MDCAT 2026 in Sindh: The Results Inquiry and What Is Known So Far

The Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 was held across Pakistan on Sunday 20 September 2026, a date set by PM&DC after the original 16 August test was moved on the Prime Minister's direction. In Sindh the test was conducted by SIBA Testing Services, which released provisional results on 25 September, took complaints until 26 September and published final results on 28 September. Within days, the results had become a political and legal issue. This article separates the established facts from the allegations, which remain unproven.

The complaints

The trigger, as reported by ARY News and Daily Times, was that no candidate from Karachi Division appeared among the top 20 scorers in the province, whereas Karachi candidates had held the top three Sindh positions in 2025. Students, parents and opposition parties alleged irregularities; a Jamaat-e-Islami complaint cited the roughly 11,000 Karachi candidates who sat at the city's two centres. Nine centres were set up across Sindh, two of them in Karachi. These are allegations of unfairness; none has been upheld by any body at the time of writing.

Three tracks of scrutiny

1. The Senate. On 1 October the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services took notice and wrote to the Ministry of Health asking for an "empowered and independent" inquiry involving PM&DC and the Sindh government. Its chairman, Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, said on 3 October that if negligence is established the test "would be held again in the province", and that an inquiry team from Islamabad would visit Sukkur and examine results centre by centre.
2. The federal health ministry. On 3 October Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal took notice and the ministry wrote to PM&DC President Dr Rizwan Taj directing an inquiry. According to ARY News, the letter asked for a centre-wise analysis of candidate numbers, marks, pass rates and high-score distribution; the securing of attendance sheets, seating plans, invigilation records and digital records; and an examination of allegations including impersonation, leakage, unauthorised assistance and technical failures, with a report within 15 days.
3. The Sindh High Court. A petition alleging errors in the published answer keys and asking for question papers and keys to be published online led the court to issue notices to the respondents, with replies due by 10 November. Daily Pakistan reported that Justice Saleem Jaisar declined to halt preparation of the merit list, observing that the list could be changed if the petitioners ultimately succeeded.

PM&DC's position

The council's response has been cautious. A spokesperson told ARY News that universities are legally responsible for the transparency and integrity of the MDCAT and that the council "had no direct role in conducting the examination". Daily Times reported on 6 October that PM&DC had sought its legal department's opinion on its statutory powers over the test, noting that the conducting universities handle paper preparation, printing, storage, transport and administration, while promising full cooperation with the investigation.

What is established, and what is not

• Established: the test date, the conducting body, the results dates, the existence of the three inquiries, the 15-day reporting deadline and the court's 10 November date.
• Alleged, unproven: paper leakage, impersonation, answer-key errors and any deliberate unfairness.
• Not decided: whether any part of the test will be re-conducted. The Senate chairman's statement is conditional on negligence being proven.

What this means for candidates

Candidates in Sindh should keep every document: roll-number slip, the provisional and final result printouts, and any complaint receipt. The court has allowed merit lists to proceed, so admission processes continue in parallel with the inquiries. Candidates elsewhere are unaffected; Punjab's results are published by UHS, with a recount and review portal, and Balochistan's by BUMHS. Whatever the inquiry concludes, the lesson for the 2027 cohort is the same one FAME gives every year: prepare for the paper that is set, keep your own answer record on the day where rules allow, and follow official channels rather than forwarded messages.

FAME will update this article when the inquiry report or a court order is published.

Sources and references

• PM&DC press release: MDCAT 2026 rescheduled to 20 September
• Daily Pakistan, 1 October 2026: Senate committee orders probe; Sindh High Court notices
• Daily Times, 3 October 2026: Sindh MDCAT might be held again if negligence confirmed
• ARY News, 3 October 2026: Health minister orders PMDC inquiry
• Pakistan Observer, 3 October 2026: Health ministry orders probe
• Daily Times, 6 October 2026: PMDC to act after legal review of MDCAT powers