LAHORE: The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) for all public and private medical colleges in Punjab will be conducted under the supervision of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Sept 22.

According to the UHS, the exam will be held at 26 centers in 12 cities across the province where preparations have been finalised. Strict security measures will be adopted ahead of the test.

A total of 58,380 candidates will appear for the exam, including 40,364 female and 18,016 male.

In Lahore, eight examination centers have been established, six for female candidates and two for boys.

40,364 candidates are female and 18,016 male

A spokesperson for the UHS said the largest center is the Punjab University’s examination halls on Wahdat Road, where 3,779 female candidates will take the test.

He said other centers in Lahore include COMSATS University, DPS Model Town, University of Education Township, Government Girls Graduate College Gulberg, Lahore College for Women University, DPS Township and Government Islamia College for Women, Cantt.

Over 4,000 teachers will serve as invigilators across Punjab, with 1,000 of them deployed in Lahore.

The invigilation staff has been appointed by the Higher Education and School Education departments. Senior faculty and officials from UHS have been designated as focal persons, while officers from the Specialized Healthcare Department will monitor the test arrangements.

Additionally, deputy commissioners from 12 districts have devised comprehensive plan to oversee MDCAT arrangements, with district police officers (DPOs) and city police officers (CPOs) responsible for security and parking management.

The UHS has already issued roll number slips to candidates.

The test will start at 10:00am and end at 1:30pm.

Each candidate must score at least 55% marks in MDCAT for admission to MBBS programme and 50% for BDS. There will compete for 3,616 seats in public colleges and 5,025 seats in private colleges.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024