KARACHI: A petition has been filed in the Sindh High Court seeking the immediate release of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 question papers and answer keys on the official website, arguing that candidates cannot effectively challenge disputed answers without access to the papers.
Advocate Muhammad Nawaz Dahri, counsel for the petitioners, told the court that the MDCAT was conducted on September 20 and candidates were provided only carbon copies of their answer sheets. He said requests to take the question papers with them were refused by the examination administration.
The petition names the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), SIBA Testing Services, Jinnah Sindh Medical University and three other parties as respondents. It seeks directions for the question papers and answer keys to be uploaded on the website within three days and for all candidates to be given access to the papers so they can meaningfully challenge disputed answers.
The counsel argued that even a difference of a few marks could affect a candidate’s merit position and admission to medical colleges. The petition also seeks a restraint on the finalisation of the merit list and admissions until the issue is addressed and the examination process is made transparent.
The petition comes amid concerns over the conduct and results of MDCAT 2026 in Sindh. The test was organised by SIBA Testing Services at nine centres across the province and Islamabad. More than 33,000 candidates appeared in the examination, while over 16,500 met the qualifying criteria for MBBS and BDS programmes.
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According to results announced by SIBA Testing Services, no candidate from Karachi Division was among the top 20 scorers in the province. The highest score was 179 out of 180, achieved by a candidate from Shikarpur, followed by candidates from several other districts of interior Sindh.
Earlier, MQM-P Sindh Assembly member Engineer Adil Askari wrote to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah seeking an independent inquiry into alleged irregularities in the examination process and results. He called for a full audit, a review of CCTV footage from examination centres and independent rechecking of OMR sheets. He also proposed setting up an independent professional examination body on the model of the British Council or Aga Khan University Examination Board and called for the test to be conducted again.
Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services Chairman Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti has also taken notice of complaints from students and parents, particularly those from Karachi. He directed the PMDC to form a high-powered committee to investigate the matter.
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The committee has been asked to visit examination centres, compare success rates across centres and examine any unusual variations or allegations of malpractice.
SIBA Testing Services had earlier said complaints received after the provisional results were reviewed before the final results were issued. It had also uploaded answer keys for paper versions A, B, C and D on its website shortly after the examination, allowing candidates to cross-check their carbon copies.
However, the question papers were not returned to candidates, a practice attributed to PMDC policy.
The petition is the latest legal challenge and demand for greater transparency in the MDCAT examination process in Sindh.
