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Exam attempt limits and additional attempts
The General Medical Council requires all medical royal colleges and faculties to limit the number of exam attempts.
- Candidates may sit each MRCEM component up to six times
- Candidates may sit each FRCEM component up to four times
Full details are set out in the relevant exam regulations.
Applying for an additional attempt
Candidates who have reached the maximum number of attempts may apply for one additional attempt per exam. Requests sent directly to the Chief Examiner or Dean will not be considered.
- Applications must be submitted at least four weeks before the opening of the exam application window in which the attempt would be used
- Once the maximum number of attempts has been reached, exam applications will not be accepted unless an additional attempt is approved
As part of the application, candidates must:
- Explain why previous attempts were unsuccessful, including any personal circumstances that affected performance
- Set out a clear plan showing how they will improve and achieve a successful outcome, based on areas of low performance in earlier attempts
- Provide details of their Educational Supervisor, Specialty Tutor or equivalent, who will be asked to support the application
- UK doctors in postgraduate training must also provide details of their Head of School or Training Programme Director
All applications are considered by the Chief Examiner on a case-by-case basis.
Outcome
- Â Candidates will be notified of the outcome by email within six weeks of the application being received
- If approved, candidates may apply for the next available exam diet within the published application window
- If rejected, no further attempts at that exam will be permitted
Additional attempts after a new diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions
In line with new Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) best practice, candidates who have a new or previously undeclared diagnosis of a condition requiring reasonable adjustments and have failed previous attempts at exam components without reasonable adjustments, can apply to have additional attempts for that exam component.
All requests should be sent to exampolicy@rcem.ac.uk and be accompanied by supporting documentation, e.g. a detailed report by a certified educational psychologist. Requests will be considered by our Chief Examiner on a case-by-case basis.
When reviewing requests, the Chief Examiner will consider whether the new diagnosis will have affected all previous exam attempts or only some. For example, new information of a diagnosis which is likely to have affected all previous attempts, could lead to the full number of attempts being granted as additional attempts. Previous attempts at