Qualifying Examination Part I

Candidates attempting the MCC Qualifying Examination Part I

The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I (MCCQE Part I) is a one-day, computer-based test that assesses the competence of candidates who have obtained their medical degree, for entry into supervised clinical practice in postgraduate training programs. The MCCQE Part I assesses knowledge, clinical skills, and attitudes as outlined by the Medical Council of Canada’s Objectives.

The candidate is allowed up to 3 ½ hours in the morning session to complete 196 multiple-choice questions. The candidate is allowed 4 hours in the afternoon session for the clinical decision making component, which consists of short-menu and short-answer write-in questions.

Examination at a glance

Fall 2013 MCCQE Part I - We anticipate that application to the fall 2013 session will open by approximately the end of May 2013.

Dates Fee Application deadlines Examination centres
Spring 2013 C$920 Main application deadline: 
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
(up to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time)

Late applications		 Atla. – Calgary, Edmonton
B.C. – Prince George, Vancouver, Victoria
Man. – Winnipeg
N.B. - Moncton
N.L. – St. John’s
N.S. - Halifax
Ont. – Hamilton, Kingston, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto
Que. – Chicoutimi, Montreal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières
Sask. – Saskatoon
Week 1: 
Monday, April 22
to
Friday, April 26

Week 2:
Monday, April 29
to
Friday, May 3

Week 3: 
Monday, May 6
to
Thursday, May 9

The centres are subject to change.

Clarification regarding examination dates, centres and language:

  • All centres for the spring 2013 session will run a minimum of one day.

  • The number of days a particular centre runs depends on the maximum daily space capacity and the demand for that centre.

  • The number of days and specific dates a centre runs vary from centre to centre.

  • The specific days a centre runs depend on a number of factors including availability of their computer labs, and may not necessarily be consecutive days.

  • It is anticipated that the majority of the centres will mostly run on days in weeks 2 and/or 3; however, this is based on a number of factors including demand and space availability.

  • The examination may be taken in either English or French at any centre. However, staff and technical support may be limited to a specific language. Centres in Quebec will offer support primarily in French, whereas centres in the rest of the country offer support primarily in English. The exceptions are the Ottawa and Montreal centres, which offer support in both official languages.

Proposed future MCCQE Part I dates

Session Proposed dates (to be confirmed)
Fall 2013 Oct. 28 to Nov. 8, 2013