The Changes In The MCCQE1 Exam Format

The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) part 1 is a computer-based one-day exam. In the morning session, you have up to four hours to complete 210 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs). In the afternoon session, you have up to three and a half hours to complete the Clinical Decision-Making (CDM) component, which comprises 38 cases with short-menu and short-answer write-in questions.

Answering MCQs on the MCCQE1 exam is challenging since it requires the use of advanced reading comprehension abilities such as logical reasoning and summarising. The question stem of a multiple-choice item represents a problem, and the options are a list of potential solutions. There is always one correct or best alternative, the answer to the clinical problem, and several incorrect or inferior options, known as distractors.

MCCQE1 used to have five answers to choose from for every MCQ of the MCCQE1 exam, but this has changed. In April-June 2021, the number of options to choose from in the MCQs component of the MCCQE1 has changed. Currently, the number of options varies from three to five options for each question. Regardless of 3, 4, or 5, the list of options will always include one best answer and incorrect options, known as distractors.

The Canadian Medical Council (MCC) has changed the MCCQE1 format to reflect appropriate options for a given question, thereby improving the candidate’s experience by reducing cognitive load, reading time, and test time.

The CDM component of the MCCQE1 exam remains the same.

These changes are not often; however, we at Ace Qbank are working hard to enhance your retention, boost your performance while making your MCCQE1 exam preparation as efficient as possible. So stay tuned for a more exciting Ace Qbank update. 

Ace Qbank is the only question bank in Canada that integrates recent evidence-based medicine into all its questions based on the MCC objectives. Ace Qbank is meant to serve as a reference for the MCCQE1 exam as it covers all aspects of primary care, diagnosis, management, and prevention in all medical disciplines. Currently, the question bank has over 2600 high-yield questions and comprehensive explanations for the MCCQE1 exam. With so many tables, summary points, and algorithms, our client can master the MCC objectives.

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