Article: MCAT Renamed as MDCAT: Medical & Dental College Admission Test
Medical College Admission Test, MCAT, has been renamed as Medical and Dental College Admission Test that is MDCAT. This is because all applicants who want to take admission in any medical or dental college/university in Pakistan have to appear in this one test and qualify to enter in the field of medicine or dentistry. The test is concept based and asses the understanding of an applicant. The performance of a candidate in MCAT Preparation (now MDCAT) is depended on the knowledge of concepts and not the basic courses.
MCAT, Medical College Admission Test, has been a crucial part of Medical and Dental College Admissions for years. The test is designed to assess the ability of a student to analyze a problem and come up with an effective concept-based solution. Applicants are tested on their knowledge of scientific concepts and the workings of principles that reflects their intellectual understanding. The scores in this test cover a major percentage of total score requirement for them to enter a medical or dental college. Due to this students also take MCAT practice test every year through MCAT preparation programs and take MCAT preparation classes to cover the prescribed MCAT Preparation Course to be able to score high in their medical and dental college entrance exam. The test is a paper-based performance test in the form of multiple-choice questions that determine an applicant’s future as medical or dental professional.
MDCAT previously known as MCAT is designed as a standardized admission test. This test has been mandatory for candidates to be able to take admission in MBBS or BDS degree programs in all the private and public sector medical and dental institutions. Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) has set this two and a half hour, i.e., 150-minute paper-based test to be conducted once a year for the admission intake of medical and dental institutions.
Who can appear in MDCAT ?
The applicant needs to have cleared Intermediate Board Examination (HSSC) in Science Pre-Medical Group securing at least 60% marks. The marks must be unadjusted, i.e., not inclusive of Hafiz-e- Quran points or any other additional marks from the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Pakistan.
Anyone having an equivalent qualification to FSc Pre-Medical is eligible to apply for the test. Inter Board Committee of Chairman, Islamabad (IBCC) determines the equivalence of qualification.
Age Requirement:
Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has set no minimum or maximum age limit for candidates who want to appear in the test.
Test Pattern:
MCAT, now known as MDCAT, is based on the subjects English, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. The weightage of subject questions in the test and the section divisions can vary.
Paper Division:
The total number of Multiple Choice Questions is 220, and their subject wise distribution is as follows:
- English (30 MCQs)
- Biology (88 MCQs)
- Physics (44 MCQs)
- Chemistry (58 MCQs)
Medical and Dental College aspirants need to be very focused and dedicated towards securing admission in the best Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges due to the limited number of seats available.
Five marks are awarded for each correct answer. However, the test has a negative marking rule. One mark is deducted for each incorrect answer but if a question is left unattempted then no mark is deducted. There are no grace marks allowed in this entrance test.
Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has made it a rule that no one will be considered pass or fail in the entrance test only the total marks secured by a candidate are announced in the results.
Test Schedule:
The test is scheduled in each province of Pakistan in accordance with the regulations of its provincial government dependent on the time of admission intake of Medical and Dental Institutions.
MCAT new name:
MDCAT is the new name for MCAT now. It is important that students have the awareness about this change. Due to the rule of compulsion to take this entrance exam it has become a crucial stage for the students to clear so that they can enter the profession of medicine or dentistry.
MDCAT is critical because it is not a simple test of what is written in the books. Students who are in the habit of rote learning cannot score high in this test as it is a test of conceptual understanding and analytical skills. Therefore, students require MDCAT preparation which they find difficult.
The fear of difficulty leveI of the test causes students to change their career paths rather than appearing in the test. This is where the institutions like Punjab Group of Colleges play an effective role. PGC from the few years has been catering to the need of entry test preparation of intermediate students at its campuses by offering entry test preparation sessions. Punjab Group of Colleges has a legacy of maintaining excellent results and a tradition of academic excellence. The entry test program of Punjab Group, STEP (Strategic and Tactical Entry Test Preparation Program), teaches the students to strategically and tactically analyze the test questions based on MCAT Preparation course.
Punjab Group of Colleges launched STEP as a strategic and tactical entry test preparatory program to cater the need of students who want to clear the entrance exams after Intermediate and take admission in professional institutes. This program is an extension of academic support from Punjab Group to all the students who require assistance to meet the challenge of entry test. STEP directs students towards their dream professions and helps them cross the bridge between intermediate and professional institutions. The result of entry test is a deciding factor in a students’ educational journey, and the entry test preparation for MDCAT at STEP is very effective in this regard.
MDCAT preparation at STEP is monitored by entry test experts from all over Pakistan that are working with Punjab Group to offer a comprehensive test system. Ever since Punjab Group started offering entry test preparation classes majority of its students who joined to be able to enter medical or dental colleges are now successfully pursuing their goals. Most of them are currently studying at top medical or dental institutions. Umar Maqbool who joined the entry test preparation session of STEP at Punjab College Faisalabad is a fresh example in this context. The entry test preparatory classes at STEP and his mcat exam preparation helped him to secure overall top position in MDCAT last year, i.e., MCAT exam 2016. After clinching the top position in his medical college entrance exam, Umar Maqbool joined King Edward Medical University Lahore to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.
STEP maintains a history of top positions in MDCAT (then MCAT) results in 2014 and 2016.
In 2014, Ayesha Akhtar stood 1st in MCAT Exam Results.
In 2016, Umar Maqbool secured the 1st position with 1082/1100 marks and emerged as a shining star.
Rabia Irfan of STEP stood 2nd by securing 1076/1100 marks in MCAT Exam Results 2016.
Aleeza Ashraf another proud asset of STEP secured the 3rd position with 1070/1100 marks in the same MCAT Exam 2016.
The achievements of STEP reflect the effectiveness of the methodologies devised by its teachers and the strategies of its experts. The excellent results produced by students prove their analytical abilities and their skills to strategically and tactically analyze the problems which are stimulated through proper focus and a student-centered approach.
