How we made this
We read the preparation advice shared in our PGMI WhatsApp and Facebook groups. Dentistry candidates shared far less than medicine and surgery candidates, and we found no book recommendations from dentists in the messages we could read (mostly July 2023–October 2026). So this guide lists the standard BDS textbooks and the approach that PGMI candidates in every track describe. Always check the official PGMI Entrance Test Format & Recommended Books at pgmi.edu.pk. Passed PGMI Dentistry? Tell us what you used — we'll add it to the next edition.
The exam in one minute
- Merit: ETEA test 75% + BDS marks 20% + periphery / hard-area service 5% (PGMI Induction Policy, January 2026).
- Paper: dental subjects plus the four minors — English, Bioethics, Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Communication Skills — the same minors as medicine and surgery.
- What candidates in all tracks agree on: past papers first, MCQs with explanations over long theory, and the minors from past papers.
If you prefer books on paper
- Subject
- Standard BDS textbook (use your own BDS edition).
- Past papers
- PGMI & AKU book — its dentistry and minors sections. Start here.
- Clinical
- Dental Pulse / Dentogist / Oxford Handbook of Clinical Dentistry.
If you can study from a screen
MedSurgOnline gives dentists one place to practise:
- A dentistry MCQ bank of 1400+ MCQs with explanations of why the other options are wrong.
- All four minors (English, Bioethics, Biostatistics, Communication Skills) with explained notes and MCQs — the same minors material medicine and surgery candidates use.
- Search any topic or MCQ, track your weak areas, and re-do only what you got wrong.
Look inside free for 90 seconds at medsurgonline.com, then request access to your exam.
Step by step
- Get the official papers first. From pgmi.edu.pk download the Induction Policy, the Test Format & Recommended Books and the ETEA sample paper. Check exactly which dental subjects are tested and their weight.
- Do past papers first, cold. Attempt the dentistry past questions in the PGMI & AKU book. List the subjects you got wrong most.
- Go one subject at a time. Oral pathology → oral surgery → periodontology → endodontics and operative → prosthodontics → orthodontics → dental materials. For each, start with MCQs and their explanations; if you find a topic daunting, open your textbook for reference reading, then the past PGMI questions on it. Keep a one-line error log.
- Do the minors little and often. About 30 minutes a day. They are shared with medicine and surgery, so there is plenty of practice material. Finish the PGMI & AKU minors section twice and the ETEA English MCQs once.
- Move to mixed MCQs. Random timed blocks across all dental subjects. Re-do only your mistakes.
- Switch to exam mode. Full timed mocks, all past papers again, error log daily. Nothing new in the last 5 days.
Short on time?
- All dentistry past papers first.
- MCQs by subject, weakest first.
- Minors from the PGMI & AKU book + timed mocks.
Common mistakes
- Re-reading whole BDS textbooks instead of practising MCQs.
- Ignoring the minors — they are the same marks for dentists as for doctors.
Screen or paper?
Try one week on screen. If you remember what you read and can keep going for 2–3 hours, stay on screen. If not, use Route 1 and use the website only for MCQ practice.
Prepare for PGMI Dentistry on MedSurgOnline
Look inside any exam free for 90 seconds, then request access to your exam.
Request accessDownload this guide (PDF)