The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to conduct the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) through the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) from 2027.
The decision was taken during a provincial cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
A committee has been formed to study the legal and technical steps needed to hand over the MDCAT test to ETEA.
ETEA has already carried out more than 1,300 computer-based tests since the system was introduced in September 2024. Around 500,000 candidates have taken part in these tests.
The agency is also legally allowed to conduct admission tests for professional colleges under the ETEA Ordinance, 2001.
The move is expected to use ETEA’s experience with computer-based testing for the MDCAT from 2027.
MDCAT registration
Previously, the registration deadline for MDCAT 2026 had passed.
However, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) then announced that online registration will reopen from August 17 to August 21, 2026.
Candidates who could not register earlier can now apply during this period by paying the required fee.
According to PMDC, the MDCAT 2026 exam will be held on September 20, 2026.
The council has also informed the universities that will conduct the examination.
What is the MDCAT 2026 registration fee?
The registration fee for candidates in Pakistan is Rs9,000.
Students applying from abroad will have to pay Rs45,000.
The late registration fee is Rs13,000 and it will not be refunded.
What is the MDCAT 2026 exam pattern?
The MDCAT 2026 paper will have 180 multiple-choice questions.
Biology will have 81 questions while Chemistry will have 45.
Physics will include 36 questions. English and Logical Reasoning will have 9 questions each.
There will be no negative marking in the exam.
The test will be held at centres in different cities across Pakistan.
These include Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta.