How to register for the MDCAT: dates, fee, centres and the steps

The short answer

The MDCAT is run by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC). You register online on the PM&DC MDCAT portal, choose one test city, upload your documents, pay the fee, and finish every step, because an incomplete application is not accepted. The test is then conducted by the admitting university of your province. The details below come from the PM&DC public notice for MDCAT 2026, so check the current notice for the year you are applying in.

Who conducts the test

• University of Health Sciences, Lahore: Punjab.
• Sukkur IBA University: Sindh.
• Khyber Medical University, Peshawar: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences, Quetta: Balochistan.
• Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad: Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Riyadh.

Dates in the 2026 notice

• Registration opened on 22 June 2026 with the normal fee.
• Registration with the normal fee was to end on 8 July 2026, and with the late fee on 13 July 2026.
• A later PM&DC notice of 8 July 2026 extended the normal fee deadline to 13 July 2026 and the late fee deadline to 18 July 2026.
• The test was set for Sunday, 16 August 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Pakistan time.
• The dates change from year to year. The 2025 test was on 5 October 2025, for example.

Fee

• Test centres in Pakistan: Rs. 9,000 with the normal fee and Rs. 13,000 with the late fee.
• International test centre: Rs. 45,000 normal and Rs. 55,000 late.
• The fee is not refundable and not transferable, so check your details before you pay.

Where the test is held

The notice lists centres in each region, depending on the number of applicants. You are advised to choose one city or centre. You may appear only in the province or region of your domicile, and a candidate with Sindh domicile may also choose Islamabad through the respective university. A city or centre, once chosen, cannot be changed.

Steps to register

1. Open the MDCAT portal named in the current PM&DC notice and create an account with the Sign Up option, or sign in if you already have one.
2. Fill in the application form with your personal details exactly as they appear on your ID, Form-B or smart card, and on your educational documents.
3. Select your test city or centre.
4. Upload the documents the notice asks for. In earlier years this included the first year FSc (Pre-Medical) marks sheet or DMC and your ID number. Use the file types and sizes that the portal allows.
5. Pay the fee through the payment method shown on the portal and keep the transaction record.
6. Check that the portal shows your application as complete. A paid fee does not complete an application by itself.
7. Download your roll number slip when it is issued and read the instructions on it.

Paper pattern in the 2026 notice

• A paper-based, multiple choice test in English.
• 180 MCQs with no negative marking: Biology 81, Chemistry 45, Physics 36, English 9 and Logical reasoning 9.
• Difficulty levels: easy 15 percent, moderate 70 percent and difficult 15 percent.
• The syllabus is published on the PM&DC website.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for the last day. The portal is busy near the deadline, and a late fee is higher.
• Entering a name or date of birth that differs from your documents.
• Choosing a city by habit and not by the domicile rule.
• Paying and not completing the remaining steps.
• Following an old notice. Use only the notice of the current year.

Common questions

• Is the registration fee refundable? No, the notice says it is not refundable or transferable.
• Can I change my test city later? The notice says that a city cannot be changed once chosen.
• Where do I practise? Use the MDCAT practice questions and the timed mock test on this site, after reading the current pattern.

Where this comes from

• PM&DC Public Notice, MDCAT-2026 for admissions in MBBS and BDS programs, and the PM&DC notice of 8 July 2026 on the extension of registration dates (pmdc.pk, read in November 2026).
• PM&DC Public Notice, MDCAT-2025 (pmdc.pk), for the comparison of dates.
• The portal address, dates, fees and pattern can change every year. Check the current PM&DC notice before you register.