CCFP Certification Examination: Candidate Guide

The CFPC’s Certification Examination in Family Medicine leads to Certification in the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP). Candidates must meet the applicable training or practice eligibility requirements and pass both the written and oral examination components.

The SAMP format is changing: beginning in April 2026, up to 25% of cases may use multiple-choice or short-menu questions. The CFPC has announced that all cases will use multiple-choice and short-menu formats in 2027.

Mainpro+ is the CFPC’s separate Maintenance of Certification Program for maintaining credentials after certification; it is not part of the initial certification examination.

The written and oral components are taken on different days and test different kinds of performance.

The SOO simulates an outpatient office consultation, not a test of telemedicine technique; no physical examination is expected. CFPC reports results for each component and overall. Candidates must pass both components, and there is no predetermined number of individual cases or stations that must be passed.

The Assessment Objectives for Certification in Family Medicine are a major guide to examination content. They describe skills and observable competencies in context. The SAMP Examination Blueprint explains how written content is selected and balanced across topics, clinical encounters, care settings, and patient contexts. The CFPC describes the blueprint as an examination-development resource, not a standalone study guide.

The CFPC materials describe balancing principles, not candidate-facing topic percentages. Use the Assessment Objectives to organize review and the blueprint to keep written-case preparation broad.

The CFPC has residency-eligible and practice-eligible routes. Requirements depend on training history, medical-school accreditation, practice experience, membership, licensure, and supporting documentation. This outline is not a substitute for checking the current CFPC criteria for your circumstances.

Both practice-eligible categories have additional requirements, including colleague references and completion of the CLASS Program within the applicable period; documentation and licensure verification requirements vary by category. All candidates initially take the complete examination. If unsuccessful on both components, they must repeat the full examination. If unsuccessful on one component, they may retake that component up to three times before repeating the full examination, subject to active eligibility. Check the CFPC application page for current route requirements and instructions.

1. Organize review around the Assessment Objectives. Build a broad plan across common family medicine problems, settings, encounter types, and patient contexts. Do not treat the SAMP Blueprint as a list of topic weights.
2. Practice focused SAMP responses. Read the case and each question carefully, provide the number and type of answers requested, and avoid adding material that was not asked for. For 2026 examinations, include practice with write-in and select-answer formats. For 2027, prepare for the announced multiple-choice and short-menu formats across all cases.
3. Rehearse SOOs aloud under station timing. Use reading time to orient to the case, then practice a focused office consultation that explores the patient’s experience and context, addresses the clinical issues, finds common ground, and closes with a plan for ongoing care. No physical examination is expected in the scenarios.
4. Connect reasoning and communication without treating the components as interchangeable. After a written case, explain the plan as you would to a patient, then practice adapting the conversation to the patient’s context and priorities.
5. Use active clinical learning. The CFPC recommends clinical participation and learning activities such as case discussions, rounds, and journal clubs, alongside an individual continuing medical education plan.
6. Simulate the administration. Use timed written practice and five-station SOO circuits. If using remote delivery, check the current technical and identity-verification instructions well before exam day.

• Check current session information. Use the CFPC examination page and eligibility/application page for current dates, fees, application windows, deadlines, and instructions; do not rely on details from a prior sitting.
• Plan for the separate delivery arrangements. SAMPs may be taken at a Prometric test center or through remote proctoring. SOOs are virtual, and candidates receive instructions for their assigned administration.
• Prepare acceptable identification. The candidate guide requires valid government-issued photo identification for both components. Confirm the current identity-check instructions before exam day.
• Arrange accommodations in advance. Requests for testing-environment modifications, including additional break time, must be made before the examination through the CFPC process.
• Verify the route that matches your background. Comparable residency training and practice-eligible routes have distinct criteria. Internationally trained candidates should check the specific CFPC route and any credential-verification requirements that apply to them.