MDCAT Merit Calculator: What Aggregate Do You Need for MBBS?

An MDCAT merit calculator gives you one number: your aggregate. The real question is whether that number is high enough for a seat. The answer is the closing merit, the lowest aggregate that still got admitted to a college last year. This post explains what closing merit you actually need for MBBS and BDS, how closing merits work, how public and private colleges differ, and why merit lists keep moving after the first one comes out. For the formula behind the number itself, see our MDCAT aggregate calculator guide.

What aggregate do you need for MBBS? (MDCAT merit calculator)

For a public sector MBBS seat on open merit, you historically need a high aggregate, usually in the mid 90s. On the UHS 2024-25 first selection list in Punjab, the most recent confirmed figures, King Edward Medical University closed highest at about 96.06%, and the lowest public college, D.G. Khan Medical College, closed near 94.40%. So the first-list open-merit floor for any Punjab public MBBS seat sat around 94%. These numbers shift every year, so treat them as a guide and confirm the current figures for your year.

There is no single pass mark for a seat. Each college closes at a different level, and the cutoff depends on how many people applied and how high they scored that year. A 90% aggregate might be comfortable one year and short the next.

How does closing merit work?

Closing merit is the aggregate of the last student admitted to a college once its seats are full. It is not set in advance. The admitting body ranks every applicant by aggregate, then fills seats from the top down. Wherever the seats run out, that aggregate becomes the closing merit for that college.

Because it is decided by that year's applicant pool, closing merit is a result, not a rule. A harder MDCAT paper, fewer applicants, or more seats can pull it down. A strong batch pushes it up. This is why nobody can promise you a seat at an exact percentage before results.

Open merit vs reserved seats

Open merit seats go to the highest aggregates regardless of background. Reserved categories, like district or special quotas, have their own separate merit lists and usually close at a lower aggregate. If you qualify for a quota, your relevant closing merit may be different from the open merit number you see quoted.

Public vs private medical college closing merit

Public colleges close at a higher aggregate than private ones because they are cheaper and far more competitive. Private colleges still rank by merit, but their closing aggregates sit lower, and the trade-off is much higher fees. The table below shows historical ranges, not guarantees. Confirm the figures for your admission year on the official admitting body's site.

BDS closing merit is generally a few points below MBBS at the same college, since most applicants list MBBS as their first choice. If your aggregate is just short of MBBS, BDS at the same institution is often within reach.

Why do merit lists move after the first list?

Merit lists move because of upgradation. After the first selection list, students who got a seat they did not want, or who got admitted somewhere else, leave their spot. Those vacated seats are offered to the next students down the list. In Punjab, UHS typically issues around three merit lists, with upgradation between each, before admissions close.

This is the part students miss. If you are not on the first list, you are not out. As higher-merit students shift colleges or drop out, the closing merit effectively drops, and a borderline aggregate can pick up a seat on a later list. Watch every list and respond to upgradation offers on time, or you lose the seat.

• First list: top aggregates get their first-choice seats.
• Second list and upgradation: vacated seats pass down; closing merit falls.
• Final list: remaining seats fill; some private students may be offered leftover public seats.

How to use your aggregate against closing merit

Calculate your aggregate first, then compare it against last year's closing merits for colleges you would accept. Build a realistic list: one or two reach colleges above your aggregate, a few that match it, and a safety option below it. Do not apply only to the one college you want.

1. Work out your aggregate using the official formula.
2. Pull last year's closing merits for your target colleges from the admitting body.
3. Mark which ones you clear, which are borderline, and which are out of reach.
4. Apply to a spread, and stay reachable for every upgradation round.

The single biggest lever on your aggregate is your MDCAT score, since it carries 50% weight. If your mocks show you short of your target colleges, that is the place to put your effort. You can practice MDCAT MCQs on Parhlai to find weak topics and push your score before the test, when it still counts.

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