Therapeutics Decision Making Exam

TDM exam history & requirements

On March 1, 2018, CPSA required all IMGs in Family Medicine who weren’t eligible for our General Register to pass the TDM exam before submitting a Review of Qualifications for independent practice in Alberta. As of October 1, 2020, IMGs who wish to practice independently in Family Medicine in Alberta must be eligible for our Provisional Register requirements and submit a Review of Qualifications before applying and taking the TDM exam.

If you are a Family Medicine physician and you want to join our temporary Provisional Register, you will need to pass the TDM exam and get AHS sponsorship within 1 year of receiving your CPSA eligibility letter. Once you have both, a Registration Administrator will send you a letter outlining which documentation we need before you register for our Provisional Register.

Why the change?

This change helps us avoid delays in recruiting physicians to Alberta and helps applicants understand their CPSA-eligibility before writing the TDM exam. The updated process also better aligns with PRA programs across Canada.

How to apply

First, make sure you are eligible to practice independently in Alberta. Review our Family Medicine eligibility requirements and apply for independent practice. You will receive your CPSA eligibility letter telling you your eligibility and next steps.

The TDM exam is held twice a year.  If you are planning to apply, we recommend you keep an eye on this webpage for updates—this is where we post the date the application is opening. Once the application is open, you may apply through this webpage at the “Apply” link below. You will use the same email you used to apply for independent licensure, and you will be asked to provide:

• MINC number
• Previous PRA and TDM exam attempts
• Test accommodations
• Language preference (English or French)
• Country of residence

After you submit your application, we review it and determine your eligibility to write the TDM exam. You will get an email stating your eligibility.  If eligible, you will be instructed to pay the TDM exam fee(s) online. Once this payment is received and processed, your spot to write the exam is secure. You will receive emails throughout this process informing you of the next steps. If your eligibility letter expires after you apply for the TDM exam but before you write, you will need to reapply for independent practice.

Application tips

• When registering for the TDM exam, you must use the same email address that you entered on the Review of Qualifications Form.
• If you are receiving the “oops” error on the Oats Tracking System when trying to apply for the TDM Exam, please:
  • clear the cache on your web browser,
  • press ‘Ctrl+R’ to refresh browser, and
  • try again

Exam details

If you are eligible to write the online TDM exam, the MCC will send you a message through your physiciansapply.ca account a few weeks before the exam date. This message will include:

• your Authorization to Test (ATT) number
• instructions on how to schedule your exam
• when the scheduling period will begin

Scheduling is available on a first-come, first-served basis at available Prometric test centres across Canada and worldwide, or through the option of remote proctoring with Prometric’s ProProctor system. The MCC will not facilitate the scheduling or rescheduling of your exam appointment. Appointments are only available within the established exam sessions.

For more information about the TDM exam scheduling, please visit MCC’s TDM Examination webpage.

Next steps: after the exam

If you passed the TDM exam

Congratulations on passing your exam! Once you pass the TDM exam, you will receive a result letter. This letter will be sent to you via email and added to your physiciansapply.ca account. You will have to upload this Result Letter to the Application Tracking System so our Registration Team receives it.

If you haven’t already got Alberta Health Services (AHS) sponsorship, you need to get it by going to doctorjobsalberta.com and applying for physician postings eligible for AHS sponsorship. If you’re hired through AHS, they will sponsor you. Refer to your eligibility letter for more details.

When our Registration team receives both your TDM exam pass result letter and AHS sponsorship form, you will receive more information on which documentation is required to continue with registration on our Provisional Register.

If you didn’t pass the TDM exam

You have a maximum of 4 TDM exam attempts, which includes a maximum of 2 pass results. If you receive a fail result you are ineligible to apply to the next scheduled examination session, since the TDM exam cannot be taken in consecutive sessions. If you do not pass, your registration file will close after 1 year. Once your file has closed, you can then re-apply for independent licensure at any time. You must meet our current registration requirements at that time.

For more information on the TDM exam, reconsideration or validity periods, visit TDM Examination Results.