The MDCAT stands for National Medical and Dental College Admission Test, or otherwise known as the MDCAT or National MDCAT. This is the official test medical student aspirants have to take to qualify for a medical school and to help the admissions offices assess if you are a good fit for them. The initial testing body was the University of Health Science (UHS), but in 2020, the testing body changed and the test was conducted by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC). The PMC conducts tests for the whole of Pakistan whereas UHS used to conduct tests only for the Punjab region in Pakistan.
The PMC has stated no official age limit for sitting for the MDCAT examination. This may be good news for a young, potential aspirant for the MDCAT. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be 16 years of age to sit for the PMC MDCAT. If you are younger than that, that is also fine. But do make sure you do not sit for the exam so early that you are not able to prepare for MDCAT appropriately. Age is not as much of a factor as good quality MDCAT preparation is.
Those awaiting their results for the FSc and A-levels are eligible to appear for the MDCAT. Those who have passed their intermediate (FSC pre-medical) examination are required to have scored at least 70% of marks for the examination. This means they need to have scored 770 out of 1000 or more to be eligible to apply for MDCAT. For those who have given their A-Level Examinations and (FSC pre-medical) Examination, as per the outbreak of Covid-19, students could sit for the MDCAT even if they had not given their 12 grade or A-2 (A-Level second year) examinations.
You do not need to be a Pakistani National to give the MDCAT. Foreign nationalities can also give the MDCAT. This means it does not matter if you do not have a Pakistani passport or dual nationality, you will be allowed to sit for the exam, as per your personal circumstances. For this reason, there are test centers not only in Pakistan but also in various other cities around the globe. The international test centers include but are not limited to Dubai, Riyadh, Chicago and London.
Those awaiting their results for the Fsc and A-levels are eligible to appear for the MDCAT. For Fs, you are required to have taken pre-medical subjects, while for A-levels, you need to have taken Biology as a subject.
There are five subjects for the MDCAT examination. This is the revised criteria for 2021. There used to be negative marking before the 2020 revision but that is not the case anymore, along with the total marks, before 1050 marks and now 210 marks. Below is the PMC MDCAT examination structure with the subject and marks breakdown:
| Subjects | Marks | Total Marks |
| Biology | 68 | |
| Physics | 56 | |
| Chemistry | 56 | |
| English | 20 | |
| Logical Reasoning | 10 | 210 |
The PMC has made a clear range of subjects for the MDCAT Syllabus 2021. There are five subjects to study for the MDCAT i.e Biology, Physics, Chemistry, English, and the newly introduced section on Logical Reasoning. The full range of topics for these subjects vary. The topics may range from 5-16 different topics per subject. These are comprehensive and updated according to the PMC 2021 Syllabus guideline. For a complete breakdown of the subject matter and specific topics associated with those, you may continue reading the table below:
| Subjects | |||||||||||||||||||
| Biology | 1. Bio-diversity (acellular life/variety of life) | 2. Bio-energetic | 3. Biological molecules | 4. Cell structure and function | 5. Coordination and control/nervous & chemical coordination | 6. Diversity among animals | 7. Enzymes | 8. Evolution | 9. Life process in animals and plants (nutrition/gaseous exchange/ | transport) | 10. Prokaryotes | 11. Reproduction | 12. Support and movement | 13. Variation and genetics/inheritance | |||||
| Physics | 1. Force and motion | 2. Work and energy | 3. Rotational and circular motion | 4. Waves | 5. Thermodynamics | 6. Electrostatics | 7. Current electricity | 8. Electromagnetism | 9. Electromagnetic induction | 10. Electronics | 11. Dawn of modern physics | 12. Atomic spectra | 13. Nuclear physics | ||||||
| Chemistry | 1. Introduction to fundamental concepts of chemistry | 2. Atomic structure | 3. Gases | 4. Liquids | 5. Solids | 6. Chemical equilibrium | 7. Reaction kinetics | 8. Thermo-chemistry and energetics of chemical reactions | 9. Electrochemistry | 10. Chemical bonding | 11. S and p block elements | 12. Transition elements | 13. Fundamental principles of organic chemistry | 14. Chemistry of hydrocarbons | 15. Alkyl halides | 16. Alcohols and phenols | 17. Adehydes and ketones | 18. Carboxylic acids | 19. Macromolecules |
| English | 1. Comprehend key vocabulary | 2. Demonstrate control of tenses and sentence structure | 3. Demonstrate ability to differentiate between correct and incorrect structure of sentences & Use of writing conventions of spelling, capitalization and Punctuation | 4. Demonstrate correct use of subject-verb agreement & of articles and prepositions | 5. Demonstrate ability to identify mistakes in sentences or short written texts. These errors could be of inappropriate word order, vocabulary etc. | 6 Demonstrate ability to comprehend short written text and select the most appropriate responses | |||||||||||||
| Logical Reasoning | 1. Critical thinking | 2. Letter and symbol series | 3. Logical deduction | 4. Logical problems | 5. Course of action | 6. Cause & effect |
A great way to revise for the MDCAT exam is past papers. After conceptually understanding the subject at hand with revision and an educational platform like Nearpeer’s MDCAT test preparation, you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses, solve past papers and practice through (where applied):
For past paper access, you can sign up for an MDCAT course with Nearpeer and receive access to quizzes, pop-up questions, and past paper question-solving.
