The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026 will be held across Pakistan on Sunday, September 20, with examination centres established in major cities and extensive security arrangements put in place for candidates.
In Sindh, nine examination centres have been designated, including two in Karachi and others in Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana and Sukkur.
At NED University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi, 6,000 candidates — 4,632 female and 1,368 male — are scheduled to take the test. Another 4,964 candidates, including 3,778 female and 1,186 male students, will appear at Dow University of Health Sciences’ Ojha Campus.
The Hyderabad centre at Public School, Latifabad, will accommodate 5,000 candidates, while Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Jamshoro will host 4,627.
Another 2,093 candidates are scheduled to sit the examination in Mirpurkhas and 2,562 in Shaheed Benazirabad. The Larkana centre will accommodate 3,123 candidates, while 5,557 are expected at IBA Public School in Sukkur.
A centre has also been established at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts in Islamabad for candidates appearing in the federal capital.
Meanwhile, 19,201 candidates are expected to take MDCAT across 15 cities in Punjab.
Lahore alone will have six centres accommodating 12,030 candidates, including 9,150 female and 2,880 male students.
The largest group of female candidates in Lahore — 4,400 — will sit the test at the Punjab University Examination Hall on Wahdat Road. Lahore College for Women University will accommodate 1,600 female candidates, while another 1,620 will appear at the University of Education in Township.
Among male candidates, 881 will take the examination at Divisional Public School in Township and 2,000 at the Board of Intermediate Examination Hall on Lawrence Road. A further 1,525 male and female candidates will appear at COMSATS University’s Lahore campus.
Authorities have announced strict security arrangements for the examination. CCTV cameras will monitor entrances, exits and examination halls at all Lahore centres, while the Punjab Safe Cities Authority will provide round-the-clock surveillance.
NADRA biometric verification has also been made mandatory for candidates appearing in MDCAT 2026.
University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Sohail Sabir visited examination centres in Lahore to inspect security, administrative arrangements and facilities.
Across Punjab, around 3,700 supervisory staff have been deployed, while Section 144 has been imposed around examination centres. Walk-through gates and metal detectors have also been installed.
Candidates will be permitted to enter examination centres from 7:30am, with gates scheduled to close strictly at 9am.
Authorities said administrative, security and policing arrangements for Sunday’s examination have been finalised.