Sindh Govt Rejects MDCAT 2026 Controversy

The Sindh government has dismissed concerns and allegations surrounding the 2026 Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT). According to the Sindh Health Department, candidates from Karachi outperformed their counterparts from other divisions of the province. The department submitted a response to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC), disputing claims that Karachi students underperformed in the test.

In its letter, the department stated that an analysis of the MDCAT results and district-wise data did not back up allegations of poor performance by Karachi candidates. In the examination, 33,336 candidates took part in Sindh, with 57.96 per cent of them scoring 90 or more marks. Karachi led the province, with an average score of 107.67 marks.

Of the 9,505 candidates from Karachi, 66.98 per cent scored 90 or more marks, while 57.78 per cent obtained 99 or more marks. The health department's letter highlighted the performance of other divisions, with Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Hyderabad scoring 55.04 per cent, 54.50 per cent, 53.62 per cent, and 52.34 per cent, respectively, in securing 90 or more marks.

The Sindh government maintained that seats in public medical colleges are allocated district-wise under admission rules, with Karachi's seats reserved for candidates holding the relevant Karachi domicile. Higher scores by candidates from other districts would not alter the allocation of Karachi's seats. The health department urged against making the examination results controversial for political gain.

This controversy followed a letter from PMDC to the Sindh Health Department on October 5, expressing concerns over the MDCAT and requesting an investigation into allegations, which were fueled by social media complaints of a leaked question paper.