The MCCQE blueprint
Dimensions of care, share of the exam
- Health promotion & prevention20%
- Acute care35%
- Chronic care30%
- Psychosocial aspects15%
Physician activities, share of the exam
- Assessment / diagnosis45%
- Management35%
- Communication10%
- Professional behaviours10%
Every MCCQE form is built to four dimensions of care crossed with four physician activities, each with a ±5 percentage point tolerance.
Last reviewed 2026-09-30
More detail
The MCC builds every MCCQE form to a two-way test specification: four dimensions of care crossed with four physician activities. Each target has a tolerance of ±5 percentage points.
Dimensions of care — the focus of care
| Dimension of care | Weight |
|---|---|
| Health promotion & illness prevention | 20% ± 5 |
| Acute | 35% ± 5 |
| Chronic | 30% ± 5 |
| Psychosocial aspects | 15% ± 5 |
Acute and chronic care together make up about two-thirds of the exam. Health promotion includes screening, immunization and counselling; psychosocial aspects include mental health, social determinants and family and community context.
Physician activities — what you are asked to do
| Physician activity | Weight |
|---|---|
| Assessment / diagnosis | 45% ± 5 |
| Management | 35% ± 5 |
| Communication | 10% ± 5 |
| Professional behaviours | 10% ± 5 |
Assessment and diagnosis (history, examination, investigations, interpreting results) is the single largest block. Management is next. Communication and professional behaviours — consent, confidentiality, disclosure, ethics — are smaller but reliably present.
How PassMCCQE uses the blueprint
- Clinical case drills are grouped by the four dimensions of care, with the MCC's weights.
- MCQ practice is organized by discipline, because that's how most candidates study. The discipline mix below is PassMCCQE's study suggestion — the MCC doesn't publish discipline weights.
| Discipline | Study mix | ≈ Qs of 230 |
|---|---|---|
| Internal medicine incl. cardiology, respirology, GI, nephrology, endocrinology, ID, neurology, hematology | 30% | ≈69 |
| General surgery, trauma, orthopedics, urology, emergency medicine and anesthesia basics | 17% | ≈39 |
| Pediatrics incl. neonatology, growth & development | 14% | ≈32 |
| Obstetrics, gynecology, contraception and reproductive health | 14% | ≈32 |
| Psychiatry, addictions and mental health | 12% | ≈28 |
| Population health, prevention & screening, ethics, legal and organizational aspects of Canadian practice | 13% | ≈30 |
Practise across the blueprint
Track your accuracy by discipline and by dimension of care.
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Frequently asked questions
Which dimension of care carries the most weight on the MCCQE?
Acute care, at 35% ± 5%, followed by chronic care at 30% ± 5%.
Does the MCC publish weights by discipline (medicine, surgery, pediatrics…)?
No. The test specifications are by dimension of care and physician activity. Any discipline percentages you see, including PassMCCQE’s study mix, are study suggestions.