The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 will be held across Pakistan on September 20, with 138,160 candidates registered for the examination.
To prevent the cancellation of the test across the country in case of a paper leak, authorities have prepared two separate question papers for each province.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told the media that 34 examination centres have been established across the country, while another centre has been set up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He said the MDCAT paper will contain 180 questions, while around 8,000 questions have been prepared for the examination. Experts from across the country contributed to the question bank.
According to Kamal, several improvements have been made to this year’s MDCAT system. Each province has been provided with two separate papers to reduce the risk of cancelling the examination nationwide in case one paper is leaked.
He said provincial authorities and medical universities will be responsible for conducting the examination, while the Ministry of Health and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) will supervise the process.
A separate registration portal has also been opened for students from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Due to internet connectivity issues in the region, students will receive hard copies of the examination material.
A special MDCAT examination centre has also been established in Islamabad for AJK students.
The test will include questions from biology, chemistry, physics, English and IQ.
In Sindh, the MDCAT will be conducted under the supervision of the SIBA Testing Services. Examination centres have been established at NED University and Dow University in Karachi, along with centres in Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Larkana, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad and Islamabad.
Authorities said candidates will be provided with necessary stationery and clean drinking water at the examination centres. Waiting areas will also be available for parents.
