PMDC refutes MDCAT fee increase, opens registration for test

ISLAMABAD: The Medical & Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT 2025) will take place on Sunday, 5th October 2025, the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) declared on Saturday.

Making the announcement in a statement, the PMDC also dismissed the news in media regarding 80 per cent hike in MDCAT exam fee. “There is a misunderstanding about the MDCAT examination fee, which asserts that it has been raised by 80%,” the council mentioned.

It further elucidated that the MDCAT fee has tended to increase modestly and gradually over the past years: in 2024, it was Rs8,000, and for 2025, it has been set at Rs9,000.

“This year, only Rs1,000 has been added to the previous year’s fee, which is an increment of 12.5%, not 80% as circulated on social media.

The MDCAT test will be conducted by federal and provincial authority-nominated universities, not by PMDC. But PMDC as a regulator, has designed a common syllabus for MDCAT in collaboration with all stakeholders, i.e., federal and provincial authorities.

PMDC has also made a considerable investment in crafting a question bank based on a common syllabus that the provinces have agreed upon.

The Council also decided to amend the fee on behalf of universities conducting the examinations in light of increased paper-printing costs, stricter security measures and arrangements, remunerations for examiners, invigilators, and officials, and providing comfortable seating and facilities to candidates across the country and foreign locations.

Despite a large degree of inflation and rising operational expenses, PMDC continues to be committed to affordability and merit. The Council has adopted a balanced strategy to make the exam convenient for all candidates while keeping the quality and integrity of the testing process intact.

PMDC reiterates merit-based, transparent, and responsible admissions, making equal opportunities available to all prospective medical and dental students.

Registration Deadline

The timeline for MDCAT-2025 online registration for local and foreign candidates opened on August 8, 2025, and will end on August 25, 2025.

Registration will be entertained only with a late fee after this date, which will remain open until September 1, 2025.

The candidates have to choose one city/centre for the MDCAT with due care and complete the application with all the requirements; otherwise, the online system will refuse the application.

The test will be a paper-based, multiple-choice test in English, consisting of 180 MCQs with no negative marking, divided a follows: Biology (81), Chemistry (45), Physics (36), English (9), and Logical Reasoning (9).

The curriculum/syllabus is available at www.pmdc, and candidates must complete their registration through mdcat.pmdc.pk. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.