Karachi:The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has officially announced the admission schedule for medical and dental colleges across the country and has once again increased the fee for the MDCAT entry test. For the 2025 session, the registration fee has been set at Rs. 9,000.
According to PMDC, the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2025 will be held on Sunday, October 5, 2025.
The test will take place simultaneously in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The exam will be conducted under the supervision of five different universities:
University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore for Punjab
Sukkur IBA University for Sindh
Khyber Medical University, Peshawar for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Bolan Medical University, Quetta for Balochistan
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad for the federal capital, AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and overseas Pakistanis (including Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Online registration for MDCAT will open on August 8, 2025, and close on August 25, 2025. Registrations submitted with a late fee will be accepted until September 1, 2025.
The registration fee within Pakistan is Rs. 9,000, and with a late fee, it will be Rs. 13,000.
For candidates appearing at international centers such as Riyadh, the fee is Rs. 45,000, and Rs. 55,000 with the late fee.
All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
The test will be held in multiple cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Rawalakot, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Multan, Faisalabad, Swat, Abbottabad, Gilgit, Riyadh, and others.
Applicants are advised to choose their test city based on their domicile, as selected centers cannot be changed later.
The exam will be conducted in English and will consist of 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
There will be no negative marking. Questions will cover subjects like Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, and Logical Reasoning.
The paper will include 15% easy, 70% moderate, and 15% difficult questions.
PMDC has advised students to complete registration on time and begin preparation early to perform well.
Meanwhile, the sharp increase in the registration fee has drawn criticism from students and parents.
According to the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Sindh Chairperson, Dr. Mehboob Ali, the fee was Rs. 8,000 last year and Rs. 5,000 in 2023.
An almost 80% increase over two years has raised serious concerns, especially with the late fee reaching up to Rs. 13,000.
Students expressed that such a steep fee makes it difficult for many from low- and middle-income backgrounds to apply.
Moreover, they criticized the lack of basic facilities like waiting areas for parents at exam centers despite high fees.
Dr. Mehboob Ali pointed out issues faced by students in the past, such as out-of-syllabus questions and discrepancies between answer keys and published results.
He hoped this year’s exam would be better managed.
He appreciated PMDC’s decision to tailor the MDCAT syllabus according to each province’s educational board, which will help students prepare more effectively.
However, Dr. Mehboob raised an important question: while medical universities in Punjab, KP, and Balochistan are conducting the test, why is a non-medical institute — Sukkur IBA University — handling it in Sindh? He suggested this raises concerns about transparency and merit in the province.
He urged PMDC to modernize the examination system to eliminate recurring problems and ensure a smooth experience for candidates every year.
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It’s worth noting that due to controversies last year, the responsibility for conducting the MDCAT in Sindh was assigned to Sukkur IBA. In 2024, the pass rate for MBBS was 42.59% and 49.90% for BDS.
