By Dr. Bilal Akil, MD — Emergency Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University · founder of mccQbank
Short answer: yes, the MCCQE for IMG before graduation can be written while you are still studying at a medical school outside Canada. You can apply up to 15 months before your expected graduation date, and your eligibility window opens 12 months before it. You’ll need a Student Attestation form from your school, and your school must be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools with a Canada Sponsor Note (MCC eligibility). The NAC examination follows a similar rule: you can take it within 15 months of finishing your degree.
This guide is for Canadians studying medicine in Ireland, the UK, Australia, Europe, the Caribbean or elsewhere who want to come home for residency. Checked against mcc.ca and carms.ca on 24 September 2026.
Why Write the MCCQE for IMG Before Graduation?
CaRMS sorts applicants by where they earned their degree, so a Canadian studying abroad applies as an international medical graduate (IMG) (CaRMS eligibility). For almost every program, IMGs need results from both the MCCQE and the NAC before CaRMS reviews files (CaRMS: MCC exam requirements).
Timing matters. In the 2026 match, IMGs who applied in their graduation year matched at 80.6% in the first iteration. IMGs who graduated in earlier years matched at 47.8% (CaRMS 2026 match data). To apply in your graduation year, both exams have to be done while you’re still a student.
Step 1: check your school’s Canada Sponsor Note
For the MCCQE for IMG before graduation, the MCC eligibility accepts students and graduates of schools listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools with a Canada Sponsor Note saying the school is acceptable. Check your school’s listing before anything else. Without the note, you can’t write the MCCQE.
Step 2: open a physiciansapply.ca account
Everything runs through physiciansapply.ca. The account costs $150 CAD once, and source verification costs $232 per credential (MCC fees). Open it early. Verification of your documents takes time, and you don’t want it holding up an exam application.
Step 3: apply for the MCCQE, with your Student Attestation
- When: up to 15 months before your expected graduation date.
- What you need: a Student Attestation form completed by your medical school, uploaded with the application.
- Cost: $1,500 CAD.
- Eligibility window: it opens 12 months before your expected graduation. It closes after 12 months, or when you write, withdraw or miss the exam, whichever comes first. You can pay to extend it ($120, per the MCC fee schedule).
Source: MCC eligibility and application.
Step 4: book a session and a Prometric seat
For the MCCQE for IMG before graduation, the exam is offered in four sessions a year, at Prometric centres in Canada and over 70 countries (MCC: MCCQE). So you may be able to write it near your school. Scheduling opens 5 months before each session, first come, first served (MCC scheduling).
| 2027 session | Dates |
|---|---|
| January | January 19 to February 11 |
| April | April 27 to June 1 |
| August | August 10 to September 7 |
| October | October 5 to 26 |
Results come out 4 weeks after the January, August and October sessions end, and 5 weeks after April (MCC results).
Step 5: plan the NAC around it along with the MCCQE for IMG before graduation
The NAC examination is an OSCE with 12 stations, 10 of them scored. It’s held twice a year, in spring and fall, and costs $3,320 (MCC: NAC; fees). As a student you can take it if you’ll finish all your degree requirements within 15 months of the exam date.
You can’t sit the NAC in consecutive sessions. A fail therefore costs you a year on that exam, so leave room for one retake before your CaRMS file review (NAC eligibility). The MCCQE and NAC can be taken in either order.
A Timeline That Works for MCCQE for IMG Before Graduation
Here it is for a student graduating in spring 2028 and aiming for the 2028 CaRMS match, whose file review would fall in late 2027 if the usual pattern holds:
- Now, or at least 18 months before graduation: confirm the Sponsor Note, open physiciansapply.ca and start source verification.
- From 15 months before graduation: apply for the MCCQE with your Student Attestation.
- From 12 months before graduation: write the MCCQE. The April–June or August–September 2027 session leaves time for a retake. The MCC allows four attempts in total.
- Spring or fall 2027: the NAC, with the next session in reserve.
- Before file review: confirm both results are in your physiciansapply.ca account.
Check the exact CaRMS deadline for your match year. For the 2027 match, file review starts in late November 2026 (MCC: CaRMS and MCC exams).
Studying for it while you’re still in school
You’ll be preparing for the MCCQE alongside your own school’s finals, and often the USMLE too. The MCC itself said in March 2026 that it’s reviewing scheduling to reduce clashes with clinical training (MCC: Returning home). What’s different about the MCCQE:
- Canadian content: ethics and law, population health, Canadian screening and immunization guidelines, and the CanMEDS roles. These are the areas a UK, Irish or US curriculum covers least.
- Format: 230 multiple-choice questions in two sections of up to 2 hours 40 minutes, with an optional 45-minute break. Pass score 439 on a 300–600 scale. See how long is the MCCQE and the passing score.
- Practice: the MCC’s own $1 Preparatory Examination shows you the question style. A Canadian question bank covers the Canadian-only material.
Frequently Asked Questions About MCCQE for IMG Before Graduation
Can I write the MCCQE while I’m still a medical student abroad?
Yes. For the MCCQE for IMG before graduation, you can apply up to 15 months before your expected graduation date with a Student Attestation from your school, and write it from 12 months before graduation.
Can I write the MCCQE outside Canada?
Yes. It’s delivered at Prometric centres in Canada and over 70 countries.
Do I Need the NAC with MCCQE for IMG Before Graduation?
For the CaRMS R-1 match, every province requires the NAC. Almost every province also requires the MCCQE. Saskatchewan accepts USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3, and Nova Scotia/New Brunswick/PEI accept Steps 1 and 2, instead of the MCCQE (CaRMS).
Which should I take first, the MCCQE or the NAC?
Either order is allowed. Writing the MCCQE first often fits better, because it runs four times a year and the NAC only twice. See which to write first.
What if I’m not sure my graduation date will hold?
Your eligibility window runs for 12 months and can be extended for a fee. Talk to the MCC through physiciansapply.ca before you book.
Preparing alongside your finals? Try 30 free MCCQE questions, in English or French.
