Just when everyone was preparing for the entry tests in their favorite Universities, Higher Education Commission (HEC) dropped the bombshell; Undergraduate Studies Admission Test (USAT) costing Rs.1200/- for admissions in BS programs in Universities across Pakistan. 

Here’s what the students have to say on social media about this:

This kid is a straight savage:

However, the real reason why everyone is so mad about USAT is this:

SOURCE

Everyone is mad and confused because the Universities have already scheduled their own entry tests as per their routine and students aren’t even prepared for it. It was definitely not the right time to disclose such an important notification - it could’ve been issued earlier. The officials from Universities claimed that no one from HEC or Education Testing Council (ETC) consulted with them about the test so it was totally a surprising thing for them. 

The students are already preparing for the Universities’ entry tests. Now, what are they going to do? The test is going to be held on the 12th of September, 2021 and the last date to apply for it is the 30th of August. Since the announcement was from the higher education department, it was perceived that USAT is mandatory for BS admissions across the country. 

There may be a little point of relief that Dr. Iftikhar, the Chief Executive of ETC, claimed that it’s the choice of the Universities whether they want to adopt USAT for their admissions or not. But don’t celebrate so early because other sources also claim that you HAVE to take this test to be considered for BS admissions. There’s still a big confusion going on. 

In Pakistan, better criteria were needed to be set for the students to enroll in Universities. USAT includes verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and essay writing as parts of assessments to ensure whether the student is actually eligible for BS level education or not. 

We hope to get a clear message from ETC about if the USAT is mandatory and immediately post an update. Stay tuned!