More than 138,000 applicants in Pakistan to take MDCAT on September 20 — Dawn
In Pakistan, 138,158 candidates will take the MDCAT 2026 entrance test for medical and dental colleges on September 20. The exam will be held across the country, Dawn reports, citing consolidated data submitted by five universities to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
MDCAT is a mandatory entrance examination for studying at medical and dental colleges in Pakistan. The test was initially scheduled for August 16, 2026, but was postponed until September 20 due to the suspension of internet services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the tense situation. A PMDC statement said the decision was made on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Additional registration
After the date was postponed, the PMDC reopened registration for the test. Before the additional stage began, 136,095 candidates had registered, while another 2,063 people submitted applications later.
The University of Health Sciences in Lahore will host the largest number of participants, 49,198. Of them, 48,528 candidates registered before the additional stage and 670 during it.
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Distribution of candidates
Khyber Medical University in Peshawar will conduct the test for 38,841 candidates, 523 of whom registered during the second stage. IBA University in Sukkur will host 34,232 participants, while Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences in Quetta will host 9,923.
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University in Islamabad registered 5,964 candidates. It will also conduct the MDCAT abroad, at a center in Saudi Arabia.
The PMDC instructed the involved universities and provincial authorities to complete all organizational arrangements on time and ensure the fair, transparent and secure conduct of the examination. PMDC President Professor Dr Rizwan Taj discussed the readiness of examination centers, security measures, medical assistance and emergency response with university vice chancellors and representatives of provincial authorities.
