The recent ETEA medical officer test held across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has triggered widespread debate after a staggering 80% of candidates failed to clear the exam. This was the province’s first attempt to recruit medical officers in KP through the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency.
The test, conducted on June 14 to fill 115 vacant posts in government hospitals, attracted 8,974 applicants. However, only 1,766 candidates managed to pass—setting a pass rate of just 19.67%. District-specific results further fueled the controversy: In Batkhela, only 476 out of 2,424 candidates cleared the test. Haripur had just 342 successful candidates out of 5,216, while Upper Dir and Mardan also reported alarmingly low figures.
The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) has strongly objected to the testing format. Dr. Qazi Shehbaz Mohiuddin, PDA’s senior vice president, criticized the inclusion of advanced topics like ENT and gynecology in the multiple-choice questions. “General medical officers are not trained in such specialized fields, yet the questions heavily focused on them,” he remarked. He also pointed out the unrealistic time limit—75 minutes for 100 questions—as a major barrier.
In response, ETEA officials defended the test process, asserting that the exam remained fully transparent and relevant to the medical profession. Provincial Health Advisor Ehtisham Ali also backed the process, stating, “We are moving toward a transparent system where merit, not recommendations, will decide public sector appointments.”
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This ETEA recruitment controversy is now the center of discussion among aspiring doctors, with many calling for a review of the current assessment structure used for medical officer jobs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
