Royal College Neurology Exams (Canada)
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Next registration and exam dates
Roadmap to neurology in Canada
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After medical school: the CaRMS match
Final year of medical school
Canadian graduates go straight to the CaRMS R-1 match. For the 2027 match (first iteration): applications open 9 September 2026, file review from 26 November 2026, interviews 16 January to 7 February 2027, match day 2 March 2027. Residency usually starts on 1 July.
The MCCQE Part I is usually taken around the final year of medical school. Since 26 January 2026 the LMCC needs a pass in MCCQE Part I and degree source verification; it is one input to provincial licensure.
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Neurology residency (medicine included)
5 years (PGY-1 to PGY-5)
Adult neurology is a direct-entry Royal College programme. The first 24 months are foundational training that includes at least 10 months of internal medicine; there is no separate medicine step.
Paediatric neurology is also 5 years, with 24 months of foundations that include 12 months of paediatrics.
Training follows Competence by Design stages: Transition to Discipline, Foundations, Core and Transition to Practice. In 2026 there were 75 adult and 9 paediatric neurology positions.
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In-training exams: the RITE in some programmes; NITECaP in child neurology
Every year (programme-dependent)
There is no national adult neurology in-training exam. Some adult programmes (Alberta, Western and Ottawa, for example) use the AAN RITE, held in February: the 2027 window is 4–9 February 2027, with registration closing 4 December 2026. Programmes also run their own short-answer mock exams and OSCEs.
Paediatric neurology: NITECaP, an annual 3-hour short-answer exam (45 to 55 questions, 250 marks) taken in PGY-1 to PGY-5 in all 8 programmes.
About the RITE -
Certification: Royal College written, then applied
Written about PGY-4 (March/April); applied PGY-5 (June)
The written exam comes at the end of the Core stage, in late March or early April at regional centres. The applied (oral) exam is in June in Ottawa, near the end of PGY-5.
Eligibility assessment is due by 30 April of the year before a spring exam; spring 2027 registration closes 4 November 2026. Certification also needs completion of Transition to Practice, not only the exams.
Where the exam fits
The written exam comes at the end of the Core stage, about PGY-4, in late March or early April. The applied (oral) exam follows in June, near the end of PGY-5. Certification also needs completion of Transition to Practice.
Royal College neurology exam: the details
One exam board covers adult and paediatric neurology. The written and applied components are decoupled: a candidate who passes the written does not resit it after failing the applied.
Written component
| Registration | Spring 2027: 1 September – 4 November 2026. |
|---|---|
| Structure | Paper 1 (Day 1): the Adult or the Paediatric paper, matching your stream. Paper 2 (Day 2): a Common paper for both streams. The two are combined into one written score. |
| Number of questions | About 45 to 55 short-answer questions per paper |
| Options per question | None: short-answer (free text), marked against model answers with partial marks and no negative marking. |
| Duration | Two 3-hour papers |
| Delivery | On a Royal College laptop at regional exam centres. |
| Pass rule | 70% |
| Fee | CAD 2,565 |
Applied component
| Structure | A structured oral exam of 8 stations, which can include a history from an examiner, tele-consultation, interpretation of videos, imaging or neurodiagnostic tests, counselling and ethics. |
|---|---|
| Duration | About 2 hours (the Royal College lists 8 content stations of 14 minutes, plus reading time and breaks). |
| Delivery | In person in Ottawa from 2027. |
| Pass rule | 70% |
| Fee | CAD 2,565 |
All registration and exam dates
Dates are set by the board and can change. Always check the official page before you apply.
Curriculum and blueprint
Royal College written exam blueprint (adult)
Approximate share of marks for the adult written exam, Written 2027 ranges, with the 2026 range and the paediatric paper for comparison. The ranges overlap, so they do not add up to 100%.
Subtopics grouped by HighYieldNeuro from the Royal College Neurology Competencies (2020); the Royal College does not publish a topic list per domain.
