SHC seeks response from IBA on MDCAT questionnaire plea

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and other respondents to submit their replies regarding a petition demanding the release of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) questionnaire.

During the hearing, the court noted that the respondents had not yet submitted their responses, Express News reported.

The hearing was adjourned until January 24, with instructions for IBA and others to comply before the next session.

The petitioners argue that while MDCAT candidates were provided answer sheets, they did not receive the original questionnaire, making it impossible to verify answers. They claim that Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa candidates were given copies of the questionnaire along with their answer sheets.

Concerns have been raised that some MDCAT questions may have been outside the prescribed syllabus or contained errors.

The petitioners have urged the court to halt the finalisation of MDCAT results until the questionnaire is made available and verified.

IBA and other relevant authorities have yet to issue a formal response on the matter.

Even last week, Sindh High Court directed Institute of Business Administration and other parties to submit their responses by the next hearing regarding the candidates' request for the release of the MDCAT questionnaire.

The hearing of the petition regarding the release of the MDCAT questionnaire was held in the Sindh High Court, where the petitioner's lawyer argued that while answer sheets were provided for MDCAT, the questionnaire itself was not.

Without the questionnaire, it is not possible to assess the questions.

The petitioner's lawyer further stated that there could be errors or questions outside the syllabus in the MDCAT.

It is noted that the parties have yet to submit their responses. The court has directed IBA and other parties to submit their responses by the next hearing, and the hearing has been adjourned until January 20.

Earlier, The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, chaired by Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, met on Thursday to discuss reforms for a fair and transparent MDCAT exam system.

The committee proposed implementing a single national curriculum to reduce regional disparities and emphasized strengthening the healthcare sector.

They also discussed the regulation of the growing psychology profession and highlighted concerns over out-of-syllabus questions in MDCAT exams.

A revised answer key was issued after some questions were removed. The committee suggested mandatory juvenile cards for biometric verification to prevent impersonation and recommended decentralizing MDCAT exams to give provinces more autonomy.

Additionally, the committee reviewed bills related to nursing, pharmacy, and healthcare regulations, deferring some due to the absence of movers.

A final decision on these issues will be made after further consultations.