Over 138,000 candidates to take MDCAT on Sept 20

More than 138,000 students will sit for the 2026 Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) on September 20, according to the latest figures released by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). This figure includes 2,063 candidates who registered after the test's initial postponement, which was due to internet suspensions in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and ongoing tensions in the region. The test will be administered by five participating universities across Pakistan.

The University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, will conduct the examination for the largest number of candidates, with 49,198 students registered. Of these, 48,528 candidates were pre-registered, while 670 additional candidates joined after the postponed registration period. Khyber Medical University (KMU) in Peshawar secured the second-highest number of registrations, with 38,841 applicants, including 38,318 initial registrations and 523 new sign-ups.

IBA University in Sukkur is set to administer the test to 34,232 candidates, comprising 33,683 pre-registered students and 549 who registered after the delay. Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences (BUMHS) in Quetta will handle 9,923 applications, with 9,777 initial registrations and 146 new registrations. Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) in Islamabad, which will also conduct the exam abroad in Saudi Arabia, has received 5,964 applications, consisting of 5,789 pre-registered students and 175 new registrations.