Senate panel urges uniform MDCAT system
He emphasized that the tests should be IT-based, as paper leaks often lead to malpractice. The committee members engaged in an extensive discussion regarding the compliance report based on the Committee's previous meeting held on October 9, 2024.
The Minister of State, Coordinator to the Prime Minister, informed that starting next year, candidates appearing for the MDCAT will only be eligible for registration.
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Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business Recorder
MDCAT on Oct 5 with Rs9,000 fee: PMDC
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), Saturday, refuting rumors regarding an 80 percent increase in Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) has announced that the MDCAT will be held on Sunday, 5 October 2025, with Rs9,000 admission fee against Rs8,000 last year reflecting an increase of 12.5 percent. While issuing the schedule for the MDCAT exams here, the PMDC said it has come to the notice of that there has been a misunderstanding regarding the MDCAT examination fee, which claims that it has increased by 80 per cent. PMDC clarified that the fee for the MDCAT has increased modestly and gradually over the past years, in 2024, it was Rs.8,000, and for 2025, it has been set at Rs. 9,000. This year, only Rs1,000 have been added to the previous year's fee, which is an increment of 12.5 per cent, not 80 per cent as circulated in the social media. The MDCAT exam is going to be conducted by universities nominated by the federal and provincial authorities, not by PMDC. However, PMDC as a regulator has developed a uniform syllabus for the MDCAT in consultation with all the stakeholders, including federal and provincial authorities. The PMDC has also invested heavily in developing a question bank based on a common syllabus agreed upon by the provinces. The Council decided to revise the fee on request of the examination-conducting universities due to the rising costs of paper printing, enhanced security protocols and logistical arrangements, payments for examiners, invigilators, and administrative staff and ensuring adequate seating and facilities for candidates nationwide and international venues. Despite significant inflation and increasing operational costs, PMDC remains steadfast to affordability and fairness. The Council has taken a balanced approach to ensure that the exam remains accessible to all candidates while maintaining quality and integrity in the testing process. PMDC reaffirms transparent, responsible, and merit-based admissions, ensuring equal opportunities for all aspiring medical and dental students. The MDCAT will be conducted through the following admitting/test conducting universities, ie, University of Health Sciences, Lahore (for Punjab Province), Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur (for Sindh Province), Khyber Medical University, Peshawar (for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province), Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences Quetta (for Balochistan Province), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad (for Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and for international Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). The schedule for MDCAT-2025 online registration for both local and international candidates began on 8th August 2025 and will close on 25th August 2025. After this date, registration will only be accepted with a late fee, which will remain open until 1st September 2025. The candidates must carefully select one city/centre for the MDCAT and fill out the application with all necessary requirements otherwise, the online system will reject the application. The test will be a paper-based, multiple-choice exam conducted in English, comprising 180 MCQs with no negative marking, distributed as follows: Biology (81), Chemistry (45), Physics (36), English (9), and Logical Reasoning (9). The curriculum/syllabus is available at and candidates must complete their registration through Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
16 hours ago
- Express Tribune
PMDC refutes MDCAT fee hike claim
The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) has announced that the Medical & Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) 2025 will be held on October 5. In a statement issued on Saturday, PM&DC also dismissed rumours of an 80 per cent fee hike as "false and misleading", clarifying that only a nominal increase has been made to cover the operational costs of conducting the exam, including security and logistics. The council clarified that the fee has increased modestly and gradually over the years. In 2024, the fee was Rs8,000 and for 2025, it has been set at Rs9,000. The Rs1,000 increment represents a 12.5% rise, not 80% as incorrectly circulated on social media. Meanwhile, registration for the exam will be open from August 8 to August 25, with a late registration window available until September 1, 2025. The MDCAT 2025 will be conducted in English in a paper-based format, featuring 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with no negative marking. The MDCAT exam will be conducted by universities nominated by federal and provincial authorities, not by PM&DC itself. However, PM&DC, as the regulator, has developed a uniform syllabus for the exam in consultation with all stakeholders, including federal and provincial authorities. The council said that it has also invested heavily in developing a question bank based on the common syllabus agreed upon by the provinces. The fee revision was made at the request of the examination-conducting universities, citing rising costs of paper printing, enhanced security protocols, logistical arrangements, payments for examiners, invigilators, administrative staff and ensuring adequate seating and facilities for candidates nationwide and at international venues. Moreover, the council said it has taken a balanced approach to keep the exam accessible to all candidates while maintaining quality and integrity in the testing process. The statement added that the council was committed to transparent, responsible and merit-based admissions, ensuring equal opportunities for all aspiring medical and dental students. The MDCAT will be conducted through the following universities: 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 Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and for international candidates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Candidates must carefully select one city/centre for the MDCAT and complete their application with all required information or the online system will reject it. The test will be a paper-based, multiple-choice exam conducted in English, consisting of 180 questions with no negative marking.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
PMDC sets MDCAT 2025 for October 5
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has announced the schedule for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2025, confirming that the nationwide exam will be held on October 5 at 10:00am. As per the official notification, students will only be allowed to appear for the MDCAT in the province corresponding to their domicile. The PMDC emphasised that this policy is strictly enforced to maintain transparency and logistical consistency across the examination process. Registration for the exam will open on August 8 and continue until August 25. However, candidates who miss the regular deadline will have the option to register online with a late fee until September 1. The registration fee for local candidates has been fixed at Rs9,000, while those applying with a late fee will be required to pay Rs13,000. For candidates appearing from abroad, the standard registration fee is Rs45,000, and Rs55,000 with the late fee. The MDCAT 2025 will comprise 180 MCQs, with 15% of the questions designed to be of a higher difficulty level.
