Big news for MS, MPhil, and PhD aspirants: HEC opens special aptitude test

The Special HAT is designed specifically for candidates planning to apply for Commonwealth Scholarships, Chinese Government Scholarships and other HEC-administered scholarship programmes at the MS, MPhil, PhD and doctoral levels. Unlike the regular HAT held year-round, this version is tailored to assess eligibility for these specific funding opportunities.

The test will be conducted by HEC's Education Testing Council, which is also responsible for scoring and issuing results to eligible candidates.

Online registration opens on Sunday, July 19, through the official ETC portal, and candidates will have until Monday, August 3, to submit their applications. The Special HAT itself will be held on Sunday, August 30, 2026.

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HEC has urged applicants to complete their registration well before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical issues on the portal and to carefully review the eligibility requirements for their specific scholarship programme before applying.

HEC scholarships remain among the most competitive funding routes for postgraduate study both in Pakistan and abroad, and this test result is often a prerequisite step before a scholarship application can even be considered.

Candidates are advised to check the official HEC, ETC websites regularly for further updates, including the release of admit cards and test centre details closer to the exam date.