Your MDCAT result is out. Now the number that decides your college is your aggregate, not your raw MDCAT score. This guide shows the exact formula used for 2026-27 admissions, works it out for three students line by line, and shows how to find the MDCAT score you need for a target merit.
Ayesha's score in Example 1 below
For 2026-27, Punjab (UHS) and Islamabad (SZABMU) calculate MBBS and BDS merit with the same weightage: 10% Matric, 40% FSc and 50% MDCAT. MDCAT 2026 was out of 180.
You must also score at least 55% in MDCAT (99/180) for MBBS or 50% (90/180) for BDS, and at least 60% in FSc, to be eligible at all.
PMDC first fixed MDCAT 2026 for 16 August. On 6 August it moved the test to 20 September 2026 after a directive from the Prime Minister, and said that nothing else about the test had changed. The paper was taken on the same day across the country, with UHS running it in Punjab, KMU in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Sukkur IBA Testing Service in Sindh.
Here is what matters for your merit:
| Item | MDCAT 2026 |
|---|---|
| Test date | 20 September 2026 (moved from 16 August) |
| Questions and marks | 180 MCQs, 1 mark each, total 180 |
| Time | 3 hours |
| Negative marking | None |
| Pass mark for MBBS | 55% = 99 out of 180 |
| Pass mark for BDS | 50% = 90 out of 180 |
| Results | KMU declared on 22 Sep; UHS on 24 Sep; Sindh final result on 28 Sep |
| Validity for admission | Results of 2024, 2025 and 2026 accepted for 2026-27 (SZABMU eligibility page) |
The subject split, as briefed to the National Assembly's health committee in July 2026, was:
| Subject | Share | MCQs | Worth in final aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 45% | 81 | 22.5% |
| Chemistry | 25% | 45 | 12.5% |
| Physics | 20% | 36 | 10.0% |
| English | 5% | 9 | 2.5% |
| Logical reasoning | 5% | 9 | 2.5% |
The last column is each subject's share of the 50% that MDCAT carries. Biology alone outweighs your entire Matric result more than twice over.
A note on the pass marks. In April 2026 PMDC lowered the passing line to 52% (MBBS) and 47% (BDS), but only to fill vacant private-college seats of the 2025-26 session. That relaxation does not apply to the 2026-27 intake, where the 55% and 50% thresholds were used in all three provinces' result notices.
Your aggregate is a percentage out of 100, built from three blocks. Each result is first turned into a percentage of its own total, then shrunk to its weight.
UHS writes it in its prospectus as Matriculation/SSC/Equivalent 10%, F.Sc./HSSC Pre-Medical/equivalent 40%, and MDCAT 50%. It also states that the final figure is rounded to four decimal places. That is why merit lists show values like 91.4722 rather than 91.47: thousands of students sit within a single percentage point, so the fourth decimal really does separate people.
The weights are not equal per mark. Because MDCAT has the smallest total and the biggest weight, a single MDCAT mark moves your aggregate far more than a Matric or FSc mark.
| One extra mark in… | Adds to aggregate | Marks needed for +1% |
|---|---|---|
| MDCAT (out of 180) | 0.2778% | 3.6 |
| FSc (out of 1100) | 0.0364% | 27.5 |
| FSc (out of 1200) | 0.0333% | 30 |
| Matric (out of 1100) | 0.0091% | 110 |
| Matric (out of 1200) | 0.0083% | 120 |
Read the last column carefully. Four more correct MCQs give you over 1% of aggregate. To get the same 1% from Matric, you would have needed 110 to 120 more marks in a result that is already fixed.
The admitting university, not PMDC's testing body, prepares merit lists. Each one publishes its own admission policy or prospectus. This is what could be confirmed for the 2026-27 session as of mid-October 2026:
| Region / admitting body | Weightage 2026-27 | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab: UHS Lahore (central admissions for public and private colleges) | Matric 10 · FSc 40 · MDCAT 50 | Confirmed in Punjab's notified 2026-27 policy, as reported in October 2026 |
| Islamabad: SZABMU (federal public colleges) | Matric 10 · FSc 40 · MDCAT 50 | Confirmed on SZABMU's 2026-27 eligibility page |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: KMU | 10/40/50 used in earlier sessions | Check KMU's 2026-27 prospectus when it is released |
| Sindh: DUHS, SMBBMU, LUMHS and others | 10/40/50 used in earlier sessions | Check the Sindh admission policy for 2026-27 |
| National position | 10/40/50 | Stated by PMDC to the NA health committee, July 2026 |
So the formula is the same in practice almost everywhere. What differs between provinces is the rest of the policy: domicile and quota seats, how many preferences you must fill, and the deadlines. If a private college tells you it uses a different formula, ask to see it in writing before you plan around it.
