HEC HAT Test on 25 October 2026: Register by 2 October, Slip on 16 October

The next HEC HAT is on Sunday 25 October 2026, not Monday 28 September. Registration on etc.hec.gov.pk closes on Friday 2 October at midnight. Roll number slips are due on Friday 16 October. There is no HAT on 28 September.

A date of Monday 28 September has been going round education pages and student groups this week. We checked it on the night of 26 September against HEC's own documents, and nothing supports it. HEC tests are held on Sundays, and the next HAT sitting falls four weeks later than the rumour says.

We read the revised Test Calendar 2026, the announcements page and the HAT advertisement of the Education Testing Council (ETC), HEC's testing wing, plus its test day rules. Every date below comes from those documents.

The HEC HAT test date is 25 October 2026

The HAT for MS, MPhil and PhD is on Sunday 25 October 2026. Registration opened on 6 September and closes on Friday 2 October at 24:00 hours. Slips come on 16 October, and HEC's calendar puts the result on 16 November 2026.

The date moved once. The first 2026 calendar had this sitting on 11 October, with registration closing on 20 September. HEC revised it on 25 August 2026 "to align registration timelines with the Commonwealth Scholarship Portal", in the calendar's own words. So an old screenshot of the calendar shows the wrong date.

One small flaw in HEC's calendar: it labels the result date "Friday 16.11.2026", but 16 November 2026 is a Monday. Treat the result date as approximate.

The HAT held on 30 August 2026 already has its result out, and a separate Overseas Scholarship HAT was held on Saturday 19 September. Neither is the 28 September test people are asking about. That test does not exist.

Registration closes on 2 October, so the slip comes later

Nobody can download a HAT roll number slip yet, because none has been issued. The October slips are due on 16 October. If you have not registered, you still have until midnight on Friday 2 October to do it.

1. Open etc.hec.gov.pk and create an account, or log in if you have one.
2. Choose your HAT category: HAT I, II, III, IV or HAT General.
3. Enter your name, CNIC, mobile number and email exactly as on your CNIC.
4. Pick your test city from the list in the form.
5. Pay the fee through 1Link 1Bill with the consumer number the portal generates.
6. Click Verify Online Payment on the ETC dashboard, then press Submit.

The last step catches people. HEC's advertisement says only submitted applications are considered, and applications left in Save or Incomplete mode "will not be entertained".

The category also cannot be changed after you submit. And the fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, so a wrong choice costs you the whole sitting. HEC's advertisement does not print the fee amount, so go by the figure the portal shows with your consumer number.

How to download the HAT roll number slip on 16 October

Log in to etc.hec.gov.pk from 16 October and download the slip from your dashboard. HEC also emails the slip to your registered address about a week before the test, and sends an SMS or email saying it is ready.

1. Go to etc.hec.gov.pk on 16 October or after.
2. Log in with the account you registered with.
3. Open your HAT application on the dashboard.
4. Download the roll number slip and check every detail on it.
5. Print it. A photo on your phone is not accepted.

Check your spam folder too. HEC does not send the SMS to numbers ported from one network to another, so those students get email only.

Bring the printed slip and your original CNIC on test day

You need a printout of the roll number slip and your original CNIC or passport to get in. Arrive at least 45 minutes before the test time. Anyone who comes after the reporting time printed on the slip will not be allowed to sit.

The pen rule matters. HEC's test day instructions say the answer sheet must be filled with a black or blue ball pen, and answers marked with a lead pencil will not be assessed. Photocopies of your CNIC, or a CNIC image on your phone, are not accepted either. If your CNIC is missing, start on a replacement CNIC from NADRA now, since HEC checks the original.

The HAT paper is 100 MCQs in 120 minutes

Every HAT category has 100 multiple choice questions in 120 minutes. They cover three areas: English or verbal reasoning, analytical reasoning and quantitative reasoning. The share of each depends on your category, which follows your 16 year degree.

Pick by what your target university asks for, not by which paper looks easier. You may not leave the hall before half the test time has passed.

Passing score for MS, MPhil and PhD depends on where you use it

HEC's HAT advertisement does not state one pass mark. HEC's minimum criteria for MS, MPhil and PhD set 50% for MS and MPhil admission and 60% for the PhD subject test. HEC's Commonwealth scholarship rules ask for at least 60 out of 100.

That minimum criteria document is older and was written around the NTS GAT tests. So treat 50 and 60 as the floor, and read your university's admission notice for its own figure. Scholarships can ask for more. HEC's advertisement says the HAT result is valid for HEC scholarships, including Commonwealth, Chinese Government and Hungarian awards.

Timing matters for the Commonwealth applicants. HEC's Commonwealth page says the 25 October test counts for nominations, even though HEC's application deadline is 20 October. HEC says it will add the valid score itself once results are out. For admission rather than scholarships, the HEC plan to make GRE or HAT compulsory for every MS, MPhil and PhD applicant was deferred to Fall 2027, so this year your university's own rules still decide.

Fix a missing slip or wrong details before test day

Contact ETC straight away if the slip is not on your dashboard by 17 October, or if your name or CNIC is wrong on it. HEC's instructions say queries are only taken if sent at least three working days before the test.

Three working days before Sunday 25 October means Wednesday 21 October at the latest. HEC will not let anyone sit if the CNIC and the application data differ, even by a single digit. Candidates who registered on a parent's or sibling's CNIC are also barred.

A missing slip usually means the form was never submitted, or the payment was not verified. Log in and check the status first. Then call the ETC helpline on 051-111-119-432 or 0334-111-9432, or raise a ticket at onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk. ETC is based in HEC's office in Sector H-9, Islamabad.

Your centre can change too. HEC says it may move you to another centre if fewer than 250 candidates choose your city, so read the address on the slip rather than assuming.

Common questions

Is the HEC HAT on 28 September 2026?

No. HEC's calendar and advertisement put the next HAT on Sunday 25 October 2026. We found no HEC notice for any HAT on 28 September.

When will the HAT roll number slip come out?

HEC lists Friday 16 October 2026 as the tentative date. Download it from etc.hec.gov.pk, and look for it in your registered email too.

Can I still register for the October HAT?

Yes, until Friday 2 October 2026 at 24:00 hours. Pay through 1Link 1Bill, verify the payment and press Submit.

Can I use a pencil in the HAT?

No. HEC says the answer sheet must be filled with a black or blue ball pen, and answers in lead pencil are not assessed.

How long is a HAT score valid?

HEC's advertisement does not state a period. Its older minimum criteria give two years for the general test, so check with the university or scholarship you are applying to.

Is the HAT the same as the LAT?

No. The HAT is for MS, MPhil and PhD. The HEC LAT for the five year LLB is a separate test, with its last 2026 sitting on 15 November.

Last checked and sources

We last checked this on 27 September 2026, just after midnight Pakistan time. We read ETC's revised Test Calendar 2026 dated 25 August 2026, the ETC announcements page, the HAT advertisement, HEC's HAT content weightages, its test day instructions, its instructions for candidates, its minimum criteria for MS, MPhil and PhD, and its Commonwealth scholarship pages. We could not open the etc.hec.gov.pk dashboard itself without registering, so the steps follow HEC's advertisement rather than screens we clicked through.