MDCAT passing marks 2026: 55% for MBBS, 50% for BDS, and how merit is calculated

MDCAT passing marks in 2026 are 55 per cent for MBBS and 50 per cent for BDS, the same in every province. On the 180-mark paper that UHS Lahore set in Punjab, 55 per cent works out to 99 marks for MBBS and 90 marks for BDS. Passing only makes you eligible: your admission depends on your aggregate, which the PM&DC regulations fix at 50 per cent MDCAT, 40 per cent FSc (HSSC) and 10 per cent matric (SSC) for both public and private colleges.

This guide gives the pass marks, the official merit formula with a worked example, the other eligibility rules people miss, and the admission deadlines in the regulations. To skip the arithmetic, use our MDCAT aggregate calculator.

MDCAT passing marks 2026 at a glance

In Punjab, UHS reported that 37,708 of the 47,475 candidates who sat the 20 September 2026 test qualified for MBBS at 99 of 180 (79.43 per cent), as reported by ProPakistani. Results for every province, and the Sindh inquiry, are on our MDCAT 2026 result page.

Who is eligible: the three conditions

Regulation 3 of the PM&DC Medical and Dental Undergraduate Education (Admissions, Curriculum and Conduct) Policy and Regulations 2025 says a candidate must:

1. Pass the MDCAT.
2. Have at least 60 per cent in HSSC (FSc pre-medical) or an equivalent 12th grade qualification recognised in Pakistan, or a higher percentage if PM&DC notifies one.
3. Have passed biology and chemistry, plus either physics or mathematics.

A candidate with 58 per cent in FSc is not eligible however well they do in the MDCAT. Check this first.

Exceptions: seats reserved for foreign students and overseas Pakistanis do not need the MDCAT. Those candidates qualify through SAT-II (at least 550 in each subject), a foreign MCAT, or UCAT with 50 per cent in the required subjects. Students going abroad for MBBS also no longer need the MDCAT, under a separate PM&DC notice: MDCAT not required for MBBS abroad.

How the MDCAT aggregate is calculated

The regulations set the same weights for public colleges (regulation 4(3)) and private colleges (regulation 5(2)):

Step by step:

1. Divide your MDCAT marks by the total marks of the paper and multiply by 50.
2. Divide your FSc marks by the FSc total and multiply by 40.
3. Divide your matric marks by the matric total and multiply by 10.
4. Add the three. That is your aggregate out of 100.

Worked example: MDCAT 160 of 180, FSc 1,000 of 1,100, matric 1,050 of 1,100.

• MDCAT: 160 / 180 x 50 = 44.444
• FSc: 1,000 / 1,100 x 40 = 36.364
• Matric: 1,050 / 1,100 x 10 = 9.545
• Aggregate: 90.353 per cent

The MDCAT carries half the weight, so each MDCAT mark is worth far more than each FSc or matric mark: on these totals, one MDCAT mark adds about 0.28 to your aggregate, one FSc mark about 0.036.

Who conducts the test and who admits you

• Each province, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad holds a single admission test on dates approved by PM&DC (regulation 4(1)). In 2026 that was UHS in Punjab, STS (Sukkur IBA) in Sindh, KMU in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, SZABMU for Islamabad, AJK and GB, and BUMHS in Balochistan.
• NUMS admits to all Armed Forces medical and dental colleges, and its own test counts only for those colleges (regulation 4(2)).
• Private colleges admit from the merit list displayed by the admitting university and must publish their criteria and fees on their websites.
• The final merit criteria and seat categories are to be announced by 1 September each year.

Admission deadlines in the regulations

Medical admissions close before dental, and public before private, so a candidate who misses public MBBS merit still has time to apply to private colleges and to BDS. Watch your province's own portal: in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for example, KMU's public MBBS and BDS last date this year is 21 October (KMU admission dates).

What score gets you in

There is no fixed cut-off. The closing merit is the aggregate of the last candidate admitted to each college, and it changes every year with the number of seats and candidates. The admitting universities (UHS, KMU, STS and the others) publish merit lists after each round on their own websites; compare your aggregate with the latest list for the college you want, not with figures shared on social media.

Common mistakes

• Using the wrong FSc total. Use the total marks on your HSSC certificate (1,100 for most boards, or your board's total), not 1,200 or a percentage you rounded.
• Forgetting the 60 per cent FSc rule. It applies on top of the MDCAT pass mark.
• Counting the BDS pass mark for MBBS. 90 marks qualifies you for BDS only.
• Assuming Part I marks are final. If your FSc result is awaited, the college will use your final HSSC marks once declared.

After the MDCAT

Doctors who qualify later face the PM&DC licensing exam, the NRE: this year's Step 1 has moved to 8 November (NRE Step 1 2026 date). If you plan to study or work abroad, you will also need HEC degree attestation.