Language Proficiency

French Language Proficiency

French-language proficiency is a pre-admission requirement for students starting the MDCM Program or Med-P qualifying year. This change is consistent with French- language proficiency pre-admission requirements of other health profession schools in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and with the Faculty’s Statement on Language Proficiency

“To provide essential services and safe care to all patients within a Quebec-based healthcare setting, students must achieve an appropriate level of French before entering their respective health profession program’s clinical affiliations where they integrate their knowledge, skills and attitudes. This will ensure all students have every opportunity to maximize their learning with all patients, families and fellow health care workers they meet during their studies at McGill University’’.

French-language minimum requirements:

• B2 (mid-intermediate) for Montreal Campus
• C1 (advanced) for Campus Outaouais (where the language of instruction for all courses is French)

For most learners, this is equivalent to completing the 200 (intermediate 2) or even 300 (intermediate 3) level courses at McGill’s School of Continuing Studies. The equivalent Canadian Language Benchmark level is approximately 6 to 8 ( view NCLC-AEL for an interactive self-assessment of English and French up to level 8); The Common European Framework of Reference level is approximately B2 to C1.

French-language requirement exemption:

1. All students who have completed both high school and CEGEP in Quebec (in English or French) will not be required to submit tests or certificates for proof of French-language proficiency. An unofficial copy of proof of high school (transcript or diploma) must be uploaded. The CEGEP transcript is received directly from the Ministry of Education.
2.  Successfully completed at least 1 year of secondary* or post-secondary study at an institution whose official language of instruction is French.
3. Candidates who wrote CASPer (score used for admission to medicine) in French.

*Please note that only full-time studies completed in French will be accepted; French Immersion schools outside of Quebec are not eligible.

Note: All applicants must submit proof of French-language proficiency. Once you have taken one of the French-language proficiency tests outlined below or meet the criteria for French-language exemption as outlined above, you may upload the proof to the Applicant Portal by the application deadline.

French-language proficiency test

Applicants who submit their application by November 1 (University-level MDCM/MDCM-PhD) or by March 1 (CEGEP-level Med-P) who do not meet one of the exemptions listed above must submit a valid French-language proficiency test score. A list of accepted tests is found below.

Candidates who do not complete one of the accepted tests will be required to take two online tests (a written test followed by an oral test for candidates who passed the first test) offered by McGill University's School of Continuing Studies at their own expense.

What you need to know about the School of Continuing Studies test

• For applicants who choose this option, it is a written test (online).
• It must be taken before the application deadline.
• Short-listed candidates will receive an invitation from Admissions to complete an oral test. 
• Test fees: Approximately $43.00 for the written test and $50.00 for the oral test.
• Please note a new written test must be taken prior to each application deadline.  The oral test is valid for one calendar year.

Table of accepted tests

Please note that some test scores are only valid for a certain number of years. Refer to your statement of results for more information. Only valid test scores or certifications will be accepted.

*scores are valid for 2 years

Pathways for underrepresented groups in medicine

Candidates applying in the Rural and Small Populations, Indigenous or Black Student Application Pathways are invited to contact the Undergraduate Medical Admissions Office: admissions.med [at] mcgill.ca to learn about options for support or accommodations in meeting the language proficiency requirement.

French proficiency (language requirements for professions)

Graduates of McGill medical programs are subject to the Collège des médecins du Québec’s Working knowledge of the French language requirements for medical licensure in Québec.

Quebec law requires that candidates seeking admission to provincially recognized professional corporations, such as the Collège des médecins du Québec, must be able to communicate in French (spoken and written). To demonstrate working knowledge of French, the professional corporation requires one of the following:

• Evidence that you have completed three years of full-time instruction in a French post-primary school
• A certificate that shows you completed your secondary education in Quebec, as of 1986 or later, or
• Successful completion of a written examination set by Quebec's Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). See below for more information.

If you are a registered student and are within two years of graduating with a degree that will give you access to a professional corporation, you can write the OQLF examination. Examinations take place every three months with no limit on the number of attempts possible. However, priority is given to students who are closest to graduation. To obtain an application form, contact Enrolment Services.

For more information, contact:

Office québécois de la langue française
125 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec, H2X 1X4
Telephone: 514-873-6565.
Website: www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca.

English and French Communication Skills

Medical students will interact with francophone patients in the teaching hospitals and may also be assigned to francophone training sites for their clinical rotations. Students are introduced to clinical observation in the first year of the MDCM program. The students will take on more active responsibilities upon entering clerkship in third year. Our clinical environment is bilingual or francophone, so it is important to feel comfortable and prepared to work in both French and English, as per the MDCM Language Policy. Students may also register for English and French courses during their studies in the MDCM program, as per the UGME Registration Policy

Note: Multiple choice exams are given in English only at the Montreal campus. Students may answer short-answer questions on exams in French and may submit assignments in French. For Campus Outaouais, the exams and teaching materials are in French, and students submit assignments in French.

Some of the clinical communication competencies students will exercise during their studies include: listening to a patient describe their reason for consulting, asking questions to take a medical history, speaking with healthcare professionals (such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists) about cases, often in a fast-paced or high-stakes environment in person or on the phone, and writing notes in a file that are clear for other healthcare professionals.

To offer helpful suggestions for language learning resources, use this Resource list to explore the various language courses at McGill or elsewhere, as well as resources you can use on your own!
english_french_language_resource_list_eng.pdf

English Language Proficiency

Since fall 2021, proof of English-language proficiency is only required for candidates educated exclusively outside of Canada in non-English speaking countries, as per the McGill-wide policy for English proficiency.

For candidates who are required to submit their test score, the item will be added to their Applicant Portal.