Over 170,000 medical aspirants appeared for MDCAT 2026 across 30+ domestic and international centres. PM&DC and admitting universities report peaceful conduct under strict electronic surveillance and biometric check-in.
MDCAT 2026 Conducted Across 30+ Centres Nationwide
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) and designated provincial admitting universities successfully conducted the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT 2026) on Sunday, 20 September 2026.
A total of 172,340 registered candidates appeared for the test across 33 examination centres set up in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as international centres in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
Province-Wise Candidate Turnout Breakdown
- Punjab (University of Health Sciences - UHS): 82,410 candidates appeared across 26 centres in 12 major cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sahiwal, and Bahawalpur.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Khyber Medical University - KMU): 42,150 candidates appeared across centres in Peshawar, Abbottabad, Mardan, Swat, Malakand, and Dera Ismail Khan under ETEA logistics.
- Sindh (Dow University of Health Sciences - DUHS): 38,620 candidates sat for the exam across centres in Karachi, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Larkana, and Sukkur.
- Federal & Northern Areas (SZABMU): 11,840 candidates appeared at centres in Islamabad, Muzaffarabad (AJK), Mirpur (AJK), and Gilgit (GB).
- Balochistan (Bolan University of Medical & Health Sciences - BUMHS): 9,120 candidates appeared at centres in Quetta, Khuzdar, Turbat, and Loralai.
- International Centres: Approximately 850 candidates appeared at overseas centres in Riyadh and Dubai.
Security, Surveillance & Test Integrity
PM&DC confirmed that the examination commenced punctually at 10:00 AM PST and concluded at 1:00 PM PST. Stringent measures were enforced:
- Biometric verification and facial recognition were deployed at examination entry gates to prevent impersonation.
- Mobile phone signal jammers and walk-through metal detectors were operational at all major test centres.
- District administration, police, and Rangers personnel maintained law and order outside all venue perimeters under Section 144.
- Candidate carbon-copy response sheets were successfully handed back to every examinee upon the test's conclusion.
Primary Sources
- PM&DC Official Press Release, PR-MDCAT-2026-0920, 20 September 2026.
- Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) National Wire, 20 September 2026.