MBBS Closing Merit by College (43 colleges)
Open-merit closing aggregate for every aggregate-scoring medical & dental college Premeth tracks, highest first. Punjab public figures are the verified UHS 2025-26 final list; rows marked approx. are best-available 2024-cycle figures pending the official list. AKU is excluded (internal scoring).
| College | Prov. | Test | Closing Merit | Year | 2-yr Trend |
|---|
| FMCIslamabad | Islamabad | SZABMU | 96.76% approx. | 2024 | — |
| KEMULahore | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 94.87% | 2025 | ▲ +1.20 |
| AMCRawalpindi | Islamabad | NUMS | 94.8% approx. | 2024 | — |
| SZABMUIslamabad | Islamabad | SZABMU | 94.48% approx. | 2024 | — |
| AIMCLahore | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 94.45% | 2025 | ▲ +1.53 |
| SIMSLahore | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 94.23% | 2025 | ▲ +1.87 |
| NMUMultan | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 94.15% | 2025 | ▲ +1.95 |
| AMC-PGMILahore | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 94.01% | 2025 | ▲ +2.16 |
| RMURawalpindi | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.93% | 2025 | ▲ +1.61 |
| FJMULahore | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.81% | 2025 | ▲ +2.24 |
| PMC-FMUFaisalabad | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.79% | 2025 | ▲ +2.25 |
| QAMCBahawalpur | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.72% | 2025 | ▲ +2.29 |
| GMCGujranwala | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.67% | 2025 | ▲ +2.27 |
| KMSMCSialkot | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.63% | 2025 | ▲ +2.31 |
| NSMCGujrat | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.6% | 2025 | ▲ +2.36 |
| SMCSargodha | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.59% | 2025 | ▲ +2.39 |
| SZMCRahim Yar Khan | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.54% | 2025 | ▲ +2.39 |
| DGKMCDera Ghazi Khan | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 93.53% | 2025 | ▲ +2.40 |
| NUMSRawalpindi | Islamabad | NUMS | 93.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
| AMC-AbbAbbottabad | KPK | ETEA | 91.7% approx. | 2024 | — |
| KMCPeshawar | KPK | ETEA | 91.2% approx. | 2024 | — |
| KMUPeshawar | KPK | ETEA | 90.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
| KGMCPeshawar | KPK | ETEA | 90.3% approx. | 2024 | — |
| SMCSwat | KPK | ETEA | 88.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
| GMC-DIKDera Ismail Khan | KPK | ETEA | 87.6% approx. | 2024 | — |
| NIDMultan | Punjab | UHS-MDCAT | 87.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
| BKMCMardan | KPK | ETEA | 87.4% approx. | 2024 | — |
| NMCNowshera | KPK | ETEA | 87% approx. | 2024 | — |
| CMH-LMCLahore | Punjab | NUMS | 86.8% approx. | 2024 | — |
| DMCKarachi | Sindh | Sindh-MDCAT | 86.4% approx. | 2024 | — |
| JSMUKarachi | Sindh | Sindh-MDCAT | 85.1% approx. | 2024 | — |
| DIMCKarachi | Sindh | Sindh-MDCAT | 84.2% approx. | 2024 | — |
| LUMHSJamshoro | Sindh | Sindh-MDCAT | 82.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
| SCMIslamabad | Islamabad | PMDC-MDCAT | 82% approx. | 2024 | — |
| CMCLarkana | Sindh | Sindh-MDCAT | 81.7% approx. | 2024 | — |
| PUMHSWShaheed Benazirabad (Nawabshah) | Sindh | Sindh-MDCAT | 80.9% approx. | 2024 | — |
| FMHLahore | Punjab | PMDC-MDCAT | 80.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
| BUMDCKarachi | Sindh | PMDC-MDCAT | 80% approx. | 2024 | — |
| LMDCLahore | Punjab | PMDC-MDCAT | 78.6% approx. | 2024 | — |
| ZUKarachi | Sindh | PMDC-MDCAT | 78.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
| RLMCLahore | Punjab | PMDC-MDCAT | 76.2% approx. | 2024 | — |
| BMCQuetta | Balochistan | BUMHS-MDCAT | 75% approx. | 2024 | — |
| LMCLoralai | Balochistan | BUMHS-MDCAT | 72.5% approx. | 2024 | — |
Source: official UHS / KMU / SZABMU / Sindh-MDCAT / BUMHS open-merit selection lists (final/last list = true closing merit after upgradations), compiled by Premeth (June 2026). 2-yr trend shown only where a verified 2024→2025 figure exists. Always confirm against the latest official merit list — these guide shortlisting, not guaranteed admission. Check your own number with the MBBS admission predictor.
1. Total MDCAT Candidates per Year
170,000+ (UHS Lahore press release, 2023)
Pakistan has seen consistent year-on-year growth in MDCAT registrations, crossing 170,000 candidates in 2023 (UHS Lahore press release, 2023). UHS conducts the test for Punjab — the largest provincial cohort — while ETEA, BUMHS and Sindh-MDCAT consortia register the remaining provinces. The 2024 cohort reportedly approached 175,000 nationwide. Of these, only ~10–12% will secure an MBBS seat, making MDCAT one of the most competitive undergraduate entry tests in South Asia by candidate-to-seat ratio.
