MDCAT Exams, Dow University, Karachi Sindh, October 26, 2025 Photo: Our Correspondent
The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2025 will be held across the country on Sunday, with a total of 140,125 candidates registered across the country to take the exam.
Sukkur IBA University Vice Chancellor Asif Ahmed Sheikh said candidates must appear before 6:30 am while the test is expected to start between 9:00 am and 10:00 am. The exam tests will open at 8:15 a.m. in all centers.
Each center will host a different number of candidates and full security measures have been implemented, including metal and sign detectors. Sukkur IBA Testing Service (STS) has deployed officials and focal persons to ensure transparency and smooth coordination during the process.
The MDCAT will be held in nine cities and ten centers of Sindh including Karachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Larkana and Sukkur. Thousands of students are expected to take the exam at each location.
According to Sukkur IBA, the question paper will consist of 15% easy, 70% moderate and 15% difficult questions.
This year, female candidates represent more than twice as many as male candidates. In Karachi alone, 10,296 candidates have been registered, of which 4,003 women and 1,197 men in NED University, and 3,764 women and 1,332 men in Dow University. A total of 32,917 students from Sindh are appearing for the exam.
Read: Pressure mounts on PMDC to postpone MDCAT
Security at exam centers includes biometric verification, metal detectors, and police presence. Mobile phones, smart watches and other electronic devices are strictly prohibited. STS will provide all stationery and testing materials.
Candidates must bring their CNIC or original passport, while those under 18 years of age must present the Youth Card along with the registration forms and intermediate marks. Police, traffic personnel and emergency services are deployed at all locations.
Two examination centers have been set up in Islamabad: one at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (PIMS building) and another at Bahria University.
The MDCAT will be conducted through universities, while the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) will not directly supervise the process.
All universities conducting the exam have been granted access to the National Article Bank and must strictly adhere to PMDC standards during preparation, development and printing of the paper.
Universities must carry out a prior review of the questionnaires to eliminate any questions outside the syllabus, maintain strict confidentiality and open the questionnaires only in the presence of official witnesses.
The admit cards were issued to the candidates seven days before the exam and the results will be formally announced within seven days of the exam.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 39,981 candidates are contesting the MDCAT in seven districts: Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Lower Dir, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Abbottabad. The three-hour test will begin at 9:00 a.m.
To guarantee transparency, strict security and a modern monitoring system have been implemented, with article 144 being in force.
Mobile phones, smart watches, headphones, calculators and electronic devices are prohibited. All centers have been equipped with CCTV cameras, mobile jammers, passage gates, scanners and other monitoring tools.
Calls to delay MDCAT
This year’s MDCAT exam has been mired in controversy with the PMDC facing increasing pressure to delay the exam as students and education experts warned that thousands of candidates remain unprepared due to the recent floods.
Read more: MDCAT 2026: Higher Eligibility Criteria, Revised Exam Structure
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, MDCAT strategist Dr Sajid Alvi urged the authorities to postpone the exam scheduled for Sunday. “The MDCAT should not be held tomorrow. The candidates are not prepared and many areas have been affected by floods,” he said.
Dr Alvi accused the PMDC of ignoring the difficulties faced by students in disaster-affected regions and said the council was proceeding even though the candidates were “mentally and physically disturbed”. He claimed that more than 40,000 candidates might not be able to appear for the test, which could affect the merit.
Dr Alvi alleged that the PMDC had not released the promised syllabus booklet and clear guidelines, leaving the candidates uncertain. He expressed concern about transparency and possible paper leaks, saying that reporting ahead of time would only increase students’ distress.
