More than 74,000 candidates to appear: Punjab MCAT’19

Lahore: Around 74,000 candidates including 48,000 female and 26,000 male, will appear in Punjab Medical & Dental Colleges’ Admission Test (MDCAT) on Sunday (today). The test shall be conducted by University of Health Sciences (UHS).

Punjab government has finalized the arrangements for the test and has deputed senior bureaucrats including provincial secretaries, commissioners and deputy commissioners as monitoring officers whereas senior medical professors will conduct the test. Divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners of respective districts will act as ‘focal persons’ to look after the arrangements of the test. UHS has deputed around 5000 invigilators and around 1000 superintendents and deputy superintendents for the conduct of the test.

The test shall be held simultaneously at 33 centres established in 13 cities of Punjab including Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sargodha, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, D.G. Khan, and Hassan Abdal.

The test shall start at 10:00 A.M. The candidates, however, must reach their respective centres at least one hour before the commencement of the test as all the centres would be sealed at 09:15 A.M. and nobody would be allowed to enter after that.

In Lahore, there are seven centres established at the Examination Halls of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Lawrence Road; Examination Halls of Punjab University, Wahdat Road; Government Comprehensive Girls High School, Wahdat Road; Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road; University of Education Township; Govt. Postgraduate College for Women Samanabad and Divisional Public School Model Town where around 20,000 candidates will sit the test.

The test shall comprise 200 multiple choice questions (MCQs), divided into four sections namely Biology (80 MCQs), Chemistry (60 MCQs), Physics (40 MCQs) and English (20 MCQs).

Total duration of the test shall be two and a half hour. Total marks of the test are 200. There shall be no negative marking in the test this year as per the direction of Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC).

Briefing media on the arrangement of the test on Friday, UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Javed Akram said that the Chief Secretary Punjab had directed all concerned department to make immaculate arrangements for smooth and flawless conduct of the admission test.

The district administration, under the supervision of concerned divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners, had finalized the security and logistic plans at their respective centres, Prof Javed Akram told.

He said that district police officers would be responsible for security and deployment of police personnel at the test centres. Police would ensure extensive patrolling and technical sweeping of the area before the commencement of the test.

Walk-through gates and mobile jammers would be installed at all major centres. Restrictions would be imposed under Section 144 on the entry of unauthorized persons in the premises of examination centres, UHS VC informed.

He further said that parents and other attendants of the candidates would be provided waiting areas near test centres. Traffic police had been directed to make proper traffic and parking arrangements to ensure smooth flow of traffic near the test centres, he said.

Emergency healthcare services will be ensured at all centres which would include fully equipped ambulances, doctors alongwith paramedical staff and emergency medicines. Moreover, the nearest teaching hospital or district headquarters hospital would be on high alert to ensure a state of readiness to meet any emergency. Arrangements have also been made with power supply companies to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply at all the centres during the test.

Candidates are not allowed to bring any cell phones, calculators, laptops, smart & digital watches, books and electronic devices at the test centre. However, analog watches would be allowed. Prof Javed Akram said that there would be zero tolerance for the use of unfair means in the test.

UHS VC further said that candidates must bring with them the printout of their Admittance Card as well as their original CNIC or Passport or Smart Card for Juveniles issued by NADRA. He added that there would be biometric verification of candidates at each centre by NADRA teams.- PR