PMDC announces new test centres for MDCAT 2025

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has announced the establishment of additional test centres for the MDCAT 2025 to provide greater convenience to candidates.

Under this decision, students from Sindh and Balochistan will now be able to appear for the examination in Islamabad as well. Jacobabad has also been added as a new centre to facilitate students from upper Sindh. Previously, examination centres in Sindh were limited to Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Sukkur. However, students from remote areas of upper Sindh faced difficulties travelling long distances. By including Jacobabad, authorities aim to provide easier access. Students and parents had long complained of the time and cost of travel.

A female candidate from Jacobabad expressed her satisfaction over the decision. For the first time, she said that she would be able to attempt the medical and dental admission test in her hometown. "Last year I had to travel to Karachi, which caused considerable stress," she said. "Unfamiliarity with the city's roads and a nine-hour journey made things difficult, and the arrangements were inadequate due to the large crowd." The mental stress affected her performance in the exam, she said.

In addition, Sukkur IBA University and Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences Quetta have decided to establish a centre in Islamabad. This step is expected to benefit not only local candidates but also students from Sindh and Balochistan residing in the federal capital for preparation. Many such students previously had to travel back to their provinces to take the test. Speaking to The Express Tribune on telephone, Sukkur IBA University Vice Chancellor Dr Asif Ahmed Shaikh, recalled that last year the institution was entrusted with conducting the retake of the test after rumours of a paper leak in Sindh. "Although we were not prepared for it, we managed to conduct the examination transparently within a short timeframe. There were no complaints of leakage, and any minor technical errors were corrected immediately," he said.

Meanwhile, PMDC spokesperson said, registration for MDCAT 2025 began on 8 August and will continue till 25 August, with late registration available until 1 September 2025.