The Islamabad High Court has announced its decision, prompting Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) to reschedule the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) for December 30.
Candidates who have already registered for the MDCAT and paid Rs8,000 for the September test will only need to pay Rs6,000 to use national or local test centers, while those who want to take the exam at international centers in places like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will have to pay Rs40,000.
Candidates, on the other hand, have asked the institution to prepare the test at the same difficulty level as in other regions. It should be mentioned that on December 8, the retake of the MDCAT was conducted in designated centers in six cities across Sindh, as ordered by the Sindh High Court.
According to a notification issued by Registrar Prof Dr Shahabuddin on Thursday, “In partial modification of earlier public notice dated 11-12-2024 by SZABMU, it is notified in compliance with the orders of IHC dated 18-12-2024 that the MDCAT-II, 2024 has been re-scheduled to be held on Monday, 30-12-2024.”
“The portal for payment of the MDCAT-II, 2024 fee has been opened at www.szabmu.edu.pk. The last date to deposit the fee and online registration for the said exam is 24-12-2024 at midnight. Furthermore, all the candidates who want to appear in MDCAT-II 2024, are directed to regularly check the official website for updated information,” it stated.
On the other hand, students appealed to the university that it should not try to ‘get revenge’ on the candidates for involving the university in litigation. “We hope that the university will prepare the test with the same difficulty level that was in the University of Health Sciences (UHS) MDCAT held in September this year,” a candidate said.
Notably, on September 22, the SZABMU administered the MDCAT in Islamabad, AJK, as well as in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, the university was ordered to retake the test by the high court after several objections.
Those who wished to retake the MDCAT could do so through the university’s website, but the outcome would stay unchanged, the institution informed. The university had originally planned to hold the test on November 24 after receiving approximately 17,000 applications; however, it later decided to cancel the test. Afterward, it was reported that the test would be conducted on December 14.
However, the test was rescheduled for December 22 after it was revealed that it would be canceled earlier. Simultaneously it contacted students with an alternative to retaking the exam—grace marks—and appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, it was instructed by the IHC on December 18 to schedule the test no later than two weeks from now.
