CaRMS and MCC exams | Medical Council of Canada
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CaRMS and MCC exams

Timing for international medical graduates taking MCC exams and applying to CaRMs R-1 Main Residency Match.

CaRMS R-1 Main Residency Match

International medical graduates (IMGs) who want to apply for the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) R-1 Main Residency Match will need to provide results for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I and the National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination. You can choose to take the NAC Examination and the MCCQE Part I in the order that you prefer.

Students graduating in spring 2025

International medical students graduating in spring 2025 who want to apply for the 2025 CaRMS R-1 Main Residency Match will need take the MCCQE Part I and NAC Examination during certain sessions. File review for the 2025 R-1 first iteration match begins in late November 2024. By taking the exams in the sessions outlined below, you will have enough time to receive your results from both exams before the deadline.

MCCQE Part I

You will be able to apply for the MCCQE Part I 15 months from the date you are expected to fully complete all medical degree requirements (your graduation date). Apply and schedule an appointment to take the MCCQE Part I during either the:

April 2024 session
August 2024 session

NAC Examination

Apply by the respective application deadlines to take the NAC Examination during either the:

May 2024 session
September 2024 session

Timeline for the 2025 CaRMS R-1 Main Residency Match

1

Spring 2024

Candidate applies to the MCCQE Part I and/or the NAC Examination

2

April or August 2024

Candidate takes the MCCQE Part I in either the April or August session. 

3

May or September 2024

Candidate takes the NAC Examination in either the May or September session. 

4

November 2024

Candidate shares their MCCQE Part I and NAC Examination results with CaRMS in time for the file review that typically opens in late November.

5

March 2025

CaRMS 2025 R-1 residency match.

6

Spring 2025

Student candidates graduate.

Applying for postgraduate medical training in Quebec

If you are an IMG and want to apply to a postgraduate medical training program in Québec, you must have received prior recognition of equivalence of your Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the Collège des médecins du Québec. In addition, to be eligible into the regular quota, the Québec government requires that you respect the definition of resident in Québec of the ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur.