Passed MDCAT 2026? Here's What Actually Decides Your Seat
About 8 in 10 Punjab candidates cleared the MBBS bar in MDCAT 2026. Passing keeps you in the race, but your aggregate decides where you finish. Here's how merit works and what to do this week.
By ParhaiKrlo Team · Published 30 Sept 2026 · 6 min read
Updated: 30 September 2026
In Punjab, 37,708 of the 47,475 candidates who sat MDCAT 2026 scored the 55% needed for MBBS. That's 79.43%, roughly 8 in every 10.
So if you passed, well done. But most of the people you're competing against passed too. Passing gets you into the race. Your merit decides where you finish.
What passing MDCAT actually gets you
MDCAT 2026 was held on 20 September, after being moved from 16 August on the Prime Minister's direction, with over 138,000 candidates registered nationwide. NUMS held its own test for Armed Forces colleges on 13 September.
The PMDC pass marks are:
- MBBS: 55% (99 out of 180)
- BDS: 50% (90 out of 180)
Clearing these makes you eligible to apply. That's all it does. It doesn't reserve a seat, and it doesn't rank you. Every college ranks applicants by merit, so a 100 and a 170 are both "passes" but end up in very different places on a merit list.
Punjab isn't the only province with a high pass rate. In KP, KMU reported an overall success ratio of 66%, and 1,926 candidates there scored between 170 and 180.
How merit (aggregate) works
Your aggregate is one percentage built from three results. Under PMDC's Admissions Regulations, the weightage is:
| Result | Weightage |
|---|---|
| MDCAT | 50% |
| FSc (Pre-Medical) / HSSC or equivalent | 40% |
| Matric / SSC or equivalent | 10% |
In plain words: half your merit comes from MDCAT, and the other half comes from marks you've already earned.
A quick example
Here's an example student with made-up round numbers, just to show the method:
| Example student | Marks | % | × weightage | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDCAT | 144 / 180 | 80% | × 0.5 | 40.0 |
| FSc | 990 / 1100 | 90% | × 0.4 | 36.0 |
| Matric | 1045 / 1100 | 95% | × 0.1 | 9.5 |
| Aggregate | 85.5% |
This student is invented. 85.5% isn't a target, and it doesn't tell you anything about a real cutoff.
It isn't identical everywhere
The PMDC formula sets the base, but the regulations also let each province's government or admitting university make the merit and admission rules for its public colleges. That includes reserved seat categories. Punjab's list last year included seats for disabled students, Cholistan and under-developed districts.
Two more things to know:
- NUMS scores are used only for Armed Forces-administered colleges. Your provincial MDCAT is what counts for other public and private colleges.
- Your province's prospectus is the final word. When it comes out, read the merit section yourself.
Government vs private colleges
These are two different routes, and it helps to apply with both in mind.
Government (public) colleges are far cheaper, so they fill first and their merit closes highest. Your admitting university (UHS in Punjab, for example) runs one central application where you rank colleges in order of preference. Under PMDC rules, public admissions go through at least three merit lists, so people move up as others take seats elsewhere.
Private colleges use the same MDCAT, but PMDC's rules let them count "all tests, interview etc." when they build their merit lists. Fees are much higher, and closing merits are usually lower than in public colleges.
PMDC's regulations say plainly that you can apply to both. Most students should.
We aren't giving expected closing merits here. Anything published before this year's merit lists is a guess, and last year's figures only give you a rough sense of the range.
What to do this week
1. Check your result on the official portal
Use only your admitting university's official site. Don't rely on screenshots or WhatsApp forwards.
| Region | Conducting university | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | UHS | results.uhs.edu.pk |
| Sindh | SIBA Testing Services | sts.net.pk (final results announced 28 Sept) |
| KP | KMU | cas.kmu.edu.pk |
| Balochistan | BUMHS | bumhs.edu.pk |
| Islamabad, AJK, GB | SZABMU | szabmu.edu.pk (result declared 26 Sept) |
| Armed Forces colleges | NUMS | numspak.edu.pk |
2. Download and save your result card
Save the PDF, print a copy, and keep your roll number somewhere safe. If you think a mark is wrong, check your university's recounting or grievance notice straight away, because those windows are short. SZABMU, for example, has opened recounting applications.
3. Watch for the admission notice
Admissions don't open the day results come out. Last year, the admission policy for Punjab's public colleges was notified in late October, and applications opened after that. Watch PMDC and your admitting university (UHS in Punjab) for this year's notice, and check their sites every few days.
4. Get your documents ready now
Based on UHS's list for last session, you'll need:
- Matric and FSc (HSSC) certificates or result cards, attested by your boards
- Domicile certificate (in Punjab, it must be a Punjab domicile)
- Your CNIC, B-Form or passport
- CNIC of your father, mother or guardian
- Your MDCAT 2026 result card
Other provinces' lists are similar but not identical, so check the official notice when it comes out. Getting a domicile or an attested certificate can take days, so start now.
If your score is lower than you hoped
This is common, and you still have real options.
Private medical colleges. Merit usually closes lower than in public colleges. Check fees carefully before you commit.
BDS. The bar is 50% rather than 55%, and dental merit usually closes lower than MBBS. Choose it only if you'd actually want to be a dentist, not just as a fallback.
Allied health sciences. DPT, nursing and other allied health degrees are real healthcare careers with separate admissions. Many medical universities run them. SZABMU, for example, opened its BS AHS, Nursing and DPT admissions in July.
If you're just under the bar. In each of the last two years, PMDC made a late, one-time cut to the passing percentage to fill empty seats. It dropped to 50% MBBS / 45% BDS for private colleges in 2024-25, and PMDC allowed up to 3% lower (52% / 47%) for vacant seats in 2025-26. Both came late in the cycle and were called one-time measures, so there's no promise it happens again. Keep an eye on PMDC notices, but plan as if it won't happen: pick one of the options above or below and start on it now.
Retaking MDCAT in 2027. This is a solid choice if you're close and willing to put in another year. Last year UHS accepted MDCAT scores from 2023, 2024 or 2025, so check how your province treats older results before you decide.
If you do retake, starting early with real papers helps most. On ParhaiKrlo you can work through MDCAT past papers topic by topic and sit full-length timed mocks to see exactly where you're losing marks.
The bottom line
Passing MDCAT 2026 means you're eligible. It doesn't mean you're admitted. Your aggregate, which combines half MDCAT with half FSc and Matric, decides which list you land on and which college you get.
This week: check your result on the official portal, save your result card, get your documents together and watch for your province's admission notice. Whatever your score, you have more than one path, and none of them has closed yet.
We'll update this page as provinces publish their admission notices.