Pakistan's Higher Education Commission, known as HEC, plans to make a new national test compulsory for entry into doctoral programmes in the country. The test, called the Higher Education Aptitude and Achievement Test, or HAAT, is being built by HEC's Education Testing Council (ETC). Its aim is to give universities one common method for judging people who apply for PhD study.
How the test is being built
The ETC started work on HAAT in May 2026. Its chief executive, Dr Muhammad Imtiaz Haider, said subject committees have now been formed for 89 disciplines, and he confirmed that the test will be required for PhD admissions across Pakistan. These committees are responsible for designing the assessment for each field.
HEC Chairman Prof. Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar opened the subject committee meeting and urged an open, merit-driven and consistent system for graduate admissions nationwide. His remarks focused on fairness, so that candidates are judged by the same standard wherever they apply.
First-phase progress
In the first phase, the ETC finalised assessment designs for 48 PhD disciplines. More than 250 academics, subject specialists and university representatives from 81 public and private universities took part in the meeting. Each subject committee approved a test design and its Tables of Specifications, the documents that set out what a test covers and how its content is divided, after checking each field's academic relevance and fit with graduate-level research.
The remaining 41 of the 89 disciplines are still being worked on, as HEC continues building the national assessment framework.
Aasan alfaaz mein
HEC ek naya qaumi imtehan HAAT banane ja raha hai. Yeh imtehan Pakistan bhar mein PhD mein dakhle ke liye lazmi hoga. Pehle marhale mein 48 PhD mazmoon ke design tay ho chuke hain, aur baqi mazmoon par kaam jari hai. PhD ka iradah rakhne walon ko apni university aur HEC ki hidayat par nazar rakhni chahiye.
