The passing marks for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 will remain unchanged.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services has decided to keep the passing marks for the MDCAT 2026 the same as before, rejecting proposals to lower the qualifying marks.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Dr Mahesh Kumar Mallani in Islamabad on Friday.
The officials informed the committee that MDCAT 2026 will be held on August 16.
Under the existing criteria, candidates must secure at least 55% marks to qualify for MBBS admissions and 50% for BDS programmes.
As part of measures aimed at improving transparency, the committee was told that the MDCAT question bank has been expanded from 6,000 to 8,000 questions.
Three separate question papers will be prepared for the provinces, with one selected for use in the examination.
The committee was also informed that admissions to medical and dental colleges will continue to be based on a weightage of 10% matriculation marks, 40% intermediate marks and 50% MDCAT score.
The three-hour examination will consist of 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with no negative marking. Biology will carry 45% of the total marks, followed by Chemistry (25%), Physics (20%), English (5%) and Logical Reasoning (5%).
Officials said around 135,000 candidates have already registered for MDCAT 2026, with the number expected to rise before the registration deadline.
The committee also discussed fees charged by private medical colleges, suggesting that annual tuition should range between Rs1.8 million and Rs2.5 million.
It recommended that institutions provide a clear justification for their fee structures and said the government could conduct a third-party audit to determine the actual cost of medical education.
The committee further directed medical colleges to explain vacant approved seats, maintain educational standards, and asked the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan to update its laws to reflect current requirements.
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