MDCAT 2026 held across Pakistan as thousands of candidates sit exam

The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 is being held across Pakistan on Sunday, with thousands of candidates appearing for the test for admission to medical and dental colleges. According to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), a total of 138,160 candidates have registered for the entrance examination this year. Punjab had the highest number of registered candidates at 49,199. A total of 9,923 candidates are registered in Balochistan, while 2,761 candidates have registered from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and 1,721 from Gilgit-Baltistan(G-B). Islamabad has 1,245 registered candidates, while 237 candidates will appear at the international centre in Riyadh. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 38,845 candidates are taking the test at 59 examination centres across nine cities, according to Khyber Medical University (KMU). The candidates include 18,107 male students and 20,738 female students. The examination is being held simultaneously in air-conditioned halls at all 59 centres. Peshawar had the highest number of candidates, with 16,722 students appearing at 19 centres. A further 5,459 candidates are taking the test at 10 centres in Mardan, while 4,937 are appearing at 11 centres in Swat. Read: MDCAT to be held today across Pakistan, in KSA Four centres have been established in Lower Dir for 2,795 candidates, while 2,374 candidates are appearing at three centres in Dera Ismail Khan. A total of 1,560 candidates are taking the test at two centres in Kohat. Nine centres have been established collectively in Mansehra, Haripur and Abbottabad, where 4,997 candidates are appearing. KMU said the examination was being conducted in a peaceful environment, with arrangements completed at all examination centres. In Sindh, the MDCAT is being conducted through the Sukkur IBA Testing Service, with more than 34,000 candidates registered across the province. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) said 138,158 candidates had been registered across five universities for the test. In Sindh, examination centres have been established in Karachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Larkana, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad and Islamabad. Two centres have been established in Karachi at NED University and Dow University’s Ojha Campus. Around 11,000 candidates are expected to appear at the two Karachi centres, including 6,000 at NED University and 4,964 at Dow University’s Ojha Campus. In Karachi, candidates began arriving at NED University early in the morning, with crowds of students and parents reported outside the university’s main gate. Traffic pressure also increased around the university and on University Road. Read more: Fading medical dream Police and Rangers personnel have been deployed around the examination centres. The MDCAT question papers were transported to examination centres under tight security. According to Sukkur IBA administration, vehicles carrying the papers were fitted with CCTV cameras, while drivers were not informed of their routes. A monitoring room has also been set up to oversee the examination process, officials said. The administration said the test was being conducted transparently and recalled that an MDCAT paper leak had been reported in 2024. In Rawalpindi, Rescue 1122 teams have been deployed at three examination centres. Emergency cover began at 6:30am, and no medical emergency had been reported so far, according to Rescue 1122. The PMDC also announced that the requirement for a juvenile card was removed for MDCAT 2026. Candidates would be allowed to sit the test without a juvenile card, while their original mark sheets will be checked for identification at the examination centres. The test began at 10am, with candidates required to report to their centres early in the morning. The examination will last three hours. Candidates will not be allowed to leave the examination centre before the test ends and must remain seated until the conclusion of the examination. They will also be required to hand their question papers to invigilators before leaving. Failure to return the question paper will result in cancellation of the candidate’s result, officials said. Mobile phones and other digital devices are prohibited at the examination centres. Officials said special arrangements had been made for candidates and their parents, including separate waiting areas. Medical units, Rescue 1122 and fire brigade teams have also been deployed at examination centres. The PMDC said a question bank comprising around 8,000 questions had been prepared for the test. Experts from around 80 subjects were involved in preparing the question bank. Separate question papers have been prepared for each province, with at least two different papers for every province. Each question paper contains 180 questions. The relevant universities may retain the question papers after the examination, according to the test arrangements.