MDCAT past papers: how to sit and review one
The archive covers six boards. Each row shows how many questions it holds, and the most recent paper from each board is free. Sit one, review it and turn the errors into a plan instead of a score.
mymdcat Editorial Team
Editorial team
Key takeaways
- DUHS, Federal and KMU hold a full-length paper. The other 2026 rows hold fewer questions, and the most recent paper from each board is free.
- Sit a paper under one clock, then spend about twice as long reviewing it.
- Track avoidable errors and the top chapter, not only the total score.
- Use shorter rows for style and pace, never for a score you can compare with a full paper.
The archive covers six boards: UHS, DUHS, KMU, NUMS, Balochistan and Federal. Each row shows how many questions it holds. The most recent paper from each board is free, in timed or tutor mode, and the older archive is part of the MDCAT Pass. Sit a full-length paper in one three-hour block with no pauses, then review it for about twice as long.
The 2026 test was held on Sunday, 20 September 2026. This guide explains how to choose a row, how to sit one properly, and how to review it so the next paper is better.
Which papers are free
Six 2026 rows are in the archive. DUHS, Federal and KMU hold a full-length paper. The Federal board has a second row with fewer questions, and the NUMS and UHS rows hold fewer again. Each row prints its count before you open it.
The most recent paper from each board is free. You can sit it in timed mode or in tutor mode. Answers and worked explanations are included, and a free paper does not use your 500 practice attempts.
The Federal paper appears twice. Use the full-length row for a timed sitting. The shorter duplicate is useful for extra practice, but not for a score you can compare with a full paper.
Older rows can hold fewer questions because not every question could be recovered. The row shows the count, so you know what you are sitting before you start. Everything before 2026 sits behind the Pass.
Sit a full-length paper before a shorter row. A full paper shows you the fatigue curve, and a short row cannot.
Why a real paper is different from a practice set
A chapter quiz asks whether you remember a chapter. A paper asks whether you can choose the right chapter, in the right order, at the right speed, while tired.
That difference is the point. A student who answers chapter quizzes well can still lose marks on a paper through sequencing and time alone. The paper exposes the loss. A practice set sorted by topic hides it.
Papers also show you the wording style of each board. DUHS, KMU, NUMS and Federal do not write stems in the same way. Reading those styles before the exam reduces surprise on the day.
Before you start: set the paper up properly
A paper sat in three sittings with a phone nearby is not a measurement. Set it up like the real thing.
- Choose a start time close to the real exam start.
- Put the phone in another room.
- Use three hours on one clock.
- Use the same answer sheet method you will use on the day.
- Do not pause for tea, calls or explanations.
Tutor mode is for learning. Timed mode is for measuring. Do not mix them in the same sitting.
The three-pass method for the clock
The paper is one three-hour block. A three-pass method gives you a way to spend it.
Pass one, about 95 minutes. Answer every question you can solve without a long pause. Mark, do not solve, the ones that need a calculation or a second read. Do not leave a question blank in this pass if you can eliminate two options.
Pass two, about 55 minutes. Return to the marked questions. Spend the time on the ones where you have a method, not on the ones where you have only a feeling.
Pass three, about 30 minutes. Check that every answer is transferred. Check the questions you rushed. Change an answer only when you can name the reason.
These are drill numbers, not exam law. Adjust them after two papers. The point is to decide the order before the clock decides it for you.
How to review a paper so the marks move
The review is where the improvement happens. A paper plus a score is entertainment. A paper plus a review is training.
Use this sequence:
- Mark the paper without changing your answers.
- Classify every wrong answer by error type: knowledge, misread, calculation, elimination or time.
- Re-solve each wrong question without looking at the explanation.
- Read the explanation and compare it with your re-solve.
- Write one line: the rule that would have prevented the error.
- Add the question to a review list and try it again in a week.
Also review the questions you got right by guessing. A lucky guess is an error that has not been charged yet.
