Candidates with a BSc or graduate degree(s) in a Biological discipline from a Canadian Post Secondary Institution and or University who have completed between 15 and 19 credits in Microbiology will be able to become Associate Members by writing a comprehensive examination, (including fundamental Microbiology, Metabolism and genetics, medical microbiology, environmental microbiology and food microbiology).
Candidates found eligible must be examined within one year of the date of their approval by the RMCCM Committee or a new application and examination fees will be required.
The candidate will have the choice to write the exam in English or in French. The exam is developed by the CCM/ AMQ joint RM exam committee.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
When
and where are the General Microbiology examinations held?
Examinations
are held after the candidate's application has been approved and they
hereby become an Associate Member. See Forms and Syllabus
The Registrar will contact a Fellow of the College in the candidates locality
to act as a Proctor who will assist them in their studies.
The examination
is taken at your local university or at a laboratory convenient for
the candidate and Proctor when the candidate is ready to be examined.
A candidate may make a maximum
of three attempts to pass successfully the Examination over a period
not exceeding three years from the time of her/his application to the
CCM.
What
if I miss a scheduled examination?
If
for some reason a candidate cannot take an examination when you are scheduled,
you must notify the Registrar's Office at least one week in advance.
The candidate will then be allowed to reschedule the examination with no penalty.
If
you do not appear for a scheduled examination without notice you will
forfeit your fee. The exam may be repeated on provision of another
fee.
How
long does the exam preparation take? Adequate
preparation time is dependent upon your level of education and experience.
The candidate will be supplied with a Syllabus to
help your preparation. All certification candiates are responsible
for their own study and preparation
as outlined in the Syllabus. Most
applicants who have had the required formal academic courses and work
experience do very well on the RM General Microbiology exam.
The Syllabus,
samples of questions used in past examinations, and recommended textbooks
can be seen at and downloaded from the CERTIFICATION:
FORMS
& SYLLABUS link
of this web site.
What
is the exam like? The RM certification exam is composed of two parts:
Part
A consists of 160 multiple choice questions. These are divided into
the following sections:
|
General
Knowledge of Microbiology (40), which MUST be completed by all candidates,
and a choice of four of the following six sections
(sections 2-7): |
|
Knowledge
of Microbial Metabolism and Genetics (20), |
|
Clinical
Bacteriology (20), |
|
Virology
(20), |
|
Mycology
(20), |
|
Parasitology
(20) and |
|
Industrial
Microbiology (20). |
Successful
candidates must achieve 60% in the General Knowledge section and an
average of 60% on the four other sections that they selected.
Part
B consists of writing two essays from a choice of four topics.
The candidate is marked on a pass/fail basis for section B. Successful
candidates much achieve a pass on both essays.
The FCCM certification requires a written examination followed by an oral examination. The written exam consists of 110 questions (for 110 marks). The oral exam is graded out of a total of 90 marks (see “Guidelines to the oral examination of FCCM). A total mark (graded out of 200), combining the marks from the written and oral exams, will be calculated for the candidate. In order to be successful, the candidate must (i) achieve 70% overall from the combined written/oral exam marks AND (ii) pass each of the six content areas on at least 2 of 3 questions on the oral exam.
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