1.1 Exam Format, Administration & Caribbean Medical Registration Pathways

The Regulatory Mandate of CAMC

The Caribbean Association of Medical Councils (CAMC), established with its permanent secretariat in Kingston, Jamaica, functions as the coordinating regulatory umbrella for national medical councils across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Independent medical practice in the Commonwealth Caribbean requires statutory registration with the territorial medical council of the respective island or continental nation. Participating statutory authorities include the Medical Council of Jamaica, the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago, the Barbados Medical Council, the Bahamas Medical Council, and the Medical Council of Guyana, alongside the medical licensing councils of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) comprising Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The CAMC examination assesses trained doctors whose basic medical qualifications are not recognized by the relevant regional medical councils. Eligibility and any additional registration requirements should be checked with CAMC and the council to which the candidate will apply. Successfully completing the CAMC examination fulfills the regional examination benchmark required for registration consideration. However, passing the CAMC examination does not confer automatic regional licensure. As emphasized in the official CAMC brochure disclaimer, "The permission for Independent Practice is governed though by the rules of Member Councils." Each territorial medical council maintains statutory jurisdiction over its medical register, determining requirements for internship sign-offs, supervised institutional appointments, and full licensure.

Examination Structure and Administration

The CAMC Examination is structured into two distinct parts:

• Part 1 (Written Multiple-Choice Examination): Evaluates applied clinical knowledge, pathophysiology, diagnostic reasoning, and emergency therapeutic management across core clinical disciplines.
• Part 2 (Clinical OSCE Examination): A multi-station objective structured clinical examination evaluating history taking, physical examination technique, communication skills, procedural competence, and emergency station management.

CAMC's currently linked legacy brochure describes Part 1 as a single-day assessment of 200 multiple-choice questions divided equally between two sessions:

• Morning Session: 100 questions administered over 3 hours (180 minutes).
• Afternoon Session: 100 questions administered over 3 hours (180 minutes).

On that timetable, total testing time is 6 hours (360 minutes), averaging 108 seconds per question. The linked documents do not specify fixed option counts or negative marking. Confirm your sitting's timetable, item format and scoring instructions with CAMC.

Curriculum Scope and Clinical Disciplines

CAMC does not publish official domain percentage weights or question distributions for the examination. The Part 1 examination samples six core clinical disciplines reflecting the primary clinical competencies expected of a senior house officer (SHO) or medical officer in Caribbean district and regional referral facilities:

• Internal Medicine & Therapeutics: Clinical presentations across cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology, nephrology, gastroenterology, haematology (with particular relevance of sickle cell haemoglobinopathies), neurology, and regional tropical infectious diseases (such as dengue, leptospirosis, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis).
• General Surgery & Emergency Management: Acute abdomen, trauma resuscitation (ATLS principles), burn management, surgical oncology, urology, and perioperative fluid and electrolyte management.
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology: Antenatal care, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, antepartum and postpartum haemorrhage, intrapartum fetal monitoring, labor dystocia, ectopic pregnancy, contraception, and cervical screening.
• Paediatric Medicine: Neonatal resuscitation, physiological and pathological jaundice, infant nutrition, protein-energy malnutrition, acute gastroenteritis with dehydration management protocols, asthma, childhood exanthems, and immunisation schedules.
• Psychiatry: Major mood disorders, acute psychosis, substance use syndromes, psychopharmacological adverse effects (extrapyramidal symptoms, neuroleptic malignant syndrome), and suicide risk assessment.
• Community & Public Health: Epidemiology, screening parameters (sensitivity, specificity, predictive values), disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and the management of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in primary care.

Scoring Benchmark and Passing Standard

CAMC's linked Examination Requirements state an examination pass mark of 50%. They do not give a raw-score conversion or explain negative marking, so this cannot be converted into a guaranteed number of correct answers. Follow the scoring and response instructions issued for your sitting.

The CAMC brochure describes the expected standard as that of newly qualified graduates of accredited medical schools, such as the University of the West Indies, who have intern training. It emphasizes diagnosis, treatment, clinical problem-solving, communication, teamwork, procedural competence and recognizing when to seek help. Its curriculum emphasizes common conditions in Caribbean communities.

Administrative Logistics, Application Timelines, and Part 2 Progression

CAMC's linked requirements list completed medical training, the required original or certified degree certificate, a passport photograph and two medical references or assessments. Registration and good-standing certificates are listed as optional. Confirm any additional credential-verification requirements with CAMC and the relevant territorial council.

The linked Requirements say applications are due two months before the examination; the linked Brochure says at least six weeks. These are different deadlines, not a combined 6–8-week rule. Confirm the deadline for your sitting with CAMC and plan to have documents ready before the earlier, two-month point. The table summarizes the linked publications, not a dated notice for the next sitting.

A common misunderstanding among candidates is that passing Part 1 carries an automatic 12-month expiration date or an obligation to pass Part 2 within one year. Under the official CAMC Examination Requirements, successful Part 1 candidates are allowed up to a 12-month deferral/wait before attempting Part 2, which must be requested in writing and approved by the CAMC office. Candidates are allowed three (3) attempts at Part 2. Candidates must repeat Part 1 only after three failed attempts at Part 2 (a fourth attempt may rarely be granted by the Council under exceptional circumstances).

Upon passing both Part 1 and Part 2, candidates receive the CAMC Certificate. This credential allows candidates to apply to member councils for provisional registration, internship, or supervised hospital appointments. Full independent licensure remains subject to the statutory rules and discretion of the respective territorial medical council.