New Certification Examination in Family Medicine and the MCCQE Part II

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) are collaborating on a new and enhanced format for the Certification Examination in family medicine. When meeting all other requirements of both organizations, candidates who challenge and pass this exam starting in spring 2013 will be granted Certification in Family Medicine from the CFPC (CCFP) and the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC).

Family medicine candidates who are eligible to take the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part II in fall 2012 or later are encouraged to forgo the MCCQE Part II and instead take the enhanced exam. Although the MCCQE Part II will continue to be offered to all eligible candidates, residency eligible candidates seeking Certification in family medicine in 2013 or beyond will be required to sit the new enhanced examination. It is therefore to the advantage of these candidates to defer sitting the MCCQE Part II in favour of the new CCFP exam, given the efficiencies in cost and effort.

Format and Timing

As in the past, the new Certification exam will be offered each year in the spring and fall. The exam will take place over a period of three days and will feature the following format:

Written component: computer-based short-answer management problems (SAMPs)
Enhanced clinical skills component:

Four simulated office oral exams (SOOs)
Eight objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) stations

Certification Examination Fee

2013: $4,600*

*Eligible for the tuition tax credit

Key elements contributing to the exam fee:

Offer the exam as geographically close to the candidate as possible
Develop new content on a regular basis to reflect the changing health‑care needs of Canadians
Include and keep up-to-date with technological advances in the administration of the exam
Cover costs associated with delivering the exam across Canada and with recruiting physician examiners and other exam centre staff
Significantly increase the number of clinical exam stations from five to 12

Eligibility Requirements

All candidates will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of both the CFPC and the MCC. As a result, there are two changes in the eligibility requirements for the Certification exam for family medicine residents. In order to be eligible to take the enhanced Certification Examination in Family Medicine:

All family medicine residents must have successfully completed the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I
All required medical credentials that were obtained outside of Canada must have been successfully source-verified by the Physician Credentials Registry of Canada (PCRC) at least eight weeks prior to the examination

The complete list of eligibility requirements is available at www.cfpc.ca/FMExam/.

Continuation of the Traditional Exam Format

In an effort to assist candidates in the transition to this new exam format, those residency or practice-eligible candidates who passed the MCCQE Part II on or before spring 2011 will have the opportunity to sit the traditional certification exam in the spring and fall of 2013.

For more information, please visit the College of Family Physicians of Canada website.

Repeat Requirements

Candidates must successfully complete both components of the enhanced exam to be awarded their CCFP. If candidates are unsuccessful on both components of the enhanced exam they will be required to re-sit the full exam on a subsequent attempt. If candidates are unsuccessful on one of the two exam components, they may re-sit that component of the exam at a reduced fee. Decoupling of the exam components only applies to repeat attempts to pass the enhanced Certification exam.

Failing to Meet the Standard for Certification

If a candidate is unsuccessful in meeting the standard for Certification, the MCC’s Central Examination Committee (CEC) will review the candidate’s performance on the clinical skills component of the enhanced Certification exam. The CEC will determine if the performance meets a pass standard comparable to the one for the MCCQE Part II and therefore whether to award the LMCC.

2013 Exam Sites: To Be Confirmed

Examinations are available in both official languages in multiple centres across Canada. The examinations will be held in more cities than are currently listed. A full list will be made available closer to the examination dates.

Certification Examination in Family Medicine: Spring 2013

English sites:

Calgary	London	Montreal
Edmonton	Hamilton	Vancouver
Toronto	Ottawa

French sites:

Sherbrooke

Montreal

Quebec

Certification Examination in Family Medicine: Fall 2013

English sites:

Calgary	Montreal
Hamilton	Toronto

French sites:

Montreal (French)

Note: Exam centres are subject to change.

In assigning sites, the CFPC and MCC take the needs of the candidates into consideration. Priorities include the following:

Assigning the exam location for candidates at their home residency school, city of residency, or nearest location in an effort to minimize travel
Allowing ample travel time for candidates
Coordinating sites with dates and locations of the MCCQE Part II exam
Capacity for computer-based testing
Availability to respond to special accommodations
SOO site capacity, including physical location and schedule
Number of examiners
Individual request ( if possible)

The CFPC and the MCC will accommodate candidates as best they can. Candidates who must travel to write the exam will be assigned to the nearest location.

Registration Dates

Online registration for the spring 2013 Certification exam:

Family medicine residents: December 1, 2012 to February 1, 2013
Practice-eligible candidates: July 1, 2012 to October 1, 2012

Questions?

Please send your inquiries to MCC_Admin@mcc.ca.

Further updates will be made to this website as available.