PMDC has dropped the MDCAT requirement for students going abroad.
The council's notice of 5 October 2026 exempts Pakistani students from the MDCAT when they apply to a medical or dental institution abroad. Coming back to Pakistan still costs the NEB exam or the foreign graduate registration exam.
The council notice is dated 5 October
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council issued a public notice on 5 October 2026 under the reference Exam-59/2026. It states that the PM&DC Council, in its meeting held on 14 September 2026, decided to exempt the mandatory requirement of having passed the MDCAT as a prerequisite for Pakistani students seeking admission into foreign medical and dental institutions.
The notice carries the signature of the Head of Examinations and is copied to the In-Charge Examinations, the In-Charge IT Section, the PS to the President, the PS to the Registrar and all concerned. Dawn and The Express Tribune reported the decision on 6 October 2026. PMDC president Dr Rizwan Taj said the decision followed a recommendation by a parliamentary committee that students intending to study abroad should not be required to pass the MDCAT.
What the exemption leaves in place
The exemption covers the admission you seek to a foreign institution. Two routes back into Pakistan still carry an exam.
Transferring in the middle of the course. A student enrolled in a foreign medical or dental institution who has completed two years of study and has reached at least the third year is eligible to sit the National Equivalence Board examination. PMDC conducts the NEB twice a year. It is a computer-based examination of multiple-choice questions, and it assesses the knowledge, clinical skills and professional competence of students who have partly completed their medical or dental education abroad and want to transfer to, or be admitted into, an institution in Pakistan. Passing it is required for transfer or admission into a Pakistani institution for the next academic year.
Practising in Pakistan after graduating abroad. A student who completes a medical or dental education abroad has to appear in the registration examination for foreign medical graduates to get the licence that starts a house job and leads to practice in Pakistan. PMDC said in 2025 that the registration examination is essential for ensuring patient safety.
Who this helps
A student whose admission to a foreign medical or dental college does not turn on an MDCAT score no longer has to sit one. The council's own stated reason is a parliamentary committee recommendation.
What the notice does not settle
The notice gives no reason for the change, and it says nothing about how a foreign degree is treated by the private medical colleges in Pakistan, which set their own admission conditions. Read the notice in full on the PMDC public announcements page before you decide.