The MDCAT 2026 test was held on September 20, and the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore declared the Punjab result just four days later, on September 24. Of the 49,202 candidates who registered, 47,475 actually appeared for the paper, and the numbers that came back were encouraging: 37,708 candidates, or 79.43 percent of those who sat the test, qualified for MBBS, while 40,457, or 85.22 percent, qualified for BDS. Roughly a third of all test-takers scored 150 marks or higher out of 180, and a smaller group of 1,772 students crossed the 170 mark.

If you're one of the thousands of students holding a qualifying MDCAT score right now, the result itself is only the halfway point. The part that actually decides which medical or dental college you end up at is the merit list and counseling process that follows, and that process runs on its own calendar, separate from the result announcement. Here is what to expect and how to use the next few weeks productively.

How your final aggregate is calculated

Your MBBS or BDS admission in Punjab isn't decided by your MDCAT score alone. UHS computes a combined aggregate using three components: your Matric result contributes 10 percent, your FSc (or equivalent) result contributes 40 percent, and your MDCAT score contributes the remaining 50 percent. This is why two candidates with identical MDCAT scores can end up at very different ranks on the merit list — a stronger FSc percentage can meaningfully close the gap. If you haven't already, it's worth recalculating your own aggregate using this formula so you know roughly where you stand before the official list appears, rather than guessing from your MDCAT score alone.

When the merit lists will actually appear

Based on the typical pattern UHS has followed in previous admission cycles, and the timeline already being discussed for this cycle, the first MBBS and BDS merit lists are expected in the early-to-mid November 2026 window — roughly six to seven weeks after the result. That first list is not the end of the process either. Because not every candidate who is offered a seat accepts it (some have been offered a preferred college on a later list, some choose private colleges instead, some have gone abroad), UHS releases further upgradation lists — commonly a second and third list — through November and into December, as seats vacated by one candidate are offered to the next-highest-ranked candidate still waiting. If your name doesn't appear on the first list, it is worth continuing to track the second and third lists before assuming you have missed out.

What you need to do before the lists are out

The centralized admission process in Punjab works on a single preference form rather than separate applications to each college. Once UHS opens its admission portal — which typically happens within days of the result, ahead of the merit lists themselves — you will be asked to rank every government and army/navy/air force medical and dental college in Punjab in your actual order of preference. This single form is what UHS uses to place you: it looks at your aggregate, checks your preference order, and seats you at the highest-ranked college on your list where your aggregate still qualifies. Because this form effectively locks in your options, it is worth deciding your real preference order now, rather than scrambling once the portal opens.

While you wait, it is worth getting your documents in order so you aren't searching for them under time pressure once a list drops. Keep ready: your original and photocopied CNIC or B-Form, your domicile certificate, your Matric and FSc certificates and detailed marksheets, your MDCAT result printout, and recent passport-size photographs. Each province runs its own authority — UHS for Punjab, DUHS for Sindh, KMU for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and BUMHS for Balochistan — so candidates from other provinces should check their own authority's admission portal rather than assuming Punjab's dates apply to them.

The months between an MDCAT result and a confirmed seat can feel like a long wait, especially after an intense exam season. Use the time to firm up your college preferences, double check your aggregate calculation, and get your paperwork ready, so that when your province's first merit list does appear, you're ready to act on it immediately rather than starting the preparation from scratch.