Dhaka, March 12 -- The passed rate in the medical college entrance exam for the 2022-23 academic year slipped to 35.34 percent from more than 55 percent last year.

As many as 49,194 of the 135,813 examinees passed the MCQ test, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Sunday.

Rafsan Zaman, an examinee at Chattogram Medical College, topped the admission test by scoring 94.25 marks.

More than 139,000 students applied for admission to government and private medical colleges across Bangladesh, around 4,000 fewer than last year.

"Last year, the admission test was held on an abridged syllabus, pushing up the pass rate. This year it dropped as the exam was held on the full syllabus," the health minister said.

As many as 4,350 students who pass...