Welcome to the first monthly Exam Update: one piece of news for each exam we cover, with links to our new articles and the official source for every fact. There is a free practice question at the end.
SMLE
No new rules or dates this month. New on the blog: SMLE Exam 2026: Format, Sections and Scoring, and our SMLE sample questions page now has 20 questions with answers (source: SCFHS SMLE Applicant Guide).
PLAB 1
Once you pass PLAB 1 you have two years to pass PLAB 2, and the clock starts on the day you sat the test, not the day results came out (source: GMC PLAB 1 guide). Read how many times you can take PLAB 1 and PLAB 1 past papers: what exists.
MCCQE
The MCC now sells a full 230-question Preparatory Examination form for $1 (source: Medical Council of Canada, July 21, 2026). Warm up first with our free MCCQE1 practice test: 20 questions with answers.
AMC CAT MCQ
The AMC raised the MCQ pass standard slightly from 2026, but results are still reported on a 0–500 scale with the pass mark described as 250 (source: Australian Medical Council, 17 December 2025). Read AMC CAT MCQ results and the pass standard and the AMC pathway, step by step.
USMLE Step 2 CK
Since May 7, 2026, Step 2 CK runs as sixteen 30-minute blocks of up to 20 questions, and the passing score is 218 (source: USMLE). See free Step 2 CK practice exams: what’s official and the new Step 2 CK question of the week.
TDM
Applications for the January 13, 2027 TDM Examination close on October 26, 2026 at 4.00 p.m. Eastern Time, and you now apply directly to the MCC (source: Medical Council of Canada). Read how to prepare for the TDM exam and TDM results 2026: when and how they’re released.
CCFP SAMP
The Fall 2026 SAMPs are on October 13–14, 2026, and from 2026 up to a quarter of SAMP cases use multiple-choice or short-menu questions (source: CFPC). See CFPC exam dates and fees 2026–2027 and a 10-week SAMP prep plan.
MRCP UK Part 2
Applications for the 2027/1 Part 2 Written diet run 8–15 December 2026, for the exam on 24 February 2027 (source: Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians). Start with MRCP Part 2 sample questions with answers and a 12-week MRCP Part 2 study plan.
Free question of the month
From the TopQbank MCCQE question bank, reviewed by licensed doctors.
A wedding reception in Ontario is attended by 240 guests. Within 48 hours, 60 guests develop vomiting and diarrhea meeting the outbreak case definition. Public health confirms that all guests had comparable opportunities for exposure. Three affected guests die, while no deaths occur among guests who remained well. Investigators want to summarize both transmission during the event and disease severity. Which pair of measures is calculated correctly?
A) Attack rate 20%; case-fatality rate 1.25%
B) Attack rate 25%; case-fatality rate 1.25%
C) Attack rate 20%; case-fatality rate 5%
D) Attack rate 26.3%; case-fatality rate 5%
E) Attack rate 25%; case-fatality rate 5%
See the answer
E) Attack rate 25%; case-fatality rate 5%. The attack rate is 60/240 = 25%. The case-fatality rate uses affected cases as its denominator and is 3/60 = 5%.
Want 19 more? Try the free MCCQE1 practice test.
Practice by exam at topqbank.com/qbanks.