The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has announced that Pakistani students seeking medical or dental education abroad will no longer be required to pass MDCAT.
In a notice posted on X, the PMDC said the decision was taken in its meeting held on September 14.
The council said it had decided to exempt Pakistani students seeking admission to foreign medical and dental institutions from the mandatory requirement of passing MDCAT.
The notice did not explain the reason for the decision.
However, PMDC President Dr Rizwan Taj told Dawn that a parliamentary committee had recommended that students going abroad should not be required to clear MDCAT.
The issue was also discussed by the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, which pointed out concerns over the council’s earlier policy requiring MDCAT for students seeking admission to foreign medical institutions.
— Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (@pmdcofficial) October 5, 2026
The committee had also recommended stronger regulation of substandard foreign medical institutions and the publication of a list of institutions that do not meet the required standards.
In an earlier meeting, a Senate sub-committee had questioned the legality of making MDCAT mandatory for foreign admissions and said the policy lacked clear statutory backing.
PMDC officials had said the rule was meant to discourage admissions to substandard foreign institutions, but committee members questioned how MDCAT would achieve that goal.
After the new decision, a PMDC official said students studying abroad will no longer need to clear MDCAT, but those seeking transfer to a university in Pakistan midway through their studies will still need to pass the National Examination Board assessment.
The official added that students who want to practice in Pakistan after completing their studies abroad will also have to pass the registration exam for foreign medical graduates.
The NEB exam is held twice a year by the PMDC for medical graduates who studied abroad and seek transfer or admission in Pakistan.
Foreign graduates must also pass a registration exam to get a licence for house job and medical practice in Pakistan.
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