PESHAWAR: More than 950 students, who scored more than 150 marks in the medical and dental college admission test (MDCAT) conducted by Education Testing and Evaluation Agency (Etea), failed to qualify the test when it was re-conducted by Khyber Medical University, a comparison of the results show.
A total of 960 candidates, who had passed the earlier test, did not qualify it in the second attempt. The province has a total of 1,021 open merit seats, including 825 in MBBS and 196 in BDS. Had the test not been re-conducted, those candidates, who had qualified the earlier test, would have got a lion’s share of the open seats.
MDCAT was conducted throughout the province by Etea on September 10, but it was cancelled by the provincial government after an inquiry committee found use of Bluetooth devices for cheating and 219 students were caught red-handed. Peshawar High Court also upheld the government’s decision and KMU re-conducted the test on November 26.
The results of the test show that 142 candidates, who had obtained 150 and above marks in Etea test, failed to qualify the test second time. They secured less than 110 passing marks.
More than 11,000 candidates avoid participating in the exercise for second time
Another 273 students, who had obtained more than 160 marks in Etea test, failed to qualify it when they appeared again in the test, held under the auspices of KMU. Likewise, 166 candidates, whose score remained more than 170 earlier, failed to qualify the passing percentage in the second test.
An analysis of both tests showed that 73 students, who obtained more than 180 marks, failed in the second attempt. Six students, who received 190 and above marks under Etea, failed in the test conducted by KMU. According to the comparative analysis, 34,737 (69.95 per cent) students qualified the test conducted by KMU while the number of people qualifying the Etea test was 45,419 (55.27 per cent). The average score remained 121.2 and 109.1 in KMU and Etea tests, respectively. Minimum score was found to be seven and one in both the tests, respectively. The KMU test was topped with 193 marks and that of Etea was topped with 198 marks.
Overall, 346 (one per cent) candidates secured more than 181 marks in the KMU test but the number remained 1,033 (2.27 per cent) in the MDCAT held under Etea earlier. As per comparative analysis between the two tests organised by KMU and Etea, the number of candidates scoring less than 100 marks was recorded at 10,432 (30.05 per cent) and 20,317 (44.73 per cent), respectively. The number of total candidates was 45,421 in the earlier test and 34,713 in the second test.
The test was conducted by KMU at 11 centres in seven districts of the province where 34,113 candidates showed up while 45,419 students appeared in the Etea test. More than 11,000 candidates remained absent from the second test despite the fact that they were not required to submit fee. Most of the absent candidates had secured good marks but KMU allowed candidates after biometric verification which blocked their plan to allow someone else to take examination for them.
Sources, who conducted the analysis of both the tests, said that Mohammad Abid Majeed, the additional chief secretary of home and tribal affairs department, played vital role in smooth conduct of the test. He ensured foolproof security to the examination staff and deployed heavy police on day of the test. Mobile phone services remained suspended to ensure that papers aren’t leaked.
According to them, the KMU staffers have vast experience of conducting entrance tests for selection of students for its BS courses in different medical disciplines. The re-conduct of MDCAT had become a high profile activity after the first test was marred by cheating.
Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2023
