MCCQE Pass Score Explained: 439, Good Scores and Real Pass Rates

The MCCQE pass score is 439, on a scale that runs from 300 to 600. It has applied to every session since April 2025, when the exam became multiple-choice only. A total score of 439 or higher is a pass, whatever other candidates score in your session. The old pass score of 226 belongs to the exam as it ran up to October 2024 and no longer applies.

This guide explains how the score works, why you cannot turn it into a percentage, what a good score looks like, when 2027 results come out, and what the Medical Council of Canada’s own figures say about pass rates for Canadian and international medical graduates.

Exam information checked against mcc.ca on 1 November 2026. The MCC can change dates and fees, so check the linked MCC pages before you book anything.

What is the MCCQE pass score?

The MCCQE pass score is 439. The MCC reports your total score on a scale from 300 to 600, with a mean of 450 and a standard deviation of 30. It fixed that mean and standard deviation using the April 2025 results, then set the pass score through a standard-setting exercise in July 2025. The pass score stays at 439 until the MCC runs its next standard-setting exercise.

Passing depends only on reaching 439. There is no curve and no quota, so a strong group of candidates in your session cannot push you below the line.

Sources: MCC MCCQE results page, MCCQE exam page and MCCQE Part I Annual Technical Report 2024.

What percentage do you need to pass the MCCQE?

There is no official percentage. The MCC scores the exam with a statistical model (the Rasch model) that takes account of how hard each question is, then places your result on the 300 to 600 scale. Its guidance says scaled scores should not be converted to percentages, and it does not publish a number of correct answers needed to pass.

Two things follow from that. Candidates who write different versions of the exam can get the same number of questions right and still receive different scaled scores, because the versions are not equally hard and the scale corrects for it. And any “you need 60 to 65 percent” rule you read on a forum is a guess, not an MCC figure.

Each section also contains pilot questions (pre-test items) that the MCC is trying out. You cannot tell which ones they are, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question.

What is a good MCCQE score?

For licensure, any score from 439 upwards is a pass, and a pass is what counts. Since 26 January 2026 the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) needs two things: a pass on the MCCQE and a source-verified medical degree.

Beyond passing, read your score against the scale. The mean was set at 450 with a standard deviation of 30, so 480 sits one standard deviation above the April 2025 mean and 510 sits two above it. The MCC also warns against reading too much into small differences. The scale is built to be most precise around the pass score, and a few points either way can fall within measurement error.

If you are an international medical graduate applying for residency, the programs that look at MCCQE results set their own expectations. Read the program descriptions for the places you are applying to, rather than chasing a target number from a forum thread.

Can I compare my score with the old 100 to 400 scale?

Not directly. The exam changed in 2025, and the MCC says there is no official crosswalk between the old and new scales. What you can compare is distance from the pass score. The MCC’s own example: a score of 469 on the new scale and a score of 256 on the scale used from 2018 to October 2024 both sit one standard deviation above their pass scores, so they reflect similar relative performance.

MCCQE pass rates: the official numbers

The most recent pass rates the MCC has published are in its MCCQE Part I Annual Technical Report 2024. They describe the exam before the 2025 changes, so use them to see the gap between groups rather than as a forecast for the new format. The MCC had not published a report covering 2025 when we checked.

Source: MCC, MCCQE Part I Annual Technical Report 2024, Table 10 (pass rates April 2020 to October 2024). Column headings are the MCC’s reporting periods. Canadian graduates are graduates of Canadian medical schools.

In 2024, 3,523 international medical graduates wrote the exam for the first time and 53% of them passed. By session, the first-attempt pass rate for international graduates was 52.3% in April, 60.7% in August and 46.1% in October 2024. Canadian graduates writing for the first time passed at 94%.

The field is also getting bigger. The MCC reports that 5,274 candidates wrote the new exam in April 2025, compared with 4,040 in April 2024.

Why the gap? Canadian graduates write the exam straight out of a Canadian curriculum. Many international graduates are meeting Canadian guidelines, the Canadian health system and Canadian law and ethics for the first time. The MCC itself has said that international graduates “can struggle to understand Canadian cultural expectations and professional ethics”. Those topics are part of the exam blueprint, so plan for them from the start rather than leaving them to the last week.