Cerebrovascular — 5–15%
- Vascular diseases of the CNS (ischaemic, haemorrhagic)
- Neurological emergencies and acute deterioration
- Neurointerventional and surgical treatments
- Neuroimaging selection and interpretation
- Coma and impaired consciousness
Systemic — 5–15%
- Infectious diseases affecting the CNS
- Neoplasms of the nervous system
- Neurological complications of systemic and metabolic disease
- Neurological complications of pregnancy and delivery
- Drug- and toxin-induced neurological disorders
- Traumatic injury of the CNS and peripheral nervous system
- Disorders of CSF flow and intracranial pressure
- Delirium and acute confusional states
Epilepsy and sleep — 5–15%
- Epileptic seizures and syndromes
- Seizures versus syncope
- Sleep disorders
- EEG indications and interpretation
Headache and pain — 5–15%
- Headache and craniofacial pain
- Pain disorders
- Regional pain
Movement disorders — 5–15%
- Movement disorders (hyperkinetic and hypokinetic)
- Cerebellar and spinocerebellar disorders
- Ataxia and gait disturbance
- Spasticity
Nerve / motor neuron / autonomic — 5–15%
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Nerve root and plexus disorders
- Motor neuron disorders
- Autonomic nervous system disorders
- EMG and nerve conduction studies
Muscle / neuromuscular junction — 5–15%
- Muscular disorders and myopathies
- Neuromuscular junction disorders
- Muscle weakness, cramps and paralysis
- Bedside myasthenia assessment
Newborn / developmental anomaly — 0–10%
- Developmental neurology across the lifespan
- Developmental delay and regression
- Intellectual delay and behavioural disorders
- Dysmorphic features
- Embryological development of the nervous system
Cognitive — 5–10%
- Dementia and other cognitive disorders
- Disturbances of memory and behaviour
- Disturbances of speech and language
- Somatoform disorders with neurological features
Genetics / inborn error — 0–5%
- Neurogenetic disorders
- Inborn errors of metabolism
- Genetics and epigenetics of neurological disease
- Genetic testing indications
Neuro-ophthalmology — 5–10%
- Neuro-ophthalmological disorders
- Vision, eye movement, pupil and eyelid disturbances
- Visual field testing
- Disorders of cranial nerves
- Neuro-otology: dizziness, vertigo, altered hearing
Demyelinating / inflammatory — 5–10%
- Demyelinating and inflammatory CNS diseases
- CSF studies and lumbar puncture
- Evoked potentials
- Immunotherapy and neurological therapeutics
Other (epidemiology, statistics, ethics) — 0–5%
- Epidemiology and statistics
- Ethics, including MAID roles and responsibilities
- Neurologically determined death
- Principles of neurorehabilitation
Approximate ranges as the Royal College publishes them on its neurology exam-format pages.
Eligibility
- Training in a Royal College neurology programme (adult or paediatric stream).
- Eligibility assessment is due by 30 April of the year before a spring exam.
- The written and applied components are decoupled: after passing the written, you do not resit it if you fail the applied.
How HighYieldNeuro helps
Our 1,443 high-quality questions span every area of neurology, each with a detailed explanation and a summary of the key points, and are reviewed and updated every year.
Our comprehensive study notes cover every area of neurology for every part of the exam, with a Last Minute Review series for the final few days before the test. Your personalised study plan sets out week by week what to cover before your exam date.
They build the knowledge behind the Royal College short-answer exam, and suit the RITE that some Canadian programmes use for in-training assessment.
Official sources
Curriculum, blueprints and exam pages. Confirm dates, fees and eligibility with the board before you apply.
- Neurology exam format (Written 2027 / Applied 2028)
- Neurology exam format (Written 2026 / Applied 2027)
- 2027 exam dates
- Assessment and exam fees
- Neurology Competencies (2020)
- 2026 sample written exam
- CaRMS R-1 timeline
- MCCQE Part I
Last verified: 8 Oct 2026