FFICM Final OSCE

Applications for the March 2025 FFICM OSCE/SOE are open from 9am on Monday 9th December 2024 and will close at 5pm on Friday 31st Jan 2025. 

Apply here.

Please click here to read the FFICM Exam Regulations and review the eligibility requirements for this exam.

You must pass the MCQ before you can apply for the OSCE/SOE. The MCQ is valid for three years.

OSCE objective

The objective of the OSCE section is to test knowledge and skills essential to the safe practice of Intensive Care Medicine.

OSCE structure

The OSCE consists of 13, seven minute stations with a one minute reading time between stations. All stations must be attempted, there are no 'killer stations' and negative marking is not used.

There are 12 'live' stations (marks count towards the final mark) and one station used for validating new questions (the test station). Neither the examiners nor the candidates will be made aware of the test station, therefore all 13 stations must be approached equally.  

The examination draws questions from four different areas, Data, Equipment, Professionalism and Resuscitation.  Questions will be selected to ensure a wide area of the curriculum.

Scoring

Each station is marked out of 20 with the assigned question pass mark (called the Angoff score) for each station being determined by the Examiners before the examination, using the Angoff Referencing method. The Angoff scores for each of the 12 'live stations' are summed to obtain the pass mark for the whole examination.

At the first sitting the OSCE and SOE components must be taken together.  If a candidate fails one but passes the other component, then only the failed component needs to be retaken.  If a candidate fails both components then they must be retaken together.

Standard setting

Each OSCE question has a number of sub-questions, with a total of 20 marks available for each question and 12 questions per exam. The test question does not contribute to the candidate’s score. The Angoff process is carried out by the OSCE sub-group examiners, who apply the process separately to each mark within each question. The Angoff mark for a question is the sum of the Angoff scores for each mark within the question, and the pass mark for the OSCE exam is the sum of Angoff marks for the questions it contains. As each question has an individual Angoff mark, if more difficult questions were to be selected into an exam, then the pass mark for that exam will be lower.   

In addition to our main standard setting methods that are used in the examination, the exam also has secondary and backup standard setting methods to either check or to control for any changes in the delivery or format of the examination.
 

Please read the following guidance before booking

• Eligibility: The detailed rules for eligibility can be found in the FFICM Examination Regulations. 
• Disclosure of information: Under the Data Protection Act (C.12), the information provided on this form and your examination result may be processed and passed to examiners, your ICM Regional Advisor, ICM Training Programme Director, Postgraduate Dean, employer, etc. for legitimate purposes connected with your training. If you are registered or anticipate being registered with the GMC then your personal data, including data about your exam results, will be passed to the GMC if applicable. This passing of data is for quality assurance and research purposes and to facilitate the awarding of certificates of completion of training (CCTs). The GMC will use the data for its own research and for any research as part of the UK Medical Education Database (www.ukmed.ac.uk). Data held in UKMED will only be disclosed to third parties in accordance with the UKMED Research Process and therefore it will not be possible for researchers to identify your data. All data will be handled in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act (C.12) and the RCoA/GMC Confidentiality and Data Sharing Agreement.
• Adequately prepared for this exam: Online applications received by the College will be accepted as an indication that the applicant is adequately prepared for the examination applied for.
• All FFICM Final OSCE and SOE examinations are conducted in English: Where a candidate’s first language is not English, the College recommends that an applicant’s  communication and written skills in English are at least equivalent to the level at which a doctor could successfully pass the PLAB (Professional Linguistics Assessment Board) tests or at a level where they would expect to gain an average score of approximately 7.5/9 across all bands of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
• Secure pay link: You will be directed to a secure pay link to pay your exam fees via the online booking system. Should you experience any difficulties with this, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals before the closing date may receive the full fee paid. Candidates withdrawing after the closing date may be entitled to a full refund, providing the request is made within 14 days of receipt of the application. For withdrawals greater than 14 days, the refund is subject to an admin fee. A candidate who withdraws in any other circumstance within 7 working days of an exam date, including non-issue of entry visas or failure to appear for an examination, will not be entitled to any refund of fee. Exceptional circumstances will be considered on receipt of written evidence. Fees cannot be deferred from one exam to another.

Documentation for your exam entry and results

• Admission notice: You should receive an email from the RCoA’s Exams Department, confirming you are booked onto the exam around 5 working days after the closing date of the exam. The email will confirm the timing of your exam and your email address will be the unique identifier on the online platform.
• Results: All candidates will be e-mailed directly with their FFICM examination results by the date and time published on the Results page. Feedback will be provided to candidates in the form of a ‘results letter’ which will provide you with a more detailed breakdown of your scores. No further breakdown is available. This will be e-mailed within 21 working days of the release day of results.
• Guidance interviews can be requested after your second unsuccessful attempt at the FFICM OSCE and SOE exam. If you would like a guidance interview please contact the Exams department via email at FacultyExams@rcoa.ac.uk

OSCE Example questions

Please click here to view OSCE example questions along with other resources for candidates.