More than 33,000 candidates across Sindh will compete for 5,100 medical and dental college seats as the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) is scheduled to be held on August 16, with examination centres established in Karachi and other major cities of the province.
According to Sukkur IBA Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Asif Sheikh, over 33,500 candidates will participate in the MDCAT across the province, including 20,934 female students and more than 12,600 male candidates.
Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) Vice Chancellor Dr Siraj Memon said a total of 5,100 seats have been allocated for medical education in Sindh, including 2,300 MBBS seats and 2,800 BDS seats, with all quota seats included.
This year, Jinnah Sindh Medical University has been assigned responsibility for conducting the admission process.
Dr Asif Sheikh said 10,661 candidates from Karachi will appear in the test, including 8,186 female and 2,475 male students. In other cities, 9,470 candidates will take the test in Hyderabad, 3,066 in Larkana, 2,067 in Mirpurkhas, 2,511 in Shaheed Benazirabad and 5,462 in Sukkur. An additional centre has also been established in Islamabad for 300 candidates.
The Karachi examination centre will be set up at NED University, where seating arrangements have been made for parents at a nearby banquet hall.
Candidates have been instructed to reach their test centres by 6:30am, while the examination will begin at 10am. The three-hour MCQ-based test will carry 180 marks. The passing criteria are 55% for medical colleges and 50% for dental colleges. There will be no negative marking.
The Sukkur IBA vice chancellor said the answer key would be uploaded after the test. To ensure transparency, candidates will be allowed to solve the paper using a carbon copy, which they can retain. Results are expected by August 22.
