Canada · Licensing examWhat happened to the MCCQE Part 2?
On May 31, 2021, partway through a virtual sitting, the MCC suspended the MCCQE Part II. It said candidates hadn’t had the exam experience it intended, apologized and refunded the fees. On June 10, 2021 it confirmed it would stop delivering the exam, citing the pandemic and the challenges of running it.
The MCC’s own timeline lists 2021 as the year Part II was discontinued.
What the MCCQE Part II was
It was an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) over two days: 12 stations, eight on the Saturday and four on the Sunday. It tested whether you could apply medical knowledge, show clinical skills and plan investigations and treatment at the level of a physician in independent practice in Canada. Part I, by contrast, is set at the level of a student finishing medical school.
Candidates got a Statement of Results and a Supplemental Information Report, like the MCCQE. The MCC’s score interpretation page heads its Part II section “offered until 2019”, and its last Part II scale, used from October 2018 to October 2019, ran from 50 to 250 with a pass score of 138. The virtual sitting in May 2021 is the one the MCC stopped partway through. The MCC suggests using only Part II scores from spring 2015 or later.
What the LMCC needs instead
In June 2021 the MCC’s Council replaced Part II in the LMCC rules with at least 12 months of acceptable postgraduate clinical training, on top of a pass on Part I. From January 26, 2026 the training requirement went too.
So the LMCC route is a pass on the MCCQE and a source-verified medical degree. Your province’s or territory’s medical regulatory authority (MRA) may ask for more before it licenses you, such as a residency or a specialty certificate.
Clinical assessments for international medical graduates
Neither of these replaces Part II, and the MCC doesn’t describe them that way. They test clinical skills for different purposes:
- The National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination: a half-day OSCE of 12 stations (2 of them unscored pilots), held in spring and fall. International medical graduates need NAC and MCCQE results to apply to the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) R-1 match.
- Practice-Ready Assessment (PRA) programs: about 12 weeks of supervised, workplace-based assessment in nine provinces, for internationally trained physicians who have finished residency and practised independently abroad. Each province runs its own program.
For PRA selection, the MCC says programs may weigh old Part II results ahead of NAC results, because Part II targeted a higher level of clinical skill.
The MCCEE ended too
The Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE) ran from January 17, 1979 to November 11, 2018. It was a screening exam that international medical graduates had to pass before the MCCQE Part I. From 2019, everyone applies straight to the MCCQE.
Sources: MCC and 8 more. Checked October 2026.
- MCC: The MCC suspends the delivery of the MCCQE Part II (May 31, 2021) ↗
- MCC: The MCC ceases delivery of the MCCQE Part II (June 10, 2021) ↗
- MCC: Our story ↗
- MCC: Score interpretation ↗
- MCC: Important update to LMCC eligibility and issuance starting January 26, 2026 ↗
- MCC: NAC Examination ↗
- MCC: Practice-Ready Assessment ↗
- MCC: CaRMS and MCC exams ↗
- MCC: MCCEE, the last session held November 2018 (June 13, 2019) ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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