Pakistan is seeing a sharp decline in the number of students appearing for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), raising fresh questions about the future supply of doctors in the country.
According to figures reported ahead of MDCAT 2026 by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), a total of 138,158 candidates are registered for this year’s test. The examination is scheduled for September 20 across Pakistan. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) had initially scheduled the test for August 16 but later moved it to September 20.
The latest registration figure is considerably lower than 204,253 in 2022. This represents a decline of roughly 38% from the peak level, although the number of applicants does not directly translate into the number of doctors entering the profession.
The decline comes as medical education in Pakistan faces concerns over high education costs, intense competition for seats and students increasingly considering other career options like artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
MDCAT remains the main entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS programmes, making its registration trend an important indicator of student interest in medical education.
