Smooth conduct of MDCAT 2026 is responsibility of universities, Federal Minister

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, while addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) today, outlined the regulatory framework and guidelines provided by PM&DC for the Medical & Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 and emphasised the responsibility of the respective provincial authorities and universities to ensure its smooth, transparent and fair conduct, including necessary security and examination arrangements.

The Federal Minister appreciated PM&DC’s contribution towards MDCAT and said that a question bank comprising approximately 8,000 questions had been developed for the examination. Around 80 subject experts from across the country including those from the Cambridge stream were engaged for preparation of the questions bank and were kept in a secure, isolated environment for approximately two months under strict security arrangements to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the process.

He further stated that separate question papers have been prepared for each province. Each province has been provided with at least two separate papers comprising 180 questions each, enabling the respective province to select the examination paper according to the prescribed procedure. The MDCAT will be held on September 20, 2026, at 34 cities and towns across Pakistan and one international venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A total of 138,160 candidates are registered to appear in the examination. The examination will be conducted by universities nominated by the federal and provincial authorities. These include the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, for Punjab; Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur, for Sindh; Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Bolan University of Medical & Health Sciences, Quetta, for Balochistan; and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, for the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

He further added that the PM&DC has fulfilled its obligations for the examination, including registration of candidates, sharing of candidates’ data with provinces and universities, provision of a uniform common syllabus, and a uniform common question bank for paper-setting by the universities. The Council has also held regular meetings with Vice Chancellors and relevant provincial health authorities, including the Secretary Health of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, to review arrangements and ensure the transparent and fair conduct of MDCAT, enabling the admission process for MBBS and BDS programmes to be initiated and concluded on time.

Now the respective provinces and universities, rather than PM&DC, are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the examination process, including the printing, storage and transportation of examination papers and declaration of results, in accordance with the prescribed standards and procedures.

In case of any paper leakage or failure to ensure transparency, the concerned university will be responsible and accountable for the integrity of the examination process.