ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/PESHAWAR: The MDCAT 2026 admission race has entered its next phase, with results from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa offering the first clear picture of this year’s competition for MBBS and BDS seats across Pakistan.
In Punjab, more than 37,700 candidates have crossed the MBBS eligibility threshold, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has produced a candidate with a perfect 180 out of 180. At the same time, thousands of applicants in Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are still looking to their respective conducting authorities for final or updated results.
The nationwide MDCAT was held on September 20, 2026, under the regulatory framework of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). PMDC said 138,158 candidates were registered across Pakistan and at the international examination centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The practical conduct of the examination was assigned to designated universities and authorities in different jurisdictions.
Punjab result puts focus on high scorers
The University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, formally announced the Punjab MDCAT 2026 result on September 24. Its official notification shows that 49,202 candidates were registered, 47,475 appeared and 1,727 were absent. The UHS website also lists the result notification for candidates seeking admission to medical and dental institutions in Punjab.
Of those who appeared, 37,708 candidates secured at least 55% marks, the minimum MDCAT requirement for MBBS eligibility. That translates into an MBBS qualifying rate of 79.43%.
For BDS, where the minimum MDCAT requirement is 50%, 40,457 candidates qualified, giving a qualifying rate of 85.22%.
Those numbers, however, do not by themselves show how competitive the admission race may become. The UHS score distribution provides a clearer indication of how many candidates reached the upper end of the merit pool.
A total of 1,772 candidates scored between 170 and 180 marks, while 6,682 scored from 160 to 169. This means 8,454 candidates secured at least 160 marks.
Another 6,260 candidates scored between 150 and 159, taking the number of Punjab candidates with 150 marks or more to 14,714.
In percentage terms, roughly 17.8% of candidates who appeared scored 160 or above, while nearly 31% scored at least 150.
The remaining score distribution included 5,357 candidates in the 140–149 range, 4,939 in 130–139, 4,382 in 120–129, 4,188 in 110–119 and 3,766 in 100–109.
Another 3,111 candidates scored between 90 and 99, while 7,018 candidates obtained 89 marks or below.
For applicants, the distinction matters: qualifying MDCAT establishes eligibility to compete for admission; it does not guarantee an MBBS or BDS seat. Final admission depends on the applicable aggregate formula, merit position, regulatory criteria, quota where relevant and the number of seats available.
KP topper scores full 180 marks
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khyber Medical University (KMU) announced its MDCAT 2026 result with a reported overall success rate of 66%.
KMU figures reported by The News show that 38,845 candidates applied, while 37,747 appeared in the test.
Muhammad Hassan topped the KP examination after scoring a perfect 180 out of 180 marks.
Shariq Noor secured second position with 179 marks, while Muhammad Mujeeb was reported in third place with the same score of 179.
The results also showed that 1,926 candidates scored between 170 and 180 marks.
Candidates obtaining at least 55% in MDCAT are eligible to apply for MBBS, while the minimum threshold for BDS is 50%, subject in both cases to admission rules and availability of seats.
The reported 66% KMU success rate should not automatically be compared with Punjab’s 79.43% MBBS qualification rate, because the available KMU reporting does not make clear whether the 66% figure refers specifically to the MBBS threshold or to a broader definition of successful candidates.
For that reason, the figures are best treated as separately reported provincial results rather than as a direct performance ranking.
SZABMU handling ICT, AJK, GB and Riyadh result
The MDCAT mechanism for Islamabad and adjoining jurisdictions is different from that of a simple examination centre.
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad, was the designated conducting university for candidates from Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as the Riyadh international centre.
PMDC’s nationwide registration figures included 1,245 candidates from Islamabad, 2,761 from AJK and 1,721 from Gilgit-Baltistan, while 237 candidates were registered for the Riyadh centre.
Following the test, SZABMU said it had received concerns regarding its MDCAT answer keys.
In an official notice, the university said the concerns had been reviewed for all four question-paper codes — Codes 1, 2, 3 and 4 — and necessary corrections had been incorporated. It announced that the updated MDCAT 2026 result would be released on Friday, September 25.
As of the latest check, SZABMU’s website was still prominently carrying that notice and advising candidates to rely on its official communication channels for the updated result.
Candidates from ICT, AJK, GB and Riyadh should therefore use the final SZABMU result rather than relying only on calculations made from earlier answer keys.
Sindh candidates await official result
In Sindh, MDCAT 2026 was conducted through SIBA Testing Services (STS), Sukkur IBA University.
PMDC reported 34,233 registered candidates from Sindh, making it one of the country’s largest MDCAT pools.
STS published the MDCAT 2026 answer keys and an accompanying press release on September 20, according to its official announcements page. However, at the time of the latest check, the same page did not list a provisional or final MDCAT 2026 result.
That means candidates can use the released keys to estimate their scores, but an estimated score should not be confused with the official result used for admission purposes.
Until STS issues the result through its official platform, candidates should avoid relying on unofficial result portals or unverified social-media posts.
Balochistan awaits result amid answer-key objections
The Balochistan MDCAT was conducted under Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences (BUMHS), Quetta.
PMDC recorded 9,923 registrations from Balochistan for MDCAT 2026.
The test was conducted for Balochistan candidates at centres in Quetta and Islamabad.
As of September 25, an official final BUMHS MDCAT 2026 result could not be independently verified from the university’s official channels reviewed for this report.
The wait has also been accompanied by concerns over the answer key. A September 25 report from Quetta said some Balochistan candidates had raised objections to answers in the released key, arguing that alleged discrepancies could affect their scores and admission prospects. Those remain candidate allegations unless and until resolved by the conducting authority.
Applicants should therefore rely on any final or revised answer key and result issued directly by BUMHS or the competent authority.
MDCAT 2026 involved more than 138,000 registrations
PMDC said MDCAT 2026 was conducted for 138,158 registered candidates across 34 cities in Pakistan, in addition to the Riyadh international centre.
The registration breakdown was:
- Punjab: 49,199
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 38,841
- Sindh: 34,233
- Balochistan: 9,923
- AJK: 2,761
- Gilgit-Baltistan: 1,721
- Islamabad: 1,245
- Riyadh: 237
The council also said the examination used 180 questions and that a question bank of around 8,000 questions had been developed, with separate papers prepared for different provincial jurisdictions. PMDC said the operational conduct of the test rested with the relevant provincial authorities and designated universities, while the council set the broader examination framework and standards.
Some pre-examination PMDC registration totals differ slightly from the final figures later reported by individual conducting universities. For example, PMDC initially listed 49,199 Punjab registrations, whereas the UHS result notification records 49,202. Similarly, PMDC listed 38,841 candidates for KP, while KMU reporting later put the number of applicants at 38,845. For reporting final provincial results, figures issued by the respective conducting universities are the more relevant dataset.
What the Punjab numbers mean for MBBS applicants
The MDCAT qualifying threshold is 55% for MBBS and 50% for BDS.
On a 180-mark test, those thresholds translate into 99 marks for MBBS eligibility and 90 marks for BDS eligibility.
The important point for candidates is that the qualifying line is not the same as the eventual admission merit.
Punjab illustrates the difference particularly clearly. While 37,708 candidates crossed the MBBS eligibility threshold, only 14,714 reached 150 marks or above, and 8,454 obtained at least 160.
That gap means a very large group may technically be eligible to apply while facing much more intense competition once institutional merit lists are prepared.
With Punjab and KP results already announced, the remaining attention now turns to the updated SZABMU result for ICT, AJK, GB and Riyadh, as well as official MDCAT results from Sindh and Balochistan.
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