The MDCAT Aggregate Formula, Explained Properly
How the PMDC 10% Matric + 40% FSc + 50% MDCAT formula actually works, worked through with a real example - and the mistake that makes people miscalculate their own merit.
The formula
Aggregate = (Matric % × 0.10) + (FSc % × 0.40) + (MDCAT % × 0.50).
Each component is converted to a percentage of its own total first, and only then weighted. That ordering is where almost every miscalculation comes from.
A worked example
Take 950/1100 in Matric, 900/1100 in FSc and 140/180 in MDCAT.
Matric is 86.36%, contributing 8.636 points. FSc is 81.82%, contributing 32.727. MDCAT is 77.78%, contributing 38.889. Add them: 80.2525%.
Note the MDCAT component alone contributes more than Matric and FSc together, despite the raw score looking the weakest of the three.
The common mistake
People weight the raw marks instead of the percentages - multiplying 950 by 0.10 rather than 86.36 by 0.10. That produces a number that looks plausible and is completely wrong.
Convert to a percentage first. Always.
What this means with weeks to go
Matric and FSc are fixed. Half your aggregate is already decided and cannot be changed by anything you do now.
The MDCAT half is the entire remaining lever, and it is the larger one. Ten extra MDCAT marks out of 180 move your aggregate by about 2.8 points - comfortably more than the gap between many colleges' closing merits.
A-Level students
Use your IBCC equivalence marks, not raw A-Level grades. IBCC converts A-Level results into an FSc-equivalent total, and that equivalence figure is what admission offices use. Calculating with raw grades will give you a number that does not match your actual merit.
Sources. PMDC 2026 merit formula: 10% Matric + 40% FSc + 50% MDCAT. Always confirm dates, fees and eligibility against the official PMDC notification - MDCAT Papers is not affiliated with PMDC or any conducting body.
Put it into practice
A full-length timed mock built to the real paper's composition, free.