LAHORE: The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2025 was conducted on Sunday across Punjab by the University of Health Sciences (UHS) in a highly secure and well-coordinated environment.

The large-scale examination, held in 12 cities at 27 centres, saw 50,461 candidates appear for the test that determines admission to medical and dental colleges in the province.

The day began early, with question papers dispatched at 6:00am to the respective centres under strict police supervision.

The district administration officials and security personnel escorted the sealed papers to ensure safe and transparent delivery. Examination staff, already on duty at their assigned venues, checked in by dawn, while candidates began arriving around 8:00am.

All examination centres opened their gates at 8:00am, allowing controlled entry after identity verification. Candidates underwent body searches, passed through walk-through gates, and were scanned with metal detectors.

No one was allowed entry after 9:00am, when all gates were officially sealed. Security remained tight throughout the morning.

Police contingents, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence, health department, Nadra, Bomb Disposal Squad, and Fire Brigade staff were deployed at every centre. To maintain order, Section 144 was imposed around the venues, restricting entry of unauthorised persons and use of mobile phones.

According to UHS, the test attracted 36,702 female and 13,759 male candidates from across Punjab. In Lahore alone, 11,906 students appeared at six centres, four for girls and two for boys.

The Punjab University Examination Halls hosted the largest number of female candidates, 4,400 in total, while other centres included the University of Education Township, Government Graduate College for Women Gulberg, DPS Township, BISE Examination Halls, and Lahore College for Women University.

Participation in other cities was also high, with 8,313 candidates in Multan, 5,824 in Faisalabad, 3,014 in Bahawalpur, 2,665 in Gujranwala, 2,786 in Sialkot, 2,408 in D.G. Khan, 1,402 in Gujrat, 6,910 in Rawalpindi, 2,091 in Sargodha, and 2,688 in Sahiwal.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2025