalties for exam leaks signals a lax approach to security, one that essentially encourages further malpractice. Establishing stringent penalties for individuals and institutions involved in such scandals would demonstrate a firm commitment to protecting the interests of students. This measure would not only serve as a deterrent but also signify to students and society that fairness and transparency are valued in our educational institutions.
“The true worth of any institution lies in its credibility,” points out Dr K.B. Shah, a professor at the Institute of Business Administration. “Year after year, MDCAT finds itself entangled in the same scandal and accountability is sorely lacking in this scandal.” While acknowledging human error or manipulation, Dr Shah warned that a failure to conduct serious inquiries in this matter and taking culprits to task will signal systematic corruption and unreliability within the system.
“Simply cancelling or reconducting the test, does not equate to true justice,” he says. “Those responsible for the leaks should be held accountable.”
Way forward
Dr Ali Gul Khushik, professor economics department of UOS proposed that the test should be conducted by private medical institutions or independent testing services, arguing that while the government’s capacity may be significant, it falls short when it comes to ensuring transparency and integrity. Citing credible institutions like DUHS and JSMU, as examples, Dr Khushik believes that the root of the problem lies in the individuals managing these processes. "Temptations of greed — whether financial, political or fear of job loss—often compromise the system," he explains.
In contrast, private institutions are held to a higher standard of accountability, with performance-based incentives for their employees. As a result, they are better equipped to resist external pressures and ensure the integrity of the testing process. Private organisations in Pakistan, which oversee academic evaluations, rely on delivering quality results to attract clients and maintain their credibility—something public institutions, funded by taxpayer money, do not have to prioritise.
To restore integrity to the MDCAT process, a comprehensive technological and structural overhaul is essential, incorporating best practices from reputable institutions. “Digital platforms ensure that papers are only accessible at designated times, greatly minimising the opportunity for leaks,” explains Professor Dr Naeem Ahmed Mahoto, a key member of the Pre-Admission Testing Committee (PATCO) at MUET Jamshoro, emphasising that transitioning to digital exams on secure platforms would enhance exam security. He advocates for biometric verification methods, like fingerprint or facial recognition, to prevent unauthorised access. Additionally, he suggests randomising exam questions from a large pool to deter predictability. He highlights the critical role of data encryption, even if exam data were intercepted, encryption ensures that it remains unreadable without the correct decryption keys.
“We conduct an annual pre-entry test for about 12,000 students, with 900 participants in one day, significantly reducing rush and long queues,” explains Dr Mahoto, highlighting MUET Jamshoro's testing framework as a model for other institutions. “The digital format allows students to choose their exam date and time. After completing the test, students receive their scores immediately upon submission, enhancing transparency and feedback.”
Dr Balouch criticised the current weightage system in the selection process for medical admissions, specifically the allocation of 50 percent weightage given to matriculation and intermediate results. She argues that this system creates avenues for corruption, as some parents resort to bribing corrupt officials in educational boards or leveraging personal connections to inflate their children’s grades. "This manipulation begins as early as the 9th class board examinations," she says in conclusion. “The distortion of marks starts at a foundational level and continues through to higher secondary education. It undermines the merit-based system and exploits the rights of deserving, hardworking students, ultimately eroding fairness in academic competition.
Ali Raza Mugheri is a freelance contributor
All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writers