Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE)

The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I is a summative examination that assesses the critical medical knowledge and clinical decision-making ability of a candidate at a level expected of a medical student who is completing their medical degree in Canada. Critical medical knowledge and clinical decision-making skills are assessed using multiple-choice questions.

Candidates graduating and completing the MCCQE Part I typically enter supervised practice. Aside from formal accreditation processes of the undergraduate and postgraduate education programs, the MCCQE Part I is the national standard for medical schools across Canada and, therefore, is administered at the end of medical school.

Passing the MCCQE Part I is a requirement for international medical graduates applying for entry into a Canadian residency program. The exam is also used by some Practice-Ready Assessment programs as an eligibility criteria to select internationally trained physicians into their programs.

Obtaining a pass result on the MCCQE Part I is one of the eligibility criteria you must meet to apply for the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC). Canadian medical regulatory authorities may require you to have the LMCC to apply for a medical licence within their province or territory.

What is the LMCC

The Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) is granted by the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) and is part of the requirements set by the provincial and territorial medical regulatory authorities (MRAs) to be granted license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdictions.

Physicians whose names are included in the Canadian Medical Register are known as Licentiates of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) or Licenciés du Conseil médical du Canada (LCMC).

Eligibility Requirements

To apply to the MCCQE Part I, you must be a graduate from, or a student who is expected to complete all requirements to graduate from:

• A medical school accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS); or
• A medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and identified by a Canada Sponsor Note indicating it is an acceptable medical school in Canada; or
• A United States School of Osteopathic Medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.

Before applying: understanding the exam eligibility window

You will not be able to schedule your exam date until your application has been accepted. After your application is accepted, you will have a 12-month eligibility window to schedule and write the MCCQE Part I at an available Prometric test centre or through remote proctoring. All exam appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Scheduling for an upcoming session opens approximately 5 months before the session start date. For example, if a session start date is on April 17, scheduling would open in early December of the previous year. Unless you extend your eligibility window, it will expire after 12 months or when you write the exam, withdraw from the exam, or are absent from the exam, whichever comes first.

If you are a student:

You can apply up to 15 months prior to your expected date of graduation. Once your application is accepted, your eligibility window will begin 12 months before your expected date of graduation. You can only schedule an exam appointment during this period.

For example:

• Expected date of graduation: June 1, 2024
• Application date: as early as March 1, 2023
• Eligibility window: June 1, 2023 to June 1, 2024

How to apply for the MCCQE Part I

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply for the MCCQE Part I at any time through your physiciansapply.ca account by following the instructions below. If you do not already have an account, you will need to create one.

https://portal.physiciansapply.ca/Account/InitialLogin APPLY THROUGH THIS LINK

Payment and currency

Currency : All payments are processed in Canadian dollars.

Accepted payment methods : Visa, MasterCard, and prepaid or secured credit cards.

Note : Interac, Visa debit and MasterCard debit cards cannot be accepted.

physiciansapply.ca account setup

One-time setup fee

Learn about physiciansapply.ca

$335.00

This fee is non-refundable.

MCCQE Part I application

Learn about the MCCQE Part I

$1,500.00

The full fee is non-refundable.

In certain circumstances, you may be eligible for a refund; however, a $750.00 withdrawal fee would be charged.

Learn about withdrawing from the MCCQE Part I

Eligibility window extension

$120.00

If the MCCQE Part I application fee has increased since you originally applied, the difference will also need to be paid.

This fee is non-refundable.

Appeal fee

$1,200.00

NAC Examination application

Learn about the NAC Examination

$3,320.00

The full fee is non-refundable.

If you withdraw before the withdrawal deadline, you may be eligible for a refund; however, a $538.00 withdrawal fee would be charged.

Go to important dates and scheduling

In certain circumstances, you may be eligible for a refund after the withdrawal deadline has passed; however, an administration fee of $1,660.00 would be charged.

Learn about withdrawing from the NAC Examination

Scheduling request fee - $130.00

Appeal fee - $1,200.00

LMCC application

Learn about the LMCC

$265.00

This fee is non-refundable.

Learn about replacing your LMCC documents

LMCC document replacement

LMCC Certificate of Registration (wallet-sized plastic card) or LMCC Testamur.

$136.00 per document

This fee is non-refundable.

Application for medical registration

Learn about AMR

$240.00

Refunds can only be processed with the approval of the appropriate medical regulatory authority (MRA), and candidates should communicate directly with that MRA.

If a refund is approved, a $70.00 administrative fee will be charged by the MCC.

Educational Credential Assessment

Learn about ECA reports

$130.00

Per copy

This fee is non-refundable.

Upcoming MCCQE Part I session dates

The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I is offered multiple times a year. Results will be available 4 weeks after the last day of the session. 

2025

April 9 to May 21*

August 19 to September 11

October 1 to 22

*Results for the April 2025 session will be available approximately 12 weeks after the last day of the session due to a standard-setting exercise.

2026

January 20 to February 17

April 22 to May 27**

August 19 to September 16

October 1 to 21

** Results for the April 2026 session and future April sessions will be available 5 weeks after the last day of the session.

Dates are subject to change.

How to schedule your appointment

Application for the MCCQE Part I is on an ongoing basis. After your application is accepted, you will receive a message through your physiciansapply.ca account confirming that you are eligible to take the MCCQE Part I.

Appointments may be scheduled 5 months prior to the start of an exam session, and are only available within the established exam sessions. Scheduling an appointment is on a first-come, first-served basis.

A specific MCCQE Part I session date cannot be guaranteed. If you have a deadline to meet for receiving your MCCQE Part I results, we strongly recommend taking the exam early enough to allow for unforeseeable circumstances. If there is no date available at your preferred test centre or through remote proctoring, please choose another date or test centre.

You must schedule your appointment online on the Prometric website that will walk you through the entire process in an easy-to-understand way. Before accessing the scheduling system, we recommend reviewing the instructions in advance and ensuring you have all the information needed to schedule your appointment.