MCC pauses the MCCQE Part I delivery using remote proctoring

Ottawa, ON – The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) has made the difficult decision to cease offering the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam (MCCQE) Part I by remote proctor effective immediately.

Remote proctoring was a novel exam delivery modality for the MCC that was introduced to counter the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and to accommodate candidates who wished to pursue their route to licensure in a timely manner. It is clear based on the numerous candidate concerns reported since the beginning of the exam session on June 1, 2020, that there is still some work to be done and as such, until further notice we will no longer offer the MCCQE Part I using remote proctoring. On-site test centre exam administration will continue as scheduled.

The MCC sincerely regrets having caused additional anxiety for candidates who, in many cases, are also working on the front lines of our health care system during unprecedented and difficult times and those relocating for their residency. We, and our supplier Prometric Global, have apologized to students for the stress that resulted from technical difficulties including connectivity, hardware compatibility, and proctor responsiveness before and during the exam.

We will work as quickly as possible to implement our contingency plans. In the coming days and weeks, our top priority will be to work with affected candidates to ensure that they receive a high level of service and are able to complete their exam in a known reliable exam delivery model.

We believe that exam delivery via remote proctoring is a modality that will, once issues are resolved, benefit candidates in providing increased choices for completion of this exam. As noted, work is needed on this delivery modality to ensure candidates will receive the high-quality exam experience that MCC expects to provide.