A current pass standing on the Therapeutic Decision Making Examination is required for acceptance to SIPPA. SIPPA applicants who have successfully completed the saskdocs pre-screen are eligible to sit the TDM Examination.

Applicants to SIPPA should be aware that it is a competitive process and that achieving a pass standing on the TDM examination does not guarantee selection for the SIPPA program. All applicants to SIPPA must meet eligibility requirements as set out by saskdocs and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.

What is the Therapeutics Decision Making (TDM) examination?

Please see the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) website for information about the examination.

The content is developed by the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) and is administered by the Practice-Ready Assessment (PRA) programs for use in the selection of candidates into PRA programs. If you obtain a pass result, you will not be allowed to retake the examination in an attempt to get a higher score. 

The pass score is established through a rigorous standard setting exercise by a panel of physician subject matter experts from across the country. Results are valid across jurisdictional PRA programs that require the TDM Examination. Candidates are required to declare previous TDM Examination attempts.

 

For more infromation on the Therapeutics Decision-Making (TDM) Examination, please see the Candidate Information Sheet.

Effective March 01, 2022, SIPPA applicants who have not yet achieved the NAC OSCE requirement will be permitted to sit the TDM examination. All other requirements must be satisfied to be eligible for an invitation to sit the TDM. The TDM examination’s durability is three years.

Applicants will need to obtain the NAC OSCE and meet all other eligibility criteria as set out by saskdocs and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan and reach a Final Ruling in time to be selected for an iteration within those three years to be considered for SIPPA selection. 

Applicants to SIPPA should be aware that it is a competitive process and that achieving a pass standing on the TDM Examination does not guarantee selection for the SIPPA program.

Effective March 2023 all applicants who sit the NAC PRA TDM Examination will pay a fee of $2590. All other associated costs (travel, accommodation, etc.) are the responsibility of the physician applicant writing the examination.

TDM Examination dates can be found on the Medical Council of Canada website.

Please see either the Important Updates section on the SIPPA website or the Medical Council of Canada website for any updates regarding the examination.

Candidates must review and be familiar with the Medical Council of Canada Test Security Guidelines prior to writing the TDM Examination.

Transfer of registration or fees to a future TDM Examination date is not permitted. Should you choose to withdraw, you must receive an invitation for a future examination.

Candidates who withdraw more than 120 hours prior to the exam date will receive a partial refund of the full exam fee minus $400. Candidates who withdraw less than 120 hours of the exam date, will forfeit the full exam fee. 

All fees will be forfeited if:

  • you did not withdraw before the withdrawal deadline date, or
  • you are absent on the day of the exam

Further information on withdrawing can be found on the Medical Council of Canada website.

For information on extension of the TDM Examination result validity period, please see the Medical Council of Canada website.

Once the Validity Period has expired, you will need to retake the examination should you wish to be considered once more for a practice-ready assessment. You are allowed a maximum of two pass results per lifetime. If you obtain a pass result, you will not be allowed to retake the examination in an attempt to get a higher score within the three-year period. 

For information on limited exam attempts, please see the Medical Council of Canada website.

Results are released to the PRA Programs 8 weeks after the examination date. Result letters will be uploaded to your physiciansapply.ca account by the Medical Council of Canada. You will receive a notification by email and a message in your physiciansapply.ca account stating that you can verify your results through your account.

For further information please see the Medical Council of Canada website.

The MCC has compiled a list of reference books and online reference materials that may be helpful in preparing for the examination. For further information please see the Medical Council of Canada website.