Where the marks come from: the MCCQE blueprint

The MCC builds every version of the exam to the same blueprint, which has two dimensions. The domain subscores in your results report follow these headings, so this is also how your feedback will be organized.

Source: the blueprint grid on the MCC MCCQE exam page. The content itself comes from the MCC Examination Objectives.

Two points stand out. Assessment and diagnosis plus management make up about 80% of the exam, so most questions ask what is going on and what you would do next. Communication and professional behaviours make up about 20%, and psychosocial aspects about 15%. Questions on consent, capacity, confidentiality and reporting duties are likely to fall in these areas, and they are where unfamiliarity with Canadian practice costs marks.

In our MCCQE question bank, 405 of the 3,310 questions cover population health, ethics, legal and organizational aspects of medicine (PHELO), the part of the MCC objectives where Canadian rules matter most.

When will I get my MCCQE results?

MCCQE results come out 4 weeks after the last day of the January, August and October sessions, and 5 weeks after the last day of the April session. Applying that rule to the 2027 sessions gives the dates below. The MCC announces each release, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise.

Exam windows from the MCC scheduling page (“Dates are subject to change”). Results dates are our arithmetic from the MCC’s 4 and 5 week rule.

If you wrote in the combined August to October 2026 session, results come out in three batches, each 4 weeks after the last exam date in that batch. The session ended on Wednesday 21 October 2026, so the final batch is due around Wednesday 18 November 2026.

You will receive a Statement of Results with your final result and total score, and a Supplemental Information Report that shows your relative strengths and weaknesses by domain. The MCC says subscores are less reliable than the total score, because each one rests on far fewer questions. Use them to steer your next round of study, not to compare yourself with other candidates.

What if I do not pass?

You can write the MCCQE up to four times. After a third attempt you must wait one year before applying for the fourth. Each attempt needs a new application through your physiciansapply.ca account and a new fee, currently CA$1,500 and non-refundable. The MCC notes that its fees can change without notice.

Start with your Supplemental Information Report. A weak result in one area, such as psychosocial aspects or professional behaviours, points to a specific gap. Work on that area in timed blocks of questions before you go back to mixed practice. In 2024, 41% of international graduates passed on a repeat attempt, so changing how you prepare matters more than adding hours to the same routine.

Frequently asked questions

What is the MCCQE pass score?

The MCCQE pass score is 439 on a scale from 300 to 600, with a mean of 450 and a standard deviation of 30. It applies to every session from April 2025 onwards. A total score of 439 or higher is a pass.

What percentage do I need to pass the MCCQE?

There is no official percentage. The MCC scores the exam with the Rasch model, which accounts for how hard each question is, and says scaled scores should not be converted to percentages. It does not publish a number of correct answers needed to pass.

Does the MCCQE still have CDM questions?

No. Since April 2025 the MCCQE has been 230 multiple-choice questions in two sections of 115, with up to 2 hours 40 minutes per section. The clinical decision-making (CDM) section was part of the exam only up to October 2024.

How long does it take to get MCCQE results?

Results are released 4 weeks after the last day of the January, August and October sessions, and 5 weeks after the last day of the April session.

What is the MCCQE pass rate for international medical graduates?

In 2024, 53% of international medical graduates passed on their first attempt, against 94% of Canadian graduates (MCC Annual Technical Report 2024). These figures are from the exam before the 2025 changes; the MCC has not yet published rates for the new format.

How many times can you take the MCCQE?

Up to four times. After a third attempt you must wait one year before applying for the fourth.

Sources

• Medical Council of Canada, MCCQE (format and blueprint grid)
• Medical Council of Canada, MCCQE results
• Medical Council of Canada, Score interpretation
• Medical Council of Canada, Multiple-choice questions
• Medical Council of Canada, MCCQE scheduling
• Medical Council of Canada, Eligibility and application and Fees
• Medical Council of Canada, MCCQE Part I Annual Technical Report 2024 (PDF), Tables 8 and 10
• Medical Council of Canada news, Important update to LMCC eligibility and issuance starting January 26, 2026
• Medical Council of Canada news, November 2025 update (April 2025 candidate numbers)
• Medical Council of Canada news, Webinar: preparing for practice in Canada (4 February 2026)