The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has officially announced the schedule and registration policy for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026, required for admissions into medical and dental colleges across the country. The national-level entrance exam is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 16, 2026, starting at 10:00 AM. Prospective candidates can initiate their online registration process through the official MDCAT portal from June 22, 2026, with the regular application window closing on July 8, 2026. However, applicants who miss the initial deadline will have an extended opportunity to register with a late fee until July 13, 2026.
In terms of the financial requirements, the PMDC has fixed the standard registration fee for local centers at PKR 9,000, while late registrations will incur a fee of PKR 13,000. For candidates opting to appear at international test centers, the registration fee is set at PKR 45,000. The council has explicitly clarified that all submitted fees are strictly non-refundable and non-transferable. Additionally, applicants must ensure their online forms are fully completed, as incomplete submissions will not be entertained, and the examination center selected during the registration process will be considered final and cannot be modified later.
The examination will be conducted through various designated universities across different regions. Sukkur IBA University will manage the test in Sindh, while the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore will oversee it in Punjab. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the responsibility lies with Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar, and the Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences will conduct the exam in Quetta, Balochistan. Furthermore, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University will be responsible for administering the test across Islamabad, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the international center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
To facilitate candidates, extensive examination centers are being established nationwide and internationally. Candidates in Sindh can take the test in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur, and Larkana, while Punjab’s candidates will have access to test centers across 14 different cities. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, centers will be set up in 8 cities, including Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, and Abbottabad. Balochistan’s candidates will appear for the exam in Quetta, and an international center will be operational in Riyadh for overseas students.
Regarding the test structure, MDCAT 2026 will consist of 180 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), and notably, there will be no negative marking for incorrect answers. The official syllabus and further detailed guidelines are currently available on the PMDC website. Aspirants should remain updated, as the PMDC retains the absolute authority to modify the examination schedule if circumstances demand.
