Kaplan can help physicians prepare for the MCCQE Part 1 and
Part 2 examinations. The clinical science areas are well covered
in our
USMLE Step 2 CK Notes, Q Book, and videotapes. A full-length
multiple-choice simulated exam, available on CD as well as in our
centers, will help you assess your progress, and the detailed
feedback from our diagnostic and simulation will pinpoint where
you need to further review and how you perform across topics and
item styles. As these materials are updated regularly, you can be
assured that they cover the crucial and current information you
need to do well on both MCCQE examinations.
Our
Step 2 CK Qbank (available as an add-on purchase) contains
one thousand up-to-date practice questions with content and
test-taking feedback and full explanations for both correct and
incorrect choices.
We recommend that you order/obtain copies of the Medical
Council of Canada's general Objectives and the CLEO objectives
and check each topic off as you cover it using the Kaplan Notes
and lectures.
To begin your actual review process, take the Kaplan USMLE
Step 2 CK Diagnostic test. The feedback from this diagnostic will
provide you with a current profile of your strengths and
weaknesses on each clinical science subject. If you suspect that
you are very weak in a critical basic science subject that will
affect performance on the MCCQE Part 1, ask your Kaplan center
staff to allow you to take the USMLE Step 1 Diagnostic test as
well. A similar profile of strengths and weaknesses on basic
science subjects will then help you determine whether you need to
devote time to any critical aspects of this content prior to
reviewing the clinical subjects. (Deficiencies in basic concepts
of Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology are the ones most
likely to cause problems, so don't overspend time reviewing basic
science material that is less clinically relevant.)
The Step 2 CK Notes and lectures (delivered live or available
on videotape in Kaplan centers) cover approximately 85-90% of
what is assessed on the MCC examinations. As you work through the
Notes, use the wide margins to highlight key aspects and to
insert any personal mnemonics, diagrams, etc. that you find
useful in recalling important concepts. You will be using these
marginal notes to cover the highest yield aspects of all the
clinical material again quickly during the final two weeks prior
to your test date.
One of the high yield topics on these exams is Preventative
Medicine and Public Health. Kaplan's Step 2 CK review materials
provide an excellent review of this area. In addition, Kaplan's
USMLE Step 3 program has proved very helpful in preparing for
the clinical skills component of the MCCQE Part 1. The simulated
CD has also proven to be very useful for the clinical skills
segments of the MCCQE Part 1. Beyond these materials, your review
should include the legal/ethical aspects and organization of
health care delivery in Canada. Check with your Kaplan Center, as
materials covering these aspects may be available there.
Once you have finished reviewing, take Kaplan's simulated Step
2 CK exam on CD-ROM and use the feedback, provided for overall
and clinical subject performance, to guide your final reviewing
efforts. You should also take the two sample tests available on
the MCC website at this time, to ensure that the software and
question formats of the CB-MCCQE Part 1 examination are fresh in
your mind and to fine-tune your strategies and pacing. Refer back
to your high yield marginal notations in Kaplan's Notes to
clarify and correct your recall of any topics in which you
perform poorly. The
Step 2 CK Qbank is also available as an add-on resource for
clinical science practice questions to help you assess your
progress.
Following these reviewing recommendations will provide you
with a thorough preparation for the MCCQE examinations. Many
physicians have used this approach and achieved high scores on
these examinations, so you can be assured that it works.
Practice Opportunities
The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) offers two sample practice
tests at its Web site (http://www.mcc.ca) to allow candidates to become
familiar with the software features, content, and style of its
computer-administered Part 1 examination prior to appearing for
their testing. One sample test is provided for the
multiple-choice section; the other sample test is for the CRS, or
clinical reasoning skills, section. All examinees are urged to
try these sample tests to gain familiarity with the software
features and formats of the new computer-based MCCQE-Part 1.
