neversaynever2015 Posted August 12, 2013 Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 Hi guys, I was wondering for those that have gone this. How early did you have to start studying for the MCCQE Part 1 exam? Do you need to take the summer after 3rd year to focus on it? like similar to the MCAT/USMLE (for US students)? And do we need to know everything from first year med or is it more starting from 3rd year? and when do people write the MCCQE? do you choose whatever time you want like the MCAT? or it's one setting for all 4th Canadian students? Thanks, sorry for all the questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerroger Posted August 12, 2013 Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 I studied for two weeks and this was over doing it. The content is all clinical, no pre-clerkship trivia for the most part. Most CMGs write it in the late spring just before finishing med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaynever2015 Posted August 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 I studied for two weeks and this was over doing it. The content is all clinical, no per-clerkship trivia for the most part. Most CMGs write it in the late spring just before finishing med school. Wow, is it really that easy? I thought it's was like our version of the USMLE and that's intense. So do you just register and take the exam whenever you feel like you are ready? or the school registers you? Did you ever feel that you had to remember all the stuff we learn in year1/year2 during clerkships and beyond for any reason? or we can sort of just pass and forget for the basic stuff like in undergrad? Thanks, sorry for all the questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 USMLE is pretty easy too. Haven't taken the QE yet to compare it but I'm sure they aren't all that different, with the exception that the quality / clarity of questions on the QE is supposed to be far worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerroger Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 Wow, is it really that easy? I thought it's was like our version of the USMLE and that's intense. So do you just register and take the exam whenever you feel like you are ready? or the school registers you? Did you ever feel that you had to remember all the stuff we learn in year1/year2 during clerkships and beyond for any reason? or we can sort of just pass and forget for the basic stuff like in undergrad? Thanks, sorry for all the questions The stuff that really matters in preclerkship comes up again during clerkship. I never pulled out preclerkship notes to study or anything. Maybe med school dependent, but I feel that if you passed your clerkship exams you should pass the MCCQE easily. Just brush up on the stuff you should already know. It is in my opinion a poorly written exam, but it is not a difficult exam for CMGs. Read around these forums, others and myself have written about what to study for this exam. There are a few different dates to choose from at the end of forth year. I suggest selecting one of the earlier dates and just get'er done for you can do something like travel. That period after med school and before residency is pure gold. Salvage all of it if you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 Wow, is it really that easy? I thought it's was like our version of the USMLE and that's intense. I found the USMLE step 2 easier than the mccqe simply because the questions were much clearer. The mccqe is extremely vague; I felt that the exam was hard but I didn't feel challenged at all. Having uptodate next to me would not have helped me answer the questions I wasn't sure about. You'll see what I mean when you take the exam. Don't be scared though, virtually every cmg passes and I agree with rogerroger, you don't need to study that much for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted August 19, 2013 Report Share Posted August 19, 2013 I don't know if I would call it "easy," but it seems almost everyone passes. I had all sorts of obscure questions on my exam, but I never thought, "If only I had studied an extra week, I would've been able to answer this correctly." In contrast, the recurrent thought I had was "Had I spent an extra 2 years on the wards so I would've run across someone with this condition, I would've been able to answer this question." I felt like I had no idea what I was doing for 70% of the exam, the remaining 30% was super-easy, and then I somehow did above average, even in areas in which I felt I was a sub-par student (peds? internal?). I only studied for maybe 2-3 weeks and NEVER thought "I wish I had read/studied more." I honestly don't remember seeing anything I had read about during my studying that I had not already seen in clerkship and known. And for the rest of the stuff, it was extremely obscure and the only way I would've been aware of without having run into it in clerkship is if I had been reading entire specialty textbooks throughout all of med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kappa1 Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 ............................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerroger Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 The MCCQE is basically pass fail. If you score high on it pat yourself on the back. That's about the only significance of the score. Lets not forget the thing is basically pass/fail and the pass rate is in the high nighties for CMGs. Unless you feel you are in the bottom 2%ish there should not be much to worry about. Just keeping it in perspective... Worst case you fail. It hurts the ego. But you still enter residency without any penalty other than to your wallet and your time... You still have X number of years to write it X number of times. You just have to complete it prior to finishing residency. If you can't do this then it probably is time to consider a career switch. Plus you got bigger fish to fry such as your royal college or CCFP exams... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 I found the USMLE step 2 easier than the mccqe simply because the questions were much clearer. The mccqe is extremely vague; I felt that the exam was hard but I didn't feel challenged at all. Having uptodate next to me would not have helped me answer the questions I wasn't sure about. You'll see what I mean when you take the exam. Don't be scared though, virtually every cmg passes and I agree with rogerroger, you don't need to study that much for it. I think this is a pretty accurate representation. I would add that you should pay close attention to the wording of the questions to make sure you are answering the question being posed. As for comparisons to the USMLE: We don't really have a Canadian equivalent for Step 1 LMCC part 1 is similar to USMLE Step 2 - CK. The Step2-CK I would say is easier for the aforementioned reason - the questions are clearer and it's multiple choice. The LMCC part 1 has a combination of question styles including short answer, multiple selections, etc. Step 2 - CS reminded me of my final medical school OSCE but again easier. Similar to LMCC part 2 but again easier because the American exams are very clear and unambiguous in the way they ask questions. Very standardized exams. There are 3 components to pass on that exam - clinical reasoning, communication/interpersonal skills, and spoken/written english ability. You have to pass each component and if you made it through a Canadian medical school you will probably pass the test of english proficiency component. Be nice to the standardized patients and treat them how you would want your doctor to treat you and I'm sure you will pass the communications component. Then some studying for the clinical reasoning component and you are set. I have yet to write Step 3. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 I have yet to write Step 3. It's the easiest of the four exams. There's more hinge questions and a greater emphasis on management than the others, but otherwise the material isn't that much different from Step 2 CK. Most US writers don't study very hard for it, any it still has a very high pass rate. The last part of the exam (case simulations) is like a medical video game, and was actually sort of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttoronto Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 I am a bit concerned about the CDM component. I am looking at the canadaQbank CDM questions and many of these are vague and options are worse! Any thoughts on how reflective is that of the real deal? Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 People generally do worse on CDM because the questions are extremely vague. E.g. they'll tell you "A 68 year old man comes to the ER with chest pain. List 5 things you would do". So is one of the 5 things washing my hands before entering the room? Introducing myself? Checking their ABCs? Has a nurse already put them on a monitor? etc. The USMLE step 3's clinical component is a far better exam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasattack Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Hi Everyone, If I purchase the Q bank, it is possible for it to be used by another student at the same time (i.e. from two different computers)? I'm assuming not, but just wanted to double check. Your help is appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttoronto Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Hi Everyone, If I purchase the Q bank, it is possible for it to be used by another student at the same time (i.e. from two different computers)? I'm assuming not, but just wanted to double check. Your help is appreciated! I'd try to find a way to get it for free! My school (UBC) got us all free access to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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