The exam consists of a Multiple Choice (MCQ) paper, currently taken remotely using the TestReach platform, followed by an oral exam which has an Objective Structured clinical exam (OSCE) and Structured oral Exam (SOE). Candidates must attempt both oral papers at the same sitting, however if a candidate is successful at one component but not the other, they may carry forward a pass in one oral component on subsequently resit only the failed component. The oral exams are currently on-line, using Zoom platform. Candidates must pass the MCQ in order to enter the oral exams.
The MCQ currently consists of 50 questions each having five True/False items and 50 single best answer questions. Questions for this paper are written by examiners of the MCQ subgroup. Each new question is reviewed by a number of examiners before inclusion in the question bank, and questions in the bank are revised regularly to ensure they remain appropriate and up to date. The question selection for each paper is done by senior MCQ group examiners and then reviewed by the MCQ group before the paper is finalised.
The MCQ paper pass mark is set by the MCQ sub-group examiners using the Angoff method, applied to each question individually. The pass mark is the sum of the individual question Angoff marks. Because of the small number of candidates taking this exam, (which is a ‘gateway’ to the oral components), one standard error is then subtracted to arrive at the final MCQ paper pass mark.
The SOE contains 8 questions, each with five sections.
The OSCE contains 12 questions plus one test question.
