Medical Exams
If you’ve gotten accepted into medical school – congratulations! The journey up to here has definitely not been the easiest, but brace yourself for more bumps and hurdles, as it’s only the beginning of your road to becoming a doctor. On the way there, you will have to pass a number of medical exams – their exact kinds depending on your country and school.
Preparing for those medical exams can be difficult and demanding, but with proper knowledge and insider tips you can find on our website, you will be able to pass them with flying colors. Now, let’s quickly discuss some of the most popular international medical exams to ease you in!
The United States Medical Licensing Examination
If you’re living in the States, the USMLE will be one of your most important examinations before becoming a full doctor. The USMLE is taken after graduating with an MD and is required to receive a practice permit. The exam has three steps, all of which need to be passed separately to receive a satisfactory grade.
The first and second parts of the USMLE are similar – all-day written exams with several hundreds of questions about anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, and more. Make sure you study your best, as you cannot retake the exam to achieve a higher score if you pass – should you get a low total score, you are stuck with it!
The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination
The MCCQE is the primary medical exam for medical students from Canada and is one of the requirements for receiving a full practice license. The exam features two parts:
- Part I is a single-day, computer-based test with 210 multiple-choice questions and 38 short-answer cases, taking 7 hours in total.
- Part II is a clinical exam that takes two days to complete, taking you through clinical stations that simulate real-life situations and testing your medical knowledge in practice.
Prepare well for the exam, especially the second part of it – you will surely face difficult patients and problematic situations, and be expected to find the most appropriate solution.
The Medical College Admission Test
Most often, you will have to take a standardized medical exam even before being admitted into a medical school. If you’re living in the States, Canada, Australia, or Caribbean Islands, that exam will be the MCAT. The MCAT takes 7 and a half hours to complete and consists of four sections:
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
- Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior
All of the sections feature between 50 and 60 multiple-choice questions. You can only take the MCAT three times a year, and only seven times total, so make sure you prepare well for the exam. When studying for the exam, you can make use of the official AAMC preparatory material, which includes over 1,000 free videos and 3,000 review questions. We also invite you to give QUPI a try – our app features questions specifically designed for the MCAT, as well as most of the other most popular international medical examinations!