The Medical Council of Canada has confirmed that the MCCQE Part II Exam is cancelled from June 2021 and the LMCC is to be awarded to holders of MCCQE Part I.

The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) has scrapped a controversial medical licensing exam after repeated cancellations and technical difficulties during the covid19 pandemic.

The Medical Council of Canada and its roles

The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) is the organisation which maintains the national registry of physicians and their qualifications throughout their professional careers in Canada and develops, validates and implements tools and strategies to assess physicians’ competence. It grants a certification in medicine known as the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) to physicians who have met its requirements.

The major roles of the MCC major are:

• Assessing the core competencies of all physicians prior to specialty training and certification
• Assessing in-practice physician competency

Candidates must take and pass the MCCQE Part I and meet the LMCC eligibility criteria to obtain the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC). Most, but not all, provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons make the LMCC a condition of granting a licence to practise.

The MCC assesses close to 10,000 medical students and graduates every year through its examinations, offered in both official languages in Canada, English and French, and in 80 other countries

The National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination assesses candidates’ readiness to enter a Canadian residency program.

The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE)

The MCCQE was an examination conducted in two parts to assess Canadian and foreign medical graduates' knowledge, clinical skills and suitability to practise medicine in Canada. Part 1 of the MCCQE is a theoretical multiple choice examination whilst the former MCCQE2 was a clinical examination.

The MCCQE Part I is a one-day, computer-based test which assesses the critical medical knowledge and clinical decision-making ability of a candidate at a level expected of a medical student who is completing a medical degree in Canada.

The MCCQE Part I is delivered in Canada and internationally in over 80 countries through the vendor Prometric, an internationally recognized firm with more than 20 years’ experience in exam development and administration for professional sectors. Prometric ensures broad access for candidates to take the MCCQE Part I. The exam is offered during four sessions a year. Candidates have the option to take their exam at an available Prometric test centre or through remote proctoring on a first come first serve basis.

The MCCQE Part 11 was an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) taken at centres in Canada only.

Cancellation of the MCCQE Part 2

The MCC has confirmed in June 2021 that it is ceasing the delivery of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part II going forward due to the unprecedented challenges posed by the conduct of this examination during, and in the aftermath of, the covid19 pandemic. 

On May 31 2021, the MCC suspended the virtual delivery of the MCCQE II in the middle of spring sittings after technical difficulties prevented at least half of the candidates on one day from completing the test. In 2020, the MCC cancelled in-person sittings in the spring and autumn at short notice due to pandemic concerns.

The MCC says it will refund exam fees to candidates registered for the latest session within the next 30 days, but it may take up to two months to award them certification under the new rules. For other eligible candidates, the process will require coordination with third parties and may take longer.

Many resident doctors have prepared for the exam multiple times over the past year and have lost time and money due to the last-minute cancellations. Meanwhile, their careers have hung in limbo. Several residents described spending hours preparing and travelling to write the test, taking unpaid leave, and missing clinical experiences and career opportunities, only to have their exams terminated with little warning or explanation, in some cases during their sittings.

Resident doctors have questioned the relevance of the MCCQE II in recent years, especially as some have been practising under provisional licenses since the spring without completing the exam.

In support of the the MCCQE Part 2 exam, the MCC has stressed the importance of standardized testing of generalist competencies such as patient clinical assessment, formulation of diagnosis, communication and professional behaviour. It also appears that the organization is leaving the door open to reintroduce the exam or a similar type of exam at a later date. According to the MCC, “criteria for the award of the LMCC may be reviewed at a future date as standardized assessment requirements for physicians evolve.” However, critics have pointed out that the same competencies are now evaluated continuously throughout medical training, rendering the exam obsolete.

New Criteria for Award of the LMCC

The MCC Council, at a meeting on June 9 2021, affirmed updated criteria informing policy on the granting of the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) to candidates meeting all the following requirements:

1: Are a graduate from:

a) a medical school accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools or the Liaison Committee on Medical Education; or

b) a medical school listed in one or more directories of medical schools approved from time to time by resolution and be a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools which includes a sponsor note indicating it is an acceptable medical school in Canada; or

c) a United States School of Osteopathic Medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.

2: Have successfully completed the MCCQE Part I (PASS)

3: Have successfully completed:

a) at least 12 months of acceptable clinical post graduate medical training as determined by the Executive Director; or

b) at least 12 months of acceptable osteopathic post graduate clinical training in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as determined by the Executive Director; and

4: Have the required medical credentials including verification of postgraduate training successfully source verified through MCC or, in exceptional circumstances, have provided evidence of the required medical credentials acceptable to the Executive Director.

Where an individual meets all of the above criteria but is subject to a prohibition order barring him or her from writing the MCCQE Part II examination, the Executive Director may award that individual the LMCC only after the expiration of the barring order.

The LMCC Is Not a Licence to Practise Medicine

The LMCC is not a licence to practise medicine. The authority to issue licences is reserved to the provincial and territorial Medical Regulatory Authorities (MRAs), which are the provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons. However most of the provincial and territorial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons do require the LMCC as a prerequisite for a licence to practise medicine.

The purpose of the LMCC exams, MCCQE I and II, was to conduct independent, standardized assessments of key competencies. The MCC intends to continue to work with the Assessment Innovation Task Force (AITF), the medical community and partner organizations, to reflect on how clinical skills and emerging competencies required of physicians will be assessed in the future. Criteria for the award of the LMCC may be reviewed at a future date as standardised assessment requirements for physicians evolve.

Apply for LMCC

Doctors who have passed the MCCQE Part I can now apply to the MCC for the LMCC certificate provided the above criteria are met. Contact the MCC to make your application for the LMCC.

Register for Medical Jobs in Canada - Family Physician and Specialist Physician Jobs

If you are interested in working as a doctor in Canada, please register with Odyssey and talk to us about your job search. We will be able to advise you about licence applications for each province and territory, jobs and practice opportunities available and immigration procedures.

High demand medical specialities in Canada include:

• Family Physicians 
• Internists
• Psychiatrists
• Radiologists
• General Surgeons
• Anaesthetists
• Paediatricians
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Further articles about working as a doctor in Canada

International Healthcare System Profiles - Canada - an overview of the Canadian Healthcare System

A Guide to the MCCQE 1 Examination - a guide for international medical graduates who want to work in Canada

Specialist Physician Registration in Canada - the pathways to register as a specialist in Canada

Family Physician Registration in Canada - the pathways to register as a family physician in Canada

Physician Registration in Canada - an overview of the registration procedures for physicians in Canada

Life in Canada for Physicians - an overview of working as a physician in Canada

Atlantic Immigration - a pathway to fast track permanent residency