The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has opened online registration for the Higher Education Aptitude Test (HAT) 2026, scheduled to take place on December 13 across Pakistan. Interested candidates can submit their applications by November 22, 2026.
The test will be conducted by HEC’s Education Testing Council (ETC) for candidates seeking admission to MS, MPhil, and PhD programmes at public and private universities that accept HAT scores. It is also required for applicants pursuing HEC postgraduate scholarships, including those planning to apply for future scholarship opportunities.
HEC will conduct the test in five categories based on candidates’ academic backgrounds. HAT-1 covers engineering, technology, computer science, mathematics, statistics, and physics, while HAT-2 is for management sciences and business education. HAT-3 includes arts, humanities, social sciences, psychology, and law.
HAT-4 covers agriculture, veterinary sciences, biological and medical sciences, physical sciences, education, and mass communication. The fifth category, HAT-General, is designed for religious studies applicants, including Madrassa graduates.
Each test will carry 100 marks and include English or verbal reasoning, analytical reasoning, and quantitative reasoning questions. Candidates must score at least 50 marks to qualify, and the result will remain valid for two years. However, qualifying does not guarantee admission or a scholarship, as universities and scholarship providers will apply their own selection criteria.
According to the ETC schedule, roll number slips will be issued on December 4, while results are expected on December 31, 2026. Candidates can download their slips from the ETC portal and must bring a printed copy along with their original CNIC or passport to the examination centre.
Applicants can register through the official HEC ETC portal. They must create or log in to their account, complete the registration form, select the relevant test category and preferred examination centre, and submit their personal and academic details.
The test fee must be paid through the 1Link/1Bill invoice payment service using the consumer number generated by the portal. Candidates must then verify the payment through the online payment verification option on their ETC dashboard. Incomplete or draft applications will not be accepted.
