PGET Syllabus 2026: Complete Table of Specifications & Subject Blueprint

Section 1: PGET Syllabus Overview & Examination Format

The Postgraduate Entrance Test (PGET), administered by the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore, evaluates medical graduates for admission into FCPS-II, MS, and MD residency programs across Punjab teaching institutions.

The examination is administered in a single day across two separate sessions using physical OMR bubble answer sheets:

Section 2: Official UHS Paper I Table of Specifications (TOS)

The official UHS blueprint mandates exactly 8 core subjects totaling 100 MCQs. Unlike previous rumors, Forensic Medicine has 0 MCQs in Paper I.

Critical Revision Note: Community Medicine (12), Biochemistry (11), and Behavioral Sciences (5) account for 28% of the entire paper. Neglecting these three subjects is the single most common reason candidates miss the 75th percentile benchmark.

Section 3: Anatomy Topics for PGET (20 MCQs)

With 20 questions, Anatomy is the highest-weight subject in Paper I. Key clinical high-yields include:

• Neuroanatomy: Cranial nerve pathways (III, IV, V, VI, VII), cavernous sinus boundaries and relations, visual pathway lesions, circle of Willis aneurysms.
• Upper & Lower Limb: Brachial plexus injuries (Erb's vs Klumpke's), carpal tunnel syndrome, femoral triangle relations, popliteal fossa contents, foot drop mechanisms.
• Abdomen & Pelvis: Inguinal canal boundaries and hernia pathways, peritoneal compartments, retroperitoneal organs, relations of pancreas and duodenum.
• Thorax: Coronary artery dominance and branch supply, bronchopulmonary segments, mediastinal compartments and masses.
• Head, Neck & Embryology: Pharyngeal arch, pouch, and cleft derivatives, branchial cysts, thyroglossal duct cysts, triangles of neck.
• Histology: Epithelial classifications, bone ossification, liver lobule architecture, renal glomerulus ultrastructure.

Section 4: Physiology Topics for PGET (19 MCQs)

Physiology tests homeostatic autoregulation, transport kinetics, and endocrine loops:

• Cardiovascular Physiology: Wiggers diagram, cardiac pressure-volume loops, preload/afterload changes, Frank-Starling law, baroreceptor reflex.
• Renal Physiology & Acid-Base: Counter-current multiplier system, GFR regulation, tubular clearance formulas, Davenport acid-base diagrams, anion gap calculations.
• Respiratory Physiology: Oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve (shifts right vs left), ventilation-perfusion mismatch, dead space calculations, lung compliance.
• Endocrinology: Pituitary-thyroid and adrenal feedback loops, calcium homeostasis (PTH vs calcitonin vs Vitamin D), diabetes insipidus vs SIADH.
• Neurophysiology: Action potential ionic phases, neurotransmitter mechanisms, muscle spindle reflexes, basal ganglia circuitry.

Section 5: Pathology Topics for PGET (13 MCQs)

General and systemic mechanisms governing tissue injury and morphological changes:

• Cell Injury & Death: Reversible vs irreversible cell injury, necrosis patterns (coagulative, liquefactive, caseous, fat), apoptosis pathways (intrinsic vs extrinsic).
• Inflammation & Repair: Chemical mediators of acute inflammation, granulomatous diseases (TB, sarcoidosis, Crohn's), wound healing complications.
• Hemodynamics: Types of shock (cardiogenic, hypovolemic, septic, neurogenic), Virchow's triad, pulmonary embolism pathophysiological consequences.
• Neoplasia: Proto-oncogenes vs tumor suppressor genes (p53, Rb, BRCA1/2), staging vs grading, paraneoplastic syndromes.
• Systemic Pathology: Atherosclerosis stages, myocardial infarction microscopic timeline, glomerulonephritis histopathology (membranous, minimal change, FSGS).

Section 6: Pharmacology Topics for PGET (13 MCQs)

High-yield drug classes, receptor mechanisms, and adverse toxicity profiles:

• Pharmacokinetics: First-order vs zero-order kinetics, clearance, volume of distribution, CYP450 inducers and inhibitors.
• Autonomic Pharmacology: Cholinergic agonists/antagonists, adrenergic alpha and beta blockers, organophosphate poisoning and atropine/pralidoxime antidote.
• Cardiovascular Drugs: Vaughan-Williams antiarrhythmic classes, ACE inhibitors/ARBs, beta-blockers in heart failure, nitrates, statin pharmacology.
• Antimicrobials: Cell-wall synthesis inhibitors (penicillins, cephalosporins), ribosomal 30S/50S inhibitors, fluoroquinolones, antituberculous drug toxicities (INH, RIF, PZA, EMB).
• CNS & Analgesia: Benzodiazepines, opioids and naloxone, NSAID mechanisms (COX-1 vs COX-2 selective), local anesthetics.

Section 7: Community Medicine & Public Health (12 MCQs)

Community Medicine is heavily tested in Paper I and often decisive for final merit:

• Epidemiological Studies: Case-control studies (odds ratio), cohort studies (relative risk), randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cross-sectional surveys.
• Biostatistics & Screening: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), receiver operating curves, mean, median, standard deviation, p-value interpretation.
• Immunization (EPI Pakistan): Expanded Programme on Immunization schedule, cold chain protocols, live-attenuated vs killed vaccines.
• Maternal & Child Health: Maternal mortality ratio (MMR), infant mortality rate (IMR), under-5 mortality rate, malnutrition classifications.
• Environmental & Occupational Health: Water purification methods, air pollution indices, pneumoconioses (silicosis, asbestosis, byssinosis).

Section 8: Biochemistry, Microbiology & Behavioral Sciences

Section 9: Paper II Specialty Clinical Sciences (100% Specialty-Specific)

A common misunderstanding is that Paper II is a combined general clinical test. This is false. Under official UHS regulations, Paper II is 100% specialty-specific consisting of 100 clinical vignette MCQs tailored to your selected residency track:

Candidates do not take a mixed test covering ENT, Eye, Ob/Gyn, and Surgery together unless relevant to their specific discipline.

Regional Quota Eligibility & The CPSP / FCPS Rule