ISLAMABAD: More than 138,000 students have registered for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026, which will be conducted simultaneously across Pakistan on Sunday, August 16, at 10:00 a.m.
According to sources, the MDCAT is the mandatory entrance examination for admission to public and private medical and dental colleges across the country. Thousands of aspiring medical students are expected to appear in the highly competitive examination.
To ensure the smooth and transparent conduct of the test, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has assigned the responsibility of organizing the examination to designated universities in different provinces and regions.
In Punjab, the test will be administered by the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, while Sukkur IBA University will conduct the examination in Sindh. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the responsibility has been entrusted to Khyber Medical University (KMU), whereas Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences, Quetta, will oversee the examination process in Balochistan.
For candidates from Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), the MDCAT will be conducted under the supervision of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad. The same university has also been assigned to organize the examination in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, enabling Pakistani students residing abroad to take the test without traveling to Pakistan.
According to the PMDC, an additional MDCAT examination center will also be established in Islamabad exclusively for candidates holding Balochistan domicile. The center will be managed by Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences and is aimed at facilitating students from Balochistan by reducing travel difficulties and providing them with greater accessibility.
The PMDC stated that the registration process with the regular fee remained open until July 13, while the deadline for registration with a late fee is July 18. Officials expect the total number of registered candidates to increase further once the late registration period concludes.
The council is expected to issue admit cards, examination center details, and candidate guidelines before the test. Students have been advised to reach their designated examination centers well before the reporting time, carry the required identification documents, and strictly comply with the examination rules and regulations.
MDCAT is a prerequisite for admission to medical and dental colleges throughout Pakistan, and candidates’ scores play a crucial role in determining merit lists for MBBS and BDS programs. With more than 138,000 registrations already completed, this year’s examination is expected to be one of the largest medical entrance tests conducted in the country.
Read also:MDCAT 2025: Only 53% of candidates qualify for MBBS in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
