PMDC moves toward full digitalization, unveils new MDCAT question bank

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) on Wednesday announced its transition towards complete digitalization with minimal human interaction, alongside the launch of a newly developed MDCAT question bank designed to enhance transparency and fairness in the country’s medical admissions process.

Officials said the regulator is rolling out technology-driven reforms to modernise its systems, including candidate registration, college inspections, and monitoring functions, with the aim of ensuring efficiency, accountability and credibility.

The new question bank, developed on a common syllabus agreed upon by all provinces, is intended to minimise errors and eliminate regional disparities by creating a level playing field for candidates across Pakistan.

Briefing at the PM&DC headquarters in Islamabad, President Prof Dr Rizwan Taj and the Examination Department team outlined preparations for the MDCAT Examination 2025.

They clarified that PM&DC’s role is limited to registering candidates and providing overall supervision, while public sector admitting universities remain solely responsible for paper setting, administration, and evaluation — a system designed to ensure impartiality and merit-based admissions.

So far, 97,028 candidates have registered for the test, with the number expected to reach nearly 150,000 by the close of registration. Thirty examination venues have been designated nationwide to ensure accessibility.

Modern digital safeguards have been integrated into the registration and monitoring portals to strengthen security and credibility of the process.

Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal, who inaugurated the question bank, said the initiative would be instrumental in strengthening public trust in the examination process. He urged PM&DC to expand the pool of questions made available to admitting universities, allowing greater flexibility in preparing the test, and warned that no lapses in transparency or fairness would be tolerated.

Commending the Council’s reform drive, Kamal said the government fully supports its digital transformation agenda, which aims to minimize human interaction in regulatory functions and align with global best practices. “Our goal is to build an institution that is modern, credible and merit-based,” he remarked.

Prof Rizwan Taj reiterated that the reforms, including the standardized syllabus-based question bank, address long-standing concerns regarding fairness in admissions and demonstrate PM&DC’s resolve to uphold merit and excellence.

He said efforts are underway to further strengthen governance, accountability, and digital systems across all domains of the regulator.

Officials added that continued reforms and digitalization would not only improve transparency in admissions but also restore public confidence in the PM&DC as a credible regulator of medical and dental education in Pakistan.