Numerous individuals on X, formerly known as Twitter, voiced their concerns regarding the results of the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on September 10, with an impressive turnout of over 40,000 candidates.
To support their argument concerning the seemingly high scores achieved by students, they compared the results of 2023 with those of 2022. They asserted that this year, at least 110 students obtained 190 out of 200 marks, whereas last year, only two students managed such results.
The MDCAT comprises multiple-choice questions, each carrying a score of 1, with no penalties for incorrect answers. The total score is 200, distributed across 68 questions in Biology, 54 in Chemistry, 54 in Physics, 18 in English language, and 6 in Logical Reasoning.
The strong reaction followed the release of the results by the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, responsible for overseeing this crucial exam for aspiring doctors.
The results summary indicated that over 110 candidates achieved scores of 190 or higher out of the 46,439 registered candidates, while more than 1,000 students received marks between 180 and 189.
On the day of the MDCAT exam, which took place on September 10, the hashtag MDCAT became one of the top trends on X due to allegations of a paper leak a day earlier. Many users were sharing purported images of the leaked paper.
Reports emerged on Tuesday that the Higher Education Commission in KP had thwarted cheating attempts in the province, involving advanced technology, according to HEC Secretary Aneela Mahfooz Durrani. Authorities apprehended dozens of students attempting to use concealed Bluetooth devices for cheating.
It was reported that a group of individuals had planned to manipulate the entrance test by transmitting answers via hidden Bluetooth devices to students who had paid them.
Candidates call for retest
In light of these reports, candidates have called on the PMDC to conduct a retest.
It’s worth noting that the council has decided to administer the MDCAT separately for students from flood-affected areas, following the compassionate decision of caretaker Health Minister Nadeem Jan. The exam will be scheduled after consultations with provincial governments.
The exam date has previously been a subject of controversy, prompting the interim Prime Minister to take notice of the situation.
Furthermore, there were posts claiming that some questions were beyond the syllabus and that certain answers to queries were inaccurate.
Reports also emerged of student protests against the paper leak in Sindh, with demands for Jinnah Sindh Medical University to re-conduct the exam and initiate an inquiry into those responsible for the leak.
One X user expressed skepticism, saying, “Huge accomplishment of Bluetooth nothing else. There can’t be so many genius students to achieve 198 scores in such a technical test. There must be some illegitimacy in the conducting process.”
