Who can sit the MDCAT, and who qualifies for MBBS/BDS admission

Two questions get mixed up constantly, and they have different answers:

1. Can I sit the MDCAT?
2. Am I eligible for an MBBS or BDS seat?

Passing the MDCAT does not, on its own, give you admission — the regulations say this clearly. Admission is a second, stricter step. This page sorts the rules into these two groups so you can see them clearly.

Gate 1 — eligibility to sit the MDCAT

• Academic minimum: at least 60% in HSSC / FSc Pre-Medical (or an equivalent 12th-grade qualification). This is the national floor in PMDC’s Admissions Regulations 2025.
  • A caution on the number: the regulations allow a higher percentage “as may be notified,” and for 2026 some sources report the bar was raised to 65%. We could not confirm 65% against a current primary PMDC document — the Regulations 2025 say 60%. Treat 60% as the confirmed floor and verify the exact 2026 figure with your admitting university before you rely on it.
• Subjects: Biology and Chemistry are compulsory, plus either Physics or Mathematics.
• Awaiting your FSc result? You can generally register while your result is pending and update your marks once they’re declared — but final admission still requires verified marks that meet the floor. Follow the portal’s own instructions for provisional candidates.

Gate 2 — eligibility for MBBS / BDS admission

Admission requires all three of these, per the Admissions Regulations 2025:

1. You passed the MDCAT — and “passed,” for admission, means:
   • MBBS: at least 55%.
   • BDS: at least 50%. (These are higher than merely sitting the exam. To fill vacant seats afterwards, private colleges may be allowed a little lower — around 50% MBBS / 45% BDS — but treat that as an edge case, not the rule.)
2. At least 60% in HSSC / FSc (the same 60%/possible-65% figure as above).
3. You passed Biology, Chemistry, and Physics or Mathematics.

Clearing these makes you eligible to apply — it does not reserve you a seat. Seats are filled by merit.

How merit is calculated

For both public and private colleges, admission merit is a weighted aggregate:

50% MDCAT + 40% HSSC/FSc + 10% SSC/Matric

Your MDCAT result is worth as much as your entire school record combined — half the number. Our aggregate calculator computes it, and the KP merit breakdown shows what aggregate it actually took to be called in 2025.

A-Level and overseas candidates

• You need an IBCC equivalence certificate converting your grades to a Pakistani-board percentage, and you must meet the same 60% equivalent floor with Chemistry and Biology among your subjects (plus English at O or A level).
• On foreign / overseas-Pakistani reserved seats, the MDCAT can be waived in favour of an alternative: SAT-II with at least 550 per subject, a foreign MCAT, or UCAT with at least 50%. These candidates still need Chemistry and Biology and the 60% academic floor.

Age and attempts

• No lower or upper age limit for admission to public-sector medical and dental colleges.
• The regulations set no cap on the number of MDCAT attempts we could find — and an MDCAT score is valid for 3 years, so a good score can be reused within that window rather than re-sat. (The only bar is punitive: a multi-year ban for unfair means — see the test-day guide.)

The one thing to double-check yourself

Eligibility numbers are exactly where year-to-year policy changes bite — especially the 60%-vs-65% academic floor for 2026. Everything here is sourced to the current official documents, but before you make a decision that turns on a single percentage, confirm it against your admitting university’s own 2026 admission policy. See our official-sources guide for where to find them.