Get ready

Please read this important information on writing your exam at a hotel exam site. We recommend that you bookmark this page, so you can easily return to it for reference.

Are you writing an applied exam? If so, please read this important information. We recommend that you bookmark this page, so you can easily return to it for reference.

Each specialty and subspecialty has an examination board comprising content experts from across Canada. Editors, translators, linguistic reviewers, item creators, item reviewers and other content experts are involved in the exam development process.

The Exam Format document will detail the exam components, process and timing, reference materials and practice questions, if applicable.

To access this document, visit the Information by discipline webpage. Choose your specialty or subspecialty from the dropdown menu. Click on the “Exam Format” document.

Written exams

Written exams could refer to a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam and/or a Short Answer Question (SAQ) exam. For information about the format of your specialty or subspecialty examination, review the Exam Format document.

Written-before-Oral Exams

As the training programs across Canada move towards a Competence by Design (CBD) format, exams with multiple components will be de-coupled – the written and the oral/applied exam will be treated as separate exams (eligibility and registration will be distinct for each component) and success at the written exam will be required before the candidate has eligibility to sit any subsequent exam component.

If a candidate is successful at the written component, they will not be required to sit that component again, and in the case of a fail or inability to sit the oral/applied component, they will only be required to register for the oral/applied component in any subsequent years. In other words, the successful result at the written component will carry forward to subsequent years and it will not be required to be completed again.

Multiple-choice question exam information

The Royal College's examinations are used to determine if a candidate has reached an acceptable level of competence based on the objectives of training of their specialty. Multiple-choice questions are used to assess candidate's knowledge and ability to apply this knowledge over a wide range of content areas.

What should you expect? A description of RCPSC Multiple-Choice Questions

Royal College multiple-choice questions consist of a stem and four options. Of these options, there is only one correct answer and three distractors.

Typically, the questions conform to a format similar to that of Example 1 below:

Each page of the multiple-choice question booklet consists of both English and French versions of the same questions.

Short answer question exam information

The Royal College’s examinations are used to determine if a candidate has reached an acceptable level of competence based on the objectives of training of their specialty.

What are Short-Answer Questions (SAQs)?

Many Royal College specialty examinations have an SAQ component. SAQs are questions that can be answered in a few short words or phrases. Typically, these questions contain words such as ‘list’ or ‘name’ suggesting that a series of short responses are required.

Each SAQ will usually consist of the question, a space where the candidate can provide his or her answer as well as the mark allocation for the question.

Different Kinds of SAQs

Short-answer questions can vary in terms of complexity. For example, the following question requires recall of factual knowledge at a low level of complexity:

More complex questions are usually based on case scenarios (sometimes called clinical vignettes). These questions can elicit application of knowledge or clinical reasoning. As well, a series of questions may be based on these scenarios building on case information.

How are SAQs marked?

Each short-answer question is created with a list of anticipated ‘model’ responses. This list is used to guide the markers as to the value of the responses when scoring the question. Partial marks may be allocated for some responses.

Example 3 below contains a question with a model response list.

The use of a model response list helps guide the markers to assess the responses with little or no interpretation. With this in mind, candidates should provide the answers that are most obvious and correct.

Applied (Oral exams)

Applied exams take place in 17 hotel exam sites across Canada. Applied exams are sometimes referred to as “live exams” and may include an oral examination.

For information about the format of your specialty or subspecialty examination, review the Exam Format document found on the Information by Discipline webpages.

Fully Canadian trained, first-attempt Candidates
Spring and Fall Sessions 2019-2021

The following table summarizes the average pass rates for residents in Canada, in percentages, for all Royal College specialties and subspecialties certification examinations over the last three years.

Note: *This data reports only the pass rate for those candidates with medical degrees from Canadian universities AND FITERS completed in Canadian programs AND those taking the examination for the first time. This is referred to as the CMDPG category.

*Only specialties and subspecialties that had an average of five or more CMDPG candidates registered at the certification examinations for the last three years have been posted.

Due to the limited number of candidates for some specialties, average pass rate statistics cannot be reported in order to maintain confidentiality.

The Objectives of Training document contains useful information regarding the content for your specialty or subspecialty examination. Also, the Exam Format document will often list reference materials and practice questions that are specific to your specialty or subspecialty.

To access these documents, visit the Information by Discipline webpages. Choose your specialty or subspecialty from the dropdown menu. Click on the “Objectives of Training” or “Exam Format” document displayed at the bottom.

Exam Tips

Recommended study tools