In the first month, budget twice the paper time for the review. A three-hour paper can take six hours to review properly. That sounds expensive until you compare it with sitting five papers and learning the same lesson five times.
Write the review in two passes if that helps: one pass for the error class, one pass for the chapter. The format is not the point. The point is that a wrong answer becomes a task with a name.
Keep a paper log
Keep one table, not a folder of screenshots.
| Date | Paper | Score | Avoidable errors | Top chapter | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct | DUHS | 148 | 11 | Cell cycle | Repair and 20 questions |
| 11 Oct | Federal | 154 | 8 | Organic | Unit drill |
The score column is the least useful. The avoidable error count tells you whether the method is working. The top chapter tells you what to do on Monday.
What a shorter row can tell you
The UHS 37-question row and the 143-question Federal duplicate cannot give you a score you can compare with a full paper. They can still teach you something.
Use a shorter row as a style sample or a section drill. Sit the 37 questions in 37 minutes to practise pace. Read the wording of each stem. Do not compare the percentage with a full paper, because the mix of subjects is different.
A shorter row is also useful in the last month, when a full paper would take too much energy. Twenty minutes of real board questions beats twenty minutes of scrolling.
A four-week plan using the free papers
This plan assumes one full paper a week and about 12 study hours a week.
- Week one: DUHS, full length, timed, then a full review.
- Week two: Federal, full length, timed, then repair the top two chapters.
- Week three: KMU, full length, timed, then a shorter review focused on repeated errors.
- Week four: NUMS, timed, plus the UHS row as a pace drill.
Between papers, use practice for the chapters the log names. Do not start a new paper until the last one has been reviewed. The order matters more than the board.
Keep one rest day. Four papers in four weeks is a workload, and a paper sat while exhausted teaches you about exhaustion, not about the exam.
Mistakes that waste a free paper
The most common mistake is pausing the clock. The second is reading explanations during the sitting. The third is reviewing only the wrong answers and ignoring lucky guesses.
A fourth is sitting a paper in a noisy room with a phone on the table. The conditions do not need to be perfect, but they should be the same each week, so the comparison means something.
Two more: chasing the score instead of the error class, and sitting a new paper before reviewing the last one. A paper you did not review is a paper you paid for with three hours and did not collect.
How we checked this
The paper counts and question numbers come from our paper database on 25 October 2026. Each row shows how many questions it holds, and the count is the number recovered. The format comes from PMDC notices. We do not claim that any paper predicts the next exam. A paper is a practice tool, not a forecast.
Browse all past papers or read the exam-strategy guides for timing and revision.
Common questions
Are the MDCAT past papers free?
The newest paper from every board opens free, in timed or tutor mode, with worked explanations. Everything older sits in the MDCAT Pass. Sitting a free paper does not use any of the 500 practice attempts in a free account.
Which paper should I sit first?
Start with a full-length paper, such as DUHS, Federal or KMU. Use the shorter rows later for pace drills or style samples. The first paper is a baseline, so do not choose the one you expect to be easiest.
Why does the UHS row hold only 37 questions?
Only 37 questions could be recovered for that paper. The row shows the count so you do not mistake it for a full sitting. Use it for question style and pace, not for a score you can compare with a full paper.
Should I use tutor mode or timed mode?
Use timed mode when you want a measurement and tutor mode when you are learning a new paper style. Do not switch modes in the middle of a sitting. A paused paper is not a timed paper.
Sources and how we checked them
Each source shows the date we last checked it. A link does not mean the source agrees with every sentence. It means the sentence can be checked against it.
- Pakistan Medical and Dental Councilchecked 25 October 2026Exam format and registration notices.
- University of Health Sciences, Lahorechecked 25 October 2026Punjab admitting university notices.
- Dow University of Health Scienceschecked 25 October 2026Sindh admitting university notices.
mymdcat Editorial Team
The mymdcat editorial team writes and reviews these guides. We use AI tools to draft and check text, then verify every number and claim against the linked source. The methodology page explains the process, including its limits. Read the methodology.