Senate Steps In to Investigate MDCAT Paper Leak Scandal

The Senate Committee on National Health Services acted decisively on September 22, 2024, following widespread reports of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test MDCAT paper leak.

Universities Deny Allegations Initially

Representatives of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council PMDC informed the committee that all involved universities initially rejected allegations of the leak. However, after students filed petitions in the Sindh High Court, the court promptly suspended the MDCAT results announced by Dow University of Health Sciences. The court also formed a probe team including members from the Federal Investigation Agency FIA, two senior secretaries, and a nominee from the PMDC to look into the matter.

FIA Confirms Paper Leak Hours Before Exam

The FIA investigation found that the MDCAT paper had been leaked 13 hours prior to the start of the exam. This raised major concerns over exam integrity. Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti pointed out anomalies, such as students with poor academic records suddenly achieving almost perfect scores, further confirming suspicions of widespread cheating.

Plans to Overhaul MDCAT Exam Process

Senator Chishti directed the PMDC to outline a detailed plan to improve the MDCAT system by December 2024. He stressed the importance of adopting digital examination platforms to curb cheating in the future. He also suggested making a Question Bank publicly available to address the issue of out-of-syllabus questions and ensure fair testing standards moving forward.