How I Passed the MCCQE Part 1 After Failing Twice: An IMG's 3-Month Study Strategy

For many International Medical Graduates, the MCCQE Part 1 feels impossible. You study for months, sacrifice sleep, spend money on every resource you can find — and still fall short.

Recently, a doctor shared her candid story of failing the MCCQE1 twice before finally passing on her third attempt in April 2023. What changed wasn't effort — she was already studying harder than most. What changed was her strategy.

Her story isn't unique, but her honesty is. And the lessons she learned apply directly to anyone preparing for the 2026 all-MCQ format.

Note: This candidate took the exam in April 2023, when the MCCQE Part 1 still included Clinical Decision Making (CDM) cases. As of April 2025, the MCC removed CDM entirely — the exam is now 100% multiple-choice questions. Her study principles remain highly applicable, but CDM-specific advice no longer applies to the current format.

The Mistakes: Why Studying Harder Made Things Worse

In her first two attempts, she did what most anxious students do — she drowned herself in information. She admitted to studying longer hours and putting in more effort than she did when she actually passed.

Here's what went wrong:

Resource overload. She used 3+ textbooks and subscribed to 3+ question banks simultaneously. Instead of building a coherent knowledge base, she created fragmentation and confusion. Different sources explained the same concepts differently, and her brain couldn't consolidate any of it.
The 6-month trap. She studied over six months. That sounds thorough, but by month six she had forgotten what she studied in month one. Without a structured review system, long timelines can actually hurt retention.
No routine. She studied sporadically — 8 hours one day, 1 hour the next. This inconsistency prevented her brain from building reliable study habits.
Group study drain. She paid for group study sessions that didn't match her learning pace or gaps. What helped others didn't necessarily help her.
No exam date booked. She studied without a deadline, waiting until she "felt ready" — which, as every candidate knows, never actually happens.

These are common mistakes. If you recognise yourself in any of them, that's a good thing — it means you can fix them.

The Turning Point: A "Less Is More" Approach

For her third attempt, she did the opposite of everything that failed. She condensed her timeline to 3 months, booked the exam date in advance (non-refundable motivation), and created a strict, simplified plan.

Here's the exact strategy she used — while working a full-time job.

The "20/20" Daily Routine (Monday–Friday)

She dispelled the myth that you can't work and study simultaneously. In fact, the structure of a job helped her discipline. Her weekday routine focused entirely on active recall through questions — not passive reading.

Morning (5:00 AM – 7:00 AM):

20 questions (half a block)
Read the question → pick an answer → read the explanation → move on
No opening textbooks. No going down rabbit holes
Goal: Speed. The MCCQE Part 1 forces you to answer each question in under 90 seconds. You must train for that pace

Evening (2 hours after work):

Complete the remaining 20 questions of the block
Same rules: pick, review explanation, move on

Subject blocking: She dedicated specific days to specific subjects (Monday for OB/GYN, Tuesday for Pediatrics, etc.) to cover approximately 5 subjects per week.

That's it. 40 questions per day. No marathon sessions. No burnout.

The Weekend Review (3–4 Hours Total)

Weekends were for rest and targeted reading — not comprehensive review.

Single resource: Toronto Notes (latest version)
Strategy: Read only the chapters relevant to questions she missed during the week
This reinforced practical knowledge rather than creating new information overload

Resources: Quality Over Quantity

She stripped her resources down to the bare minimum:

Resource	Purpose
Toronto Notes	Single source for content review
UWorld	Clinical reasoning and general blocks
CanadaQBank	Ethics, population health, and Canadian-specific content

Two question banks and one textbook. That's the entire toolkit.

Compare this to her failed attempts where she used 3+ of each. The reduction wasn't a compromise — it was the strategy.

The Secret Weapons: Ethics and Population Health

This is the insight most IMGs miss. Many candidates obsess over clinical questions — cardiology, respirology, GI — because that's what feels like "real medicine." But they ignore the Canadian-specific non-clinical topics that the MCCQE heavily tests.

She identified two free resources that made the difference:

For ethics: The CMPA (Canadian Medical Protective Association) website. Specifically the "Duties and Responsibilities" sections covering consent, capacity, confidentiality, and mandatory reporting. These are Canadian-specific legal and ethical frameworks that foreign training simply doesn't cover.

For population health: The AFMC Primer on population health. This is the gold standard for Canadian public health concepts — epidemiology, social determinants of health, and health promotion from a Canadian perspective.

Both resources are free and directly aligned with MCC exam objectives. If you're an IMG, these two resources alone can recover significant marks that other candidates leave on the table. For more on what IMGs specifically need to study, see our complete IMG pathway guide.

What This Means for the 2026 Format

Her experience was with the pre-2025 format that included CDM cases. The current MCCQE Part 1 is 230 MCQs with no CDM component. But her core principles translate perfectly:

Her Principle	2026 Application
40 questions/day minimum	Still the right volume — build to 50–80/day by month 3
3-month focused timeline	Aligns with our recommended study plan
One textbook only	Still valid — Toronto Notes remains the standard
Subject blocking by day	Effective for systematic coverage of MCC objectives
Speed training	Even more critical — 230 MCQs in 320 minutes means 1.4 min/question
Ethics + population health focus	These topics now carry more weight without CDM to compensate

The biggest adaptation: since CDM cases no longer exist, all your preparation time goes into MCQ practice. This actually makes her "questions-first" approach even more relevant in 2026.

Her Advice — In Her Own Words

"Try something different. Don't waste your time doing the same thing and expecting different results."

If you're struggling, stop looking at what everyone else is doing. The sheer volume of material does not equal success.

Train for speed. Do questions to get faster, not just to learn facts
Read the objectives. Go to the MCC website and read the exam objectives. If it's on that list, study it. If it's not, skip it
Book the date first. Deadlines create focus. Open-ended preparation creates procrastination
Don't give up. She failed twice. She waited a full year before her third attempt. But by analysing her errors and changing her approach — not just her effort — she made it

Key Takeaways

More resources ≠ better preparation. One textbook + one comprehensive question bank is enough
3 months beats 6 months when the shorter timeline is structured and consistent
Questions are the primary study method, not supplementary. Reading should support your question practice — not the other way around
Canadian-specific content (ethics, population health, CanMEDS) is where IMG scores diverge from CMGs. Specifically study it
A daily routine you can sustain matters more than hours you can't maintain

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you pass the MCCQE Part 1 while working full-time?

Yes — this candidate proved it. The key is a consistent daily routine (2 hours morning + 2 hours evening) rather than trying to cram on occasional free days. Working full-time actually provides structure that helps maintain discipline. What matters is the quality and consistency of your study sessions, not the total hours.

How many practice questions do you need to pass the MCCQE Part 1?

Most successful candidates complete 2,500–3,500 practice questions during their preparation. At 40 questions per day (this candidate's routine), you'd complete approximately 2,400 questions over 3 months — right in the target range. See our MCCQE study plan for a detailed week-by-week breakdown.

Is it normal to fail the MCCQE Part 1?

The first-time IMG pass rate is approximately 58% — meaning nearly half of IMGs don't pass on their first attempt. There's no shame in failing, and there's no limit on retake attempts. The important thing is to analyse what went wrong and change your approach, not just increase your effort.

What's the best study schedule for the MCCQE Part 1?

A focused 3-month study plan with daily consistency works for most candidates. Start with content review (month 1), move to heavy question practice (month 2), and finish with full-length simulations and weak area review (month 3). Book your exam date before you start studying to create accountability.

This post is based on the personal experience shared in this video by a successful MCCQE Part 1 candidate. Individual experiences vary — adapt these strategies to your own learning style and circumstances.