MCCEE and MCCQE Part 1 and 2 Frequently Asked Questions
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MCCEE and MCCQE Part 1/2 Frequently
Asked Questions
1) What are the licensing exams required to practice medicine in Canada?
The requirements involved in obtaining a license to practice medicine in Canada include the
successful completion of the following three exams:
MCCEE (Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Exam)
MCCQE Part 1 (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part One)
MCCQE Part 2 (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part Two)
2) What does the MCCEE consist of?
The MCCEE is a multiple choice test, offered as a computer based exam. The MCCEE is designed
as a general assessment of the candidate's basic medical knowledge of the principal fields of
medicine, including medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery and
preventive medicine and community health.
The exam consists of 175 multiple choice questions. Each multiple-choice question has a stem
and five options, of which only one is correct. The exam is 4 hours in length.
Note: The MCCEE is required only of International Medical Graduates (IMGs). The MCCQE Part
1 and MCCQE Part 2 are required of all physicians (IMGs and Canadian medical school
graduates).
3) What does the MCCQE Part 1 consist of?
The MCCQE Part 1 consists of multiple choice questions and clinical decision making (CDM)
cases. This exam tests the medical knowledge of medicine, obstetrics and gynecology,
pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery and population health, legal, ethical, and organizational aspects
of Canadian medicine.
The MCCQE Part 1 is a one day computer-based test. The candidate is allowed up to 3.5 hours
in the morning session to complete the 196 multiple choice questions component. The 196
questions are divided into 7 blocks of 28 questions. Each block consists of 7 testlets (one testlet
from each of the 6 categories and 1 experimental testlet). Each testlet has 4 questions.
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Each multiple-choice question has a stem and five options, of which only one is correct. Certain
test items will have pictorial material presented in the form of photographs, diagrams, x rays or
electrocardiograms.
Four hours are allowed in the afternoon session for the Clinical Decision Making (CDM)
component, which consists of cases that have longer set of answer choices and some have
short answer write-in questions. The CDM portion consists of approximately 55-60 cases with a
maximum of 80 questions total. Each case has 1-4 questions.
4) What does the MCCQE Part 2 consist of?
The MCCQE Part 2 is not a multiple choice, computer based test like the MCCEE or MCCQE Part
1. It is a test where you encounter patients and take a history, do a physical exam and then
write a summary note of your findings. There is also a set of questions that you have to answer
regarding the patients you will see.
There are two types of stations where you encounter patients: couplet stations and ten-minute
stations.
Couplet Stations consist of a Five-minute clinical encounter plus a Five-minute post-encounter
probe (PEP). Five-minute clinical encounter is where you obtain a focused relevant history and a
focused physical examination while being observed by a Physician Examiner who uses a
standardized checklist to assess each candidate's performance. Five-minute post-encounter
probe is a written station where questions are in a short-answer write-in format. Candidates
are requested to record their findings from the previous station, suggest a differential
diagnosis, interpret labs and imaging and suggest an investigation or management plan.
Ten-minute stations assess the candidate's ability to obtain a history and/or conduct a physical
examination, to demonstrate interviewing and communication skills, or to apply management
skills. These stations are structured for the candidate to interact with the patient for 10
minutes, or for 9 minutes, followed by a 1 minute period in which the Physician Examiner asks
the candidate one to three brief questions related to the case being presented. Physician
Examiners observe the encounter and use a standardized checklist to assess each candidate's
performance.
On average, the MCCQE Part 2 is comprised of 6 couplet stations and 8 ten-minute stations.
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5) What are the services offered by Canada QBank?
Canada QBank now offers a comprehensive set of 4 (four) complete QBanks (Question Banks)
for the following exams:
MCCEE
MCCQE Part 1 Testlet
MCCQE Part 1 CDM
MCCQE Part 2
Each QBank consists of classic, simulated multiple choice questions and/or cases designed to
reflect the content of the MCCEE, MCCQE Part 1 and MCCQE Part 2. Online subscriptions for a
1, 2, 3, 6, 9 or 12 month period can be purchased to access these questions. Additional
extensions can be purchased also.