MDCAT testing bodies: who runs the paper in Pakistan

Every MDCAT candidate sits the same 180-question format. The body that runs the test in your area handles the local work: registration, test centres, results and merit lists.

Our paper archive holds six boards: UHS, DUHS, KMU, NUMS, Balochistan and Federal. This guide explains each one and what changes between them.

One format, six boards in our archive

The format is national. The board label describes where a paper came from, not a different syllabus. A UHS paper and a Federal paper use the same subject split and the same time limit.

The six boards in our archive are UHS for Punjab, DUHS for Sindh, KMU for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NUMS, Balochistan and Federal.

Six labels do not mean six different syllabi. They mean six paper sources, each tied to a board that runs the test in its area.

The archive groups papers by the board that published them. The grouping helps you find the paper from your area. It does not create a new syllabus. A candidate in Punjab and a candidate in Sindh can study from the same subject list and practise on different papers.

The label matters when you choose a paper to practise. It does not matter when you learn the syllabus. Learn the syllabus once. Then use the papers to test it.

UHS and Punjab

University of Health Sciences, Lahore, is the admitting university for public medical colleges in Punjab. Its site publishes the notices Punjab candidates need: registration, centres and results.

The 2026 UHS paper in our archive has 37 questions recovered. It is partial. The paper row shows the count, and a partial paper is still useful for format and timing.

Do not treat a partial paper as the whole paper. Use it to practise the subject split, then use a complete paper for a full timed run. A partial paper can mislead you about your stamina because it ends early.

A partial paper also changes the score you can use for comparison. Do not compare a 37-question score with a 180-question score. Compare percentages, and compare them on papers of the same size.

UHS also publishes the merit list. Read the list and the prospectus together. The list shows who was admitted. The prospectus shows the rules that produced the list.

DUHS and Sindh

Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, is Sindh's admitting university. The 2026 DUHS paper is complete in our archive, with 180 questions recovered.

DUHS publishes the Sindh merit list and the document rules. Read them on the DUHS site. A coaching summary is not a substitute for the notice.

Sindh candidates sometimes see papers labelled DUHS in coaching material. Check the official source before you treat a paper as the 2026 paper. A label is easy to copy and hard to verify.

A complete paper gives you the full 180-minute rhythm. Sit it once for the clock and once for review. The second sitting is where the marks move.

KMU and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, is the admitting university for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Our archive labels this board ETEA / KMU because older KPK papers came from ETEA.

ETEA held the older KPK test. KMU is the admitting university today, and the current paper is not an ETEA test. Use the KMU notice for the current test rules and the centre. Use older ETEA papers for topic practice only.

The 2026 KMU paper is complete in our archive, with 180 questions recovered. A complete paper lets you test the full 180-minute rhythm.

Candidates from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should check the KMU site for the current rules and the admitting university for the admission rules. Do not rely on an old ETEA page. When two pages disagree, ask which one governs your year.

If an old ETEA page and the current KMU notice give different instructions, use the KMU notice for your year. Do not assume the shorter page is the summary. A short page can be an old page.

NUMS

National University of Medical Sciences runs its own test for its affiliated institutions. It is not a provincial admitting university.

Check the NUMS notice for the colleges that accept the test. The list can matter more than the paper. A candidate who prepares well for a test that their target college does not accept has solved the wrong problem.

The 2026 NUMS paper in our archive has 151 questions recovered. It is partial.

A NUMS candidate should read the NUMS notice first, then use the paper for practice. The paper shows the format. The notice shows the process.

Balochistan and Federal

Balochistan appears as its own board in our archive. Federal papers are labelled Federal (FMDC).

Both use the same 180-question format. Check the local notice for registration, centres and results.

The archive holds a complete 2026 Federal paper and a partial duplicate. The row shows the recovered count. Use the complete row for a timed run.

Balochistan candidates should use the provincial notice. A federal paper is useful for variety, not as a prediction. The questions differ. The shape is the same.

A federal paper is a useful second paper because the subject mix is the same. It is not a substitute for the provincial notice. Use it after you have finished your own board's complete paper.

What stays the same

Use the table to check a complete paper you download. A partial paper may not match the full table. Use a partial paper as a drill, not as a full mock.

The table is also the reason a paper from another province can help. The content differs. The shape does not.

What changes by board

Registration channel and deadline. Fee. Test cities. Result format and timing. Merit list rules and quota. Document checks.

None of these change the paper. They change the process around it.

A candidate who practises the right paper and misses the registration deadline has solved the smaller problem. Put the local deadlines in the same calendar as your study plan.

Keep one page for deadlines. A missed deadline is not recoverable by a better score. The page should name the registration window, the document check and the result date.

Read the provincial rules as well as the college prospectus. Quota and domicile can change which list you compete on.

About SZABMU

Some candidates search for a paper labelled SZABMU. Our archive has no paper labelled SZABMU. The six boards we host are UHS, DUHS, KMU, NUMS, Balochistan and Federal.

SZABMU conducted the 2026 Islamabad, AJK and GB test, but its paper is not one of the six board-labelled papers in our archive. We do not relabel another board's paper as SZABMU's.

If SZABMU appears in your admission process, use its own notice and ask which paper it accepts. Do not use a paper with the wrong label to plan your timing.

A wrong label can make a paper look official and still be the wrong practice. The format table above is a quick check. The notice is the final check.

How to choose a paper to practise

Start with your own board. Then use the others for variety. A UHS candidate who only sits UHS papers is ready for one style of question.

Every 2026 paper is free, in timed or tutor mode, with worked explanations. A free paper does not use your 500 practice attempts.

Use past papers for the full list. Use practice for short sets when a full paper is too long.

Do not treat a paper from another board as a prediction of your paper. Treat it as a set of questions in the same format.

A good sequence: your board's complete paper, a second board's complete paper, then a partial paper for topic work. Review each one before you start the next.

Use the university directory for official sites, and the methodology page for how we check a source.