MDCAT 2025 begins across Pakistan today despite calls for postponement

The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2025 is being held nationwide on Sunday, with a total of 140,125 candidates registered nationwide to sit the exam.

Sukkur IBA University Vice Chancellor Asif Ahmed Sheikh said candidates must report by 6:30am, while the test is expected to begin between 9:00am and 10:00am. Examination papers will be unsealed at 8:15am across all centres.

Each centre will accommodate a different number of candidates, and full security arrangements, including metal and signal detectors, have been put in place. Sukkur IBA Testing Service (STS) has deployed officers and focal persons to ensure transparency and smooth coordination during the process.

 

The MDCAT will take place in nine cities and ten centres across Sindh, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Larkana, and Sukkur. Thousands of students are expected to sit the test at each venue.

 

According to Sukkur IBA, the question paper will consist of 15% easy, 70% moderate, and 15% difficult questions.

This year, female candidates make up more than twice the number of male applicants. In Karachi alone, 10,296 candidates have registered, with 4,003 women and 1,197 men at NED University, and 3,764 women and 1,332 men at Dow University. A total of 32,917 students from Sindh are sitting the exam.

Read: Pressure mounts on PMDC to postpone MDCAT

Security at examination centres includes biometric verification, metal detectors, and police presence. Mobile phones, smartwatches, and other electronic devices are strictly prohibited. STS will provide all stationery and testing materials.

Candidates must bring their original CNIC or passport, while those under 18 must present a Juvenile Card along with matriculation and intermediate mark sheets. Police, traffic personnel, and emergency services are deployed across all locations.

In Islamabad, two examination centres have been set up — 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 oversee the process.

All universities conducting the exam have been granted access to the National Item Bank and are required to adhere strictly to PMDC standards during paper setting, development, and printing.

Universities must conduct a pre-hoc review of question papers to remove any questions outside the syllabus, maintain strict confidentiality, and open the papers only in the presence of official witnesses.

Admit cards were issued to candidates seven days before the exam, and results will be formally announced within seven days after the test.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 39,981 candidates are appearing for the MDCAT across seven districts — Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Lower Dir, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, and Abbottabad. The three-hour test will begin at 9:00am.

To ensure transparency, strict security and a modern monitoring system have been implemented, with Section 144 in force.

Mobile phones, smartwatches, earbuds, calculators, and electronic devices are banned. All centres have been equipped with CCTV cameras, mobile jammers, walk-through gates, scanners, and other monitoring tools.

Calls to delay MDCAT

This year's MDCAT exam has been embroiled in controversy with the PMDC facing increasing pressure to delay the exam, as students and education experts had warned that thousands of candidates remain unprepared due to recent floods.

Read more: MDCAT 2026: higher eligibility criteria, revised exam structure

At a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, MDCAT strategist Dr Sajid Alvi urged authorities to postpone the exam scheduled for Sunday. “The MDCAT should not be held tomorrow. Candidates are not ready, and many areas have been affected by floods,” he said.

Dr Alvi accused the PMDC of ignoring the difficulties faced by students in disaster-hit regions, saying the council was proceeding despite candidates being “mentally and physically disturbed.” He claimed that more than 40,000 candidates might be unable to sit the test, potentially affecting merit.

Dr Alvi alleged that the PMDC had failed to issue the promised syllabus booklet and clear guidelines, leaving candidates uncertain. He raised concerns about transparency and possible paper leaks, saying early reporting times would only add to students’ distress.