Resources to help with exam preparation
Prepare for the MCCQE (formerly MCCQE Part I), NAC Examination, TDM Examination, and PRA programs.
Free resources
Explore a growing collection of free resources designed to support you as you prepare to challenge the Medical Council of Canada’s (MCC) examinations and assessments, or for practice in Canada. This includes sample questions, clinical cases, and a comprehensive study guide, as well as Canadian-sourced resources that support understanding cultural and clinical contexts. You’ll find practical guidance to help you better understand exam formats and expectations, and to build confidence in your approach.
MCC Examination Objectives
The MCC’s test committees are guided by the MCC Examination Objectives for the MCCQE and the NAC Examination. The objectives outline what a candidate must know for the examination and can be a useful study tool. The MCC recommends going through each clinical presentation and carefully reading the related objectives.
Exam orientations
Get familiar with your upcoming exam’s format, process, platform and question types with these essential resources.
Preparatory products for the MCCQE
Study with our full-length Preparatory Examination (PE) or shorter PE-Lite for the MCCQE.
Candidates have found that the MCC’s preparatory products help them to be exam-ready by developing familiarity with MCCQE question types as well as the testing platform features. The content in each of our preparatory products goes through the same rigorous development process as the official exam content.
Strategies for studying for your exam
Two effective strategies for studying for an upcoming exam include creating a study plan and forming a study group.
Create a study plan
Identify the objectives that you most need to study and focus on common or critical patient presentations. Be honest in assessing your own knowledge and ability. Create differential diagnoses, identify key features that will lead you to establish or confirm your differential diagnoses, create checklists, and identify key orders for investigation and management plans for each one. If you realize there is a knowledge deficit in a particular area, then go back to learning the basics.
Form a study group
Identify which objectives are most important for each group member to review (e.g., management of chest pain, assessment of vomiting in a child). Consider having each member generate common patient presentations that they understand well. Each person can then present their patient problems to the group and quiz individuals within the group about how they would assess and manage these problems. Be critical. Challenge each other. What other diagnoses should you think about? How would you differentiate between them? What investigations are essential? Why? What should you assess on your physical examination? What else should you assess?