The Paper pattern for the MDCAT is simple. The PMC officiated MDCAT paper pattern entails 210 total marks in the form of 210 total MCQs. There is an MCQ for each mark. For Biology, there are 68 MCQs. For Physics and Chemistry, there are 56 MCQs each. For English, there are 20 MCQs. Finally, for the newly introduced PMC section for the MDCAT 2021 onwards, Logical Reasoning, there are 10 MCQs. The duration of the PMC MDCAT is 3.5 hours, and the format is computer-based MCQs. For the PMC MDCAT 2021 onwards, there is no negative marking.
The PMC announced 30th August to 30th September as the official dates for testing the MDCAT across centers across Pakistan. Last year (2020), the official date for the MDCAT exam was 15th November.
For 2021, the registration fee was 6,000 PKR. It is a big jump from last year's registration fee of around 1500 PKR. Nothing has been announced for the PMC MDCAT registration fee for 2022. We are awaiting news from the PMC official sources.
The result for the PMC MDCAT for 2021 was out of 194,133 students, 68,680 students passed. This resulted in a pass percentage of 35.4%. Since the MDCAT 2022 exam has not yet been conducted, we do not have any sources for the passing ratio or the result of the MDCAT.
The PMC MDCAT passing percentage is 65%.
The Breakdown is as follows:
Below you will find a step by step of applying for the PMC MDCAT 2022 Examination. There may be some changes since updates about the PMC MDCAT 2022 exam have not yet been shared by official PMC sources, but it is likely to follow the below format. Please keep reading below:
You need to have a 65% equivalent to qualify for medical schools in Pakistan with the MDCAT, while school-specific admission procedures may differ.
For the 2021 PMC MDCAT examination, there were 25 centers in Pakistan and six international centers.
Around 85,000 students register for the MDCAT test.
There are currently 18 PMC recognized institutions for Public Punjab Medical Colleges Under MDCAT. In these 18 institutions, there are a total of over 1000 seat allocations in Punjab.
There are over 167 separate public and private Medical & Dental Colleges in Pakistan Under MDCAT. These have in total over thousands of seats. To select the one that is the best option for you in terms of the institution, location, and other factors, visit PMC’s website. Click here to check it out. They have there under the recognized institutions and qualifications Tab the comprehensive list of all undergraduate Medical & Dental Colleges of Pakistan.
| Province | College Name | City | Seat Allocation |
| PUNJAB | Allama Iqbal Medical College | Lahore | 325 |
| PUNJAB | Ameer-ud-Din(PGMI) Medical College | Lahore | 110 |
| PUNJAB | Army Medical College | Rawalpindi | 204 |
| PUNJAB | D.G. Khan Medical College | Dera Ghazi Khan | 120 |
| PUNJAB | Fatima Jinnah Medical College for Women | Lahore | 300 |
| PUNJAB | FEDERAL MEDICAL COLLEGE, ISLAMABAD | Islamabad | 100 |
| PUNJAB | Gujranwala Medical College | Gujranwala | 120 |
| PUNJAB | Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College | Sialkot | 120 |
| PUNJAB | King Edward Medical University | Lahore | 325 |
| PUNJAB | Nawaz Sharif Medical College | Gujrat | 61 |
| PUNJAB | Nishtar Medical College | Multan | 300 |
| PUNJAB | Punjab Medical College | Faisalabad | 300 |
| PUNJAB | Quaid-e-Azam Medical College | Bahawalpur | 325 |
| PUNJAB | Rawalpindi Medical College | Rawalpindi | 350 |
| PUNJAB | Sahiwal Medical College | Sahiwal | 120 |
| PUNJAB | Sargodha Medical College | Sargodha | 120 |
| PUNJAB | Services Institute of Medical Sciences | Lahore | 220 |
| PUNJAB | Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Medical & Dental College | Lahore | 100 |
| Province | College Name | City | Seat Allocation |
| PUNJAB | Abwa Medical College | Faisalabad | 100 |
| PUNJAB | Akhtar Saeed Medical & Dental College | Lahore | 150 |
| PUNJAB | Al Aleem Medical College | Lahore | 100 |
| PUNJAB | Al-Nafees Medical College | Islamabad | 100 |
| PUNJAB | Amna Inayat Medical College | Lahore | 100 |
| PUNJAB | Avicenna Medical College | Lahore | 150 |
| PUNJAB | Aziz Fatimah Medical & Dental College | Faisalabad | 100 |
| PUNJAB | Azra Naheed Medical College | Lahore | 150 |
| PUNJAB | Bakhtawar Amin Medical & Dental College | Multan | 100 |
| PUNJAB | Central Parks Medical College | Lahore | 100 |
| Province | College Name | City | Seat Allocation |
| PUNJAB | de'Montmorency College of Dentistry | Lahore | 110 |
| PUNJAB | Dental Section, Army Medical College | Rawalpindi | 54 |
| PUNJAB | Dental Section, Punjab Medical College | Faisalabad | 65 |
