PMDC Increases MDCAT Fee by 80%

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has increased the registration fee for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) by 80% over the past two years, placing an additional financial burden on aspiring medical students and their families.

In 2023, the MDCAT fee was set at Rs5,000, which rose to Rs7,000 in 2024. This year, the fee has been further raised to Rs 9,000. Based on last year’s participation of 32,977 candidates nationwide, PMDC is projected to generate nearly Rs2.96 billion in revenue in 2025.

According to PMDC, the MDCAT will be conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

Universities Conducting the Test

The exam will be administered by five different universities across Pakistan:

• Punjab: University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore
• Sindh: Sukkur IBA University
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar
• Balochistan: Bolan Medical University, Quetta
• Federal Capital, AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan & Overseas Pakistanis (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia): Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad

Registration Schedule & Fees

Online registration will open on August 8, 2025, and close on August 25, 2025. The deadline for late registration is September 1, 2025.

• Within Pakistan: Rs9,000 (regular fee), Rs13,000 (late fee)
• International Centres (Riyadh): Rs45,000 (regular fee), Rs55,000 (late fee)

All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Test Centres & Guidelines

The MDCAT will be held in multiple cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Rawalakot, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Multan, Faisalabad, Swat, Abbottabad, Gilgit, and Riyadh. Candidates must select a centre according to their domicile, as changes will not be allowed after selection.

Exam Format

The test will be conducted in English and will consist of 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with no negative marking. Questions will cover Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, and Logical Reasoning, with difficulty levels distributed as:

• 15% easy
• 70% moderate
• 15% difficult