The 40% block uses your complete HSSC result (Part-I plus Part-II) out of the total printed on your final result card. Punjab and Islamabad both require you to have passed HSSC with at least 60%; on an 1100-mark card that means 660 or more. Some students calculate an estimate using only Part-I marks while waiting for the final result. That is fine for planning, but the merit list will use the final figure, so recalculate the moment your full result arrives.
UHS also states that no marks are deducted for extra attempts at HSSC. If you improved your FSc through a supplementary exam, the improved total is the one that counts, provided it is on an official result card.
Several earlier admission cycles added a fixed number of marks for verified Hafiz-e-Quran candidates. The Punjab MBBS/BDS admission policy 2026-27, as reported when it was notified, states that no Hafiz-e-Quran marks will be awarded. If you are applying in another province, read that province's 2026-27 prospectus before you add anything to your own calculation.
Grades cannot be put straight into the formula. You first need an equivalence certificate from the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC). IBCC converts your O Level result into Matric-equivalent marks and your A Level (or other foreign HSSC) result into FSc-equivalent marks. The UHS prospectus places the duty of settling equivalence with IBCC squarely on the candidate. Once you have the certificate, use its marks or percentage exactly as printed. Your MDCAT score is used the same way as everyone else's.
These are hypothetical students with made-up marks. Every figure was checked in code and is shown to four decimals, the way UHS rounds it.
Matric and FSc both out of 1200
Her MDCAT of 158 is well above the 99 needed for MBBS. Notice that the FSc block gives her almost 35 of the 40 possible points, so most of her remaining room sits in MDCAT.
Matric and HSSC both out of 1100
Hamza's FSc percentage (85.45%) is lower than Ayesha's (87.08%), yet his aggregate is almost three points higher. The 13 extra MDCAT marks are worth 3.6111 points, which more than covers the gap.
IBCC equivalence: Matric 88.50%, HSSC 82.00%
Because IBCC gives her percentages, the total is simply 100 in both rows. Her 146 clears the MBBS line comfortably, but her aggregate is held back more by MDCAT than by her A Level equivalence.
This is the question most students actually ask in October: "With my Matric and FSc, how much MDCAT do I need?" You can rearrange the formula to answer it.
The 3.6 comes from 180 ÷ 50. Always round the answer up to the next whole mark, because MDCAT marks are whole numbers.
Her fixed points are 8.85 + 32.80 = 41.65. The gap is 85 − 41.65 = 43.35. Multiply: 43.35 × 3.6 = 156.06, so she needs 157. A quick check confirms it: 157 ÷ 180 × 50 = 43.6111, and 41.65 + 43.6111 = 85.2611%. At 156 she would land on 84.9833%, just short.
Her fixed points are 9.25 + 34.8333 = 44.0833. The gap is 45.9167, and 45.9167 × 3.6 = 165.3. She would need 166, eight more than she scored in 2026. That tells her a reattempt is only worth it if she believes she can gain at least that much.
Your Matric and FSc set a ceiling on your aggregate. A student with 80% in Matric and 70% in FSc has 8 + 28 = 36 fixed points, so even a perfect 180 only reaches 86%. Running this check before a reattempt saves a year of false hope.
Enter your Matric, FSc and MDCAT marks with the totals from your result cards. The free calculator shows your aggregate to four decimals and the MDCAT score you need for any target.
For 2026-27 admissions in Punjab and Islamabad it is 10% Matric, 40% FSc and 50% MDCAT: (Matric ÷ total × 10) + (FSc ÷ total × 40) + (MDCAT ÷ 180 × 50).
55% for MBBS, which is 99 out of 180, and 50% for BDS, which is 90 out of 180. These thresholds appeared in the UHS, KMU and Sindh result notices.
180. It had 180 MCQs of one mark each, a three-hour time limit and no negative marking.
Punjab's 2026-27 MBBS/BDS policy, as reported when notified, says no Hafiz-e-Quran marks will be awarded. Other provinces set their own rules, so check their 2026-27 prospectus.
Get an IBCC equivalence certificate for O and A Levels first. Then use the equivalent Matric and HSSC marks or percentages in the same formula, with your MDCAT score as normal.
SZABMU's 2026-27 eligibility page accepts a pass in MDCAT 2024, 2025 or 2026. Punjab's policy also describes the score as valid for three years. If you took more than one attempt, check which score your university will use.
About 0.2778%. Every 3.6 MDCAT marks add one full percentage point.