| PUNJAB | Institute of Dentistry, Nishtar Medical College | Multan | 65 |
| PUNJAB | School of Dentistry, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University | ISLAMABAD | 50 |
| Province | College Name | City | Seat Allocation |
| PUNJAB | Avicenna Dental College | Lahore | 50 |
| PUNJAB | College of Dentistry, Bakhtawar Amin Medical & Dental College | Multan | 50 |
| PUNJAB | College of Dentistry, Sharif Medical & Dental College | Lahore | 50 |
| PUNJAB | Dental College, Akhtar Saeed Medical & Dental College | Lahore | 50 |
| PUNJAB | Dental College, FMH College of Medicine & Dentistry | Lahore | 75 |
| PUNJAB | Dental College, HITEC Institute of Medical Sciences | Taxila Cantt | 50 |
| PUNJAB | Dental College, Islamabad Medical & Dental College | Islamabad | 50 |
| PUNJAB | Dental College, Lahore Medical & Dental College | Lahore | 75 |
| PUNJAB | Dental College, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences | Islamabad | 50 |
| PUNJAB | Dental College, University College of Medicine & Dentistry | Lahore | 75 |
Yes. You are supposed to clear it or else are not eligible for NUMS for 65%.
Since the merit list for students is not out yet, we are not aware of this development.
Studying for the MDCAT is not an easy process, but as long as you have the right mindset and are willing to put in the effort, it can be done and you can graduate with a high score. Nearpeer has all required MDCAT subjects, MDCAT test preparation, and more. This is very helpful in having quality resources, which is half of what you need to get a good score in your 2022 MDCAT.
There are many ways you can avoid procrastination. Firstly, make sure your phone or other distractions are away and out of sight. You can also ask your friends and family to not disturb you for any reason. Secondly, make sure you identify your weakness. Then, set goals and priorities for the topics that need to be worked on more so. Also, set deadlines. At the end of the day, don't overwork yourself too much, and make sure to give yourself rewards for following through with the deadlines and goals.
It is important to stay motivated by remembering your dream at the end of the day. Maybe you want to be a doctor to save lives or go into research work. Also, you can reward yourself with breaks or candy (or whatever you like) as a reward for following through with the deadlines.
Make notes for your MDCAT subjects and keep narrowing them down until weeks before the exam. Aim to make one-page notes until a week or two before the exam. This one-pager can be your quick revision guide. This can help you remember topics on the tip of your tongue, and can be a fast way to test your memory, understanding, and knowledge.
No. The MDCAT is not necessary for DPT (Doctor of Physiotherapist). Each institute may have its own testing body though so that is something that needs to be looked into further by you.
There are multiple ways you can contact the PMC. The contact number for the PMC for MDCAT 2021 or other queries is 033-11-00-6191. You can also email them: [email protected]. The PMC supposedly also has a live chat option. You may try to access it on the website.
No. The MDCAT is not necessary for DPT (Doctor of Pharmacy). Each institute may have its own testing body though so that is something that needs to be looked into further by you.
The passing percentage for the MDCAT is 65% as per the formula for the equivalency.
There is no negative marking in the 2021 MDCAT.
You have three hours and a half for the exam (3.5 hours).
This depends on the student or the MDCAT 2021 aspirant. If you have a good mindset, are disciplined, dedicated, and have access to good study resources (as Nearpeer can offer for MDCAT) then it should not be very difficult.
The MDCAT is an exam that has been subject to a lot of changes recently, but we hope you benefited from this complete guide to the PMC MDCAT exam for 2022. Since some of the information has not been released by the PMC but expect updates whenever announcements are made from official PMC sources. Still, Nearpeer is here to help you with all your MDCAT troubles with our high-quality, online MDCAT classes, along with other courses. Competitors can not match. Check out our courses for our reasonable prices and exciting discounts. Stay informed with future MDCAT updates through Nearpeer Blogs and our social media handles, including our official Facebook and Instagram. If you need any guidance regarding the MDCAT, MBBS, or BDS in general, please feel free to reach out to our dedicated team of Nearpeer counselors over WhatsApp at 0311-1444734. We know how to prepare for the MDCAT the RIGHT way. Good luck and happy learning!