PMDC Clarifies MDCAT Retake Rules and Equivalency Criteria

PMDC Stance on MDCAT Validity and Admissions

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has officially clarified its position regarding the participation of previous years' candidates in the current medical and dental college admission cycle. In a recent meeting at the PMDC headquarters, the council confirmed that it cannot legally disadvantage or discourage students who appeared in the MDCAT 2024 from competing for admissions this year.

Current Rules for MDCAT Result Validity

Under the existing PMDC Act, an MDCAT result remains valid for three years. The council emphasized that any alteration to this policy would require parliamentary intervention and cannot be implemented during an active admission cycle. This clarification addresses concerns regarding the fairness of allowing older candidates to compete alongside fresh students.

Equivalency Formula Debate

Legislators and members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health previously proposed the introduction of an equivalence mechanism to adjust scores between different batches. The PMDC rejected these proposals, stating they are neither legally permissible nor academically defensible. The council noted that MDCAT papers from different years feature entirely different difficulty patterns, making a direct comparison of scores unfeasible.

Last checked: October 23, 2026. Please verify all admission updates and policy changes directly on the official PMDC portal to ensure you have the most current information for your application.