One small thing worth knowing before anything else: the Medical Council of Canada’s page now reads “MCCQE (formerly MCCQE Part I).” If you have been searching for “MCCQE Part 1” and finding conflicting information, some of it is simply old. [1]
We are going to keep using the older name in the title, because it is what students still type into search bars. The exam is the same national standard.
What the Exam Is
The MCC describes the MCCQE as a summative exam that assesses the critical medical knowledge and clinical decision-making ability expected of a Canadian medical student at the end of medical school. [1] For international medical graduates, passing it is a requirement for applying to a Canadian residency program. [1]
You will also see it described as the exam that leads to the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada, or LMCC. The MCC fee page says applicants who applied for the MCCQE before 26 January 2026 pay a separate $50 application for the LMCC, and later applicants receive it automatically. [2]
The Format
The exam is a one-day, computer-based test of 230 multiple-choice questions in two sections of 115 items. Each section allows up to two hours and forty minutes, with an optional break between. [1]
Content follows the MCC Examination Objectives, organized by the CanMEDS roles, and a blueprint with “dimensions of care” and “physician activities.” [1] The page we read does not state the pass score, so we are not going to guess at one. The results page on the MCC site covers scoring.
Where and When
The exam is offered four times a year at Prometric test centres in Canada and in more than 70 countries, booked on a first-come, first-served basis. [1] For a student in Ireland, that means you do not need to fly home to sit it. It does mean the best sittings can fill quickly, and we would book as soon as you are eligible and have chosen a date that sits comfortably with your clinical rotations.
The MCC separates eligibility rules from the exam description, and the page we read did not say how final-year students abroad are treated. Check the eligibility and application page for your own situation.
What It Costs
All amounts are in Canadian dollars, and the MCC states that all its fees are subject to change without notice. We checked the fee page, last updated 2 September 2026. [2]
The MCCQE application is $1,500, non-refundable in full, though a refund may be possible with a $750 withdrawal fee in certain circumstances. If you need an eligibility window extension, that is $120. You also need a physiciansapply.ca account, which has a one-time $150 setup fee, and source verification of your medical credential at $232 per credential. [2] The MCC takes payment by Visa, MasterCard, or prepaid or secured credit cards. It does not accept Interac or debit. [2]
Those fees, before anything else, come to roughly $1,880 for one exam sitting, one account and one credential. Rescheduling, extension or re-sitting adds to that. We are not giving a final number because it depends on whether you need a second sitting.
How It Fits With Everything Else
The MCCQE is one of two MCC exams that IMGs generally need. The other is the NAC Examination, a separate OSCE-style assessment that costs $3,320. [2] We cover the full cost picture in our article on what applying to residency costs.
If you are also considering the United States, you will be thinking about the USMLE. The two exams are different, test in different ways and are administered by different organizations, and students sometimes ask whether to take both. We wrote about that choice in our USMLE article, and we do not think there is a universal answer.
Planning It Into Your Degree
We would not leave this to final year. The exam is designed for the level of a graduating student, which means you want to be close to graduation level when you sit it, but the verification of your credentials takes months, and the exam is offered only four times a year.
Our rough approach: confirm eligibility early, open the physiciansapply.ca account early, and book a sitting in a window when you are not on a heavy clinical placement.
The Bottom Line
The MCCQE is a one-day, 230-question exam that international medical graduates must pass to apply to Canadian residency. It costs $1,500 plus account and verification fees, and it is offered four times a year at Prometric centres around the world.
Read the MCC’s eligibility page for your own situation and check the fee page before you pay, because fees change. We keep a list of the sources we trust on our Resources page.
References
- Medical Council of Canada. (2026). MCCQE (formerly MCCQE Part I). https://mcc.ca/examinations-assessments/mccqe-part-i/
- Medical Council of Canada. (2026, September 2). Fees. https://mcc.ca/examinations/fees