ISLAMABAD: Despite mounting pressure from various quarters to postpone Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has been directed to conduct nationwide examination on August 16, as originally scheduled.
This was confirmed by health authorities on Tuesday.
Officials from Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said they had been receiving messages and phone calls every day, allegedly orchestrated by private academies, urging ministry officials, PMDC authorities and other influential figures to delay the examination.
However, officials said PMDC had received clear instructions from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure MDCAT is held nationwide on August 16, warning no negligence in arrangements would be tolerated.
PMDC officials said the council has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with designated admitting universities and completed all necessary arrangements to conduct the examination on schedule.
The three-hour MDCAT 2026 will begin at 10:00am on Sunday, August 16, with 136,086 candidates expected to compete for more than 22,000 MBBS and BDS seats across Pakistan.
The examination will consist of 180 multiple-choice questions, carrying a total of 180 marks. Candidates seeking admission to medical colleges must secure at least 55 percent marks, while applicants for dental colleges will need a minimum of 50 percent marks to qualify.
“There will be no negative marking in the test. The answer key will be uploaded immediately after examination, and candidates will also receive carbon copies of their question papers and answer sheets for their records”, a PMDC official told The News.
The official added the results of MDCAT 2026 are expected to be announced by August 22.
The PMDC has assigned responsibility for conducting examination to designated institutions across the provinces and regions. The University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, will conduct the test in Punjab; Sukkur IBA University in Sindh; Khyber Medical University (KMU) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences, Quetta, in Balochistan.
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad, will conduct examination for candidates from Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Pakistani students will also appear for the test.
To facilitate candidates holding Balochistan domicile, an additional examination centre will be established in Islamabad under the supervision of Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences.
A special examination centre has been arranged in Islamabad for candidates from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The PMDC assured no eligible candidate, including those from AJK, would be deprived of opportunity to appear in MDCAT. It advised candidates facing registration-related issues to contact the council directly.
