By Dr. Bilal Akil, MD — Emergency Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University · founder of mccQbank
Short answer: most MCCQE (formerly MCCQE Part I, or “MCCQE1”) discussion online happens in a handful of places:
- the r/MCCQE subreddit
- Canadian threads on r/medicalschool and r/premedcanada
- the Premed101 forums
- Student Doctor Network’s international-graduate threads
They’re good for study plans and first-hand experience. They’re often out of date on the rules, so check anything about dates, fees or format against mcc.ca. Below are the communities, then the questions candidates ask most, answered from the MCC’s own pages.
Checked 24 September 2026.
Where MCCQE candidates talk
- r/MCCQE is the exam-specific subreddit. Look for study timelines, qbank discussions and exam-day reports from recent writers.
- r/medicalschool is broad, but search it for “MCCQE” or “QE1” to find threads from Canadian students.
- r/premedcanada is mostly for pre-meds. It still has occasional threads on the licensing path for people considering studying abroad.
- r/medicalschoolEU is useful if you’re training in Europe and planning to come back to Canada.
- Premed101 is a long-running Canadian medical forum. Its MCCQE threads, like “UWorld vs Canada QBank vs AMBOSS for MCCQE1“, go back years.
- Student Doctor Network has threads for Canadians studying in the Caribbean, Ireland and elsewhere about CaRMS and the MCC exams.
How to use them without being misled
- Check the date on every post. The exam changed in April 2025, when CDM was removed and a new score scale came in. It was renamed in April 2026. Advice from before 2025 about timing, CDM or scores of “226” is about the old exam.
- Treat score reports as anecdotes. One person’s practice-test score says little about yours. The MCC says its own practice-exam score “has no correlation with the MCCQE score scale” (MCC PE FAQs).
- Verify rules at the source. Dates, fees, eligibility and attempts are all on mcc.ca and change every year.
- Look for disclosure. Qbank recommendations sometimes come from people selling a qbank, including us. Weigh reviews that say what the person used and what they scored.
The questions candidates ask most, answered
What is the MCCQE pass score?
439 on a scale of 300 to 600, since the April 2025 session (MCC: results). More in MCCQE passing score.
How long is the exam?
A 6.5-hour appointment: 230 multiple-choice questions in two sections of up to 2 hours 40 minutes, with an optional 45-minute break (MCC: exam day). See how long is the MCCQE.
When are the next dates?
The current session runs to October 21, 2026. The 2027 sessions are January 19 to February 11, April 27 to June 1, August 10 to September 7, and October 5 to 26 (MCC: scheduling). See MCCQE dates 2027.
How many times can I take it?
Four times, with a one-year wait before the fourth attempt (MCC: eligibility).
Which question bank should I use?
It comes up again and again on Reddit and Premed101. Match the bank to the current 230-question format, your exam language, and the Canadian ethics and population-health material US banks miss. Then add the MCC’s own $1 Preparatory Examination.
Is UWorld or AMBOSS enough if I studied for the USMLE?
The clinical medicine carries over. The gap is Canadian law, ethics, public health and the CanMEDS roles, which a USMLE bank won’t cover.
Does my MCCQE result expire?
The MCC publishes no expiry date for an MCCQE result on its results or eligibility pages. See how long the MCCQE is valid.
If you want to see what our questions look like before you ask Reddit about us, try 30 free MCCQE questions, in English or French.