2. Subject Weightage Breakdown (180 MCQs)
180 MCQs across 5 subjects (PMDC MDCAT 2026 Syllabus Notification, pmdc.pk)
The PMDC MDCAT 2026 paper contains exactly 180 MCQs distributed as: Biology 81 (45%), Chemistry 45 (25%), Physics 36 (20%), English 9 (5%) and Logical Reasoning 9 (5%) — per the PMDC MDCAT 2026 Syllabus Notification (pmdc.pk). This split has remained stable since 2022 when Logical Reasoning was added at 5% expense of English. Biology dominance (45%) means that high-yield biology mastery is the single largest driver of aggregate score for any candidate.
3. Provincial Seat Distribution
Punjab ~3,800 / Sindh ~2,400 / KPK ~1,600 / Balochistan ~600 / Federal ~400 MBBS public seats (PMDC College Statistics, 2024)
Public-sector MBBS seats are distributed roughly: Punjab ≈ 3,800; Sindh ≈ 2,400; KPK ≈ 1,600; Balochistan ≈ 600; Federal/Islamabad ≈ 400 (PMDC College Statistics, 2024). Punjab leads through King Edward, Allama Iqbal, Nishtar, Rawalpindi, SIMS, FJMU and others. Including private-sector intake (~9,500 MBBS seats nationally), total annual MBBS capacity hovers near 18,000–20,000. BDS public seats total ~1,200 with similar private-sector volumes.
4. Closing Merit — Top 5 Colleges (Open Merit)
Highest: 96.76% — FMC (Premeth closing-merit dataset (most recent cycle))
Open-merit closing aggregates compress into a narrow band at the top. The five highest-merit MBBS programmes in the most recent cycle sit between roughly 93.5% and 96.8%, with Federal Medical College Islamabad routinely topping the table due to nationwide quota seats and a small intake. Punjab's UHS public colleges rose ~1–2.5 points in 2025-26 (KEMU closed at 94.87%). A one-percentage-point swing at this band can shift a candidate's college choice by 5–10 ranks, which is why the 50% MDCAT weighting matters so heavily.
5. Past Paper Repetition Rate
~60%+ concept overlap year-on-year (Premeth analysis of 2,500+ past papers (2008–2025))
Across our corpus of 2,500+ MDCAT past papers (2008–2025), conceptual overlap between consecutive years exceeds 60% — meaning more than half of every new MDCAT paper tests concepts already exposed in earlier UHS, NUMS, ETEA, AKU and FMDC papers. Verbatim MCQ repetition is much rarer (~5–8%), but stem-and-distractor structure repeats heavily within Biology genetics, Chemistry organic mechanisms, and Physics electrostatics. Past-paper drilling remains the highest-ROI prep activity.
6. Pass / Qualify Rates
55% threshold MBBS, 50% threshold BDS (PMDC Qualifying Criteria Notification, 2023)
The PMDC qualifying threshold is 55% (99/180) for MBBS admission and 50% (90/180) for BDS admission in public colleges (PMDC Qualifying Criteria Notification, 2023). Of the ~170,000 annual candidates, roughly 55–65% clear the MBBS qualifying mark, but only the top ~12% secure an MBBS seat after aggregate weighting against ~18,000 seats nationally. The qualify rate has trended downward since 2021 as MDCAT difficulty calibration has stiffened.
7. Aggregate Formula — Worked Example
10% Matric + 40% FSc + 50% MDCAT (PMDC Notification PF.1-F.1/2020)
The standard PMDC aggregate formula is 10% Matric + 40% FSc + 50% MDCAT. Worked example: Matric 950/1100, FSc 1020/1100, MDCAT 165/180 yields aggregate ≈ 91.56% — generally inside the open-merit cutoff for top Punjab colleges. NUMS-affiliated colleges and FMDC/SZABMU drop the Matric component entirely, weighting FSc and entrance test 50/50 each. The Premeth aggregate calculator (premeth.com/calculator) reproduces all three formulas live.
8. Test Centres & Exam Logistics
~25+ centres nationwide, 180 minutes, CBT format (PMDC MDCAT 2025 SOPs, pmdc.pk)
MDCAT 2025–26 is delivered in Computer-Based Test (CBT) format at 25+ approved centres across major cities — Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Sukkur and Abbottabad among others (PMDC MDCAT 2025 SOPs, pmdc.pk). Total exam duration is 180 minutes, average 60 seconds per MCQ. Candidates may attempt questions in any order; an on-screen review flag panel allows revisits before final submission.
9. MDCAT vs NUMS vs FMDC Formula Comparison
3 parallel formulas — same student can vary by 2–3% across systems (PMDC, NUMS, FMDC official prospectuses 2024–25)
PMDC standard (10/40/50), NUMS (50% FSc + 50% NUMS Test) and FMDC/SZABMU (50% FSc + 50% MDCAT) are the three parallel aggregate systems. The same candidate's effective aggregate can vary by 2–3 percentage points across the three — material at cutoff bands. Students with weak Matric scores often perform relatively better under NUMS and FMDC; strong Matric students benefit slightly from the 10% Matric weighting under PMDC standard.
10. MDCAT Eligibility — 65% FSc Rule
Minimum 65% (715/1100) FSc Pre-Medical to register (PMDC MDCAT Eligibility Notification, 2024)
Candidates must hold FSc Pre-Medical (or IBCC equivalence) with at least 65% aggregate (715/1100) to register for MDCAT (PMDC MDCAT Eligibility Notification, 2024). A-Level candidates need an IBCC equivalence certificate; the equivalence formula gives ~10–15% downward adjustment versus raw A-Level grades, which is why many A-Level candidates use the Premeth A-Level Equivalence Calculator before applying. There is currently no PMDC-imposed cap on the number of MDCAT attempts.