MDCAT-2025 Registration Begins; Exam Scheduled for October 5
Islamabad : The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council has announced the Medical & Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) scheduled to be held on Sunday, 5th October 2025.
It has come to the notice of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) that there has been a misunderstanding regarding the MDCAT examination fee, which claims that it has increased by 80%. PM&DC would like to clarify that the fee for the MDCAT has increased modestly and gradually over the past years, in 2024, it was Rs.8,000, and for 2025, it has been set at Rs. 9,000. This year, only Rs. 1,000 has been added to the previous year’s fee, which is an increment of 12.5%, not 80% as circulated in the social media.
The MDCAT exam is going to be conducted by universities nominated by the federal and provincial authorities, not by PMDC. However, PMDC as a regulator has developed a uniform syllabus for the MDCAT in consultation with all stakeholders, including federal and provincial authorities.
PM&DC has also invested heavily in developing a question bank based on a common syllabus agreed upon by the provinces. The Council decided to revise the fee on request of the examination-conducting universities due to Rising costs of paper printing, enhanced security protocols and logistical arrangements, Payments for examiners, invigilators, and administrative staff and ensuring adequate seating and facilities for candidates nationwide and international venues.
Despite significant inflation and increasing operational costs, PM&DC remains steadfast to affordability and fairness. The Council has taken a balanced approach to ensure that the exam remains accessible to all candidates while maintaining quality and integrity in the testing process. PM&DC reaffirms transparent, responsible, and merit-based admissions, ensuring equal opportunities for all aspiring medical and dental students.
The MDCAT will be conducted through the following admitting/test conducting universities i.e University of Health Sciences, Lahore (for Punjab Province), Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur (for Sindh Province), Khyber Medical University, Peshawar (for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province), Bolan University of Medical & Health Sciences Quetta (for Balochistan Province), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad (for Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and for international Riyadh, Saudi Arabia).
The schedule for MDCAT-2025 online registration for both local and international candidates began on 8th August 2025 and will close on 25th August 2025. After this date, registration will only be accepted with a late fee, which will remain open until 1st September 2025.
The candidates must carefully select one city/centre for the MDCAT and fill out the application with all necessary requirements otherwise, the online system will reject the application. The test will be a paper-based, multiple-choice exam conducted in English, comprising 180 MCQs with no negative marking, distributed as follows: Biology (81), Chemistry (45), Physics (36), English (9), and Logical Reasoning (9).
The curriculum/syllabus is available at www.pmdc.pk, and candidates must complete their registration through mdcat.pmdc.pk. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
