PESHAWAR: Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) was successfully conducted under the supervision of Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar for admission to medical and dental colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The test was held in seven cities including Peshawar, Abbottabad, Kohat, Chakdara, Mardan, Swat, and Dera Ismail Khan across the province at 13 centres. A total of 42,329 students participated in it including 23,339 boys and 18,990 girls.

The test was conducted at six centres in Peshawar including Islamia Collegiate School, Pakistan Forest Institute, University College for Boys, University Public School, Cecos University Industrial Estate and Government Higher Secondary School No.1, Peshawar city where 19,415 students appeared.

Other centres included Kabal Cricket Ground and Iqra International University Odigram in Swat where 5,834 students appeared; 5,328 students took the test in Mardan; 2,528 in Lower Dir; 2,062 in Kohat; 2,670 in Dera Ismail Khan; and 4,492 candidates attempted the test in Abbottabad.

Health Secretary Adeel Shah, Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsud and Director General Health Services Dr Mohammad Saleem Khan along with FIA, IB and police officials accompanied KMU Vice-chancellor Prof Ziaul Haq and Registrar Inamullah Wazir during their visits to all centres in Peshawar and KMU control centre.

They expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for the test.

Prof Ziaul Haq thanked KMU staff, the chief secretary and other departments for their cooperation in the smooth conduct of the test. He said that holding a successful and transparent test was a major challenge.

He also acknowledged the flawless security arrangements by home department, police, traffic police and intelligence agencies including FIA, IB and special branch, which ensured peaceful conduct of the test. No untoward incident was reported from any centre.

Walk-through gates, metal detectors and mobile jammers were installed at the entry points of centres while bomb disposal squad and security agencies played a crucial role in ensuring the success of the test.

Both students and parents expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by KMU and various federal and provincial departments, appreciating their performance.

It is worth mentioning that the exam paper and the answer key have been uploaded on the KMU website, allowing students to calculate their results using the provided carbon copy of their answer sheets.

The final results will be announced within 72 hours and will be available on KMU official website.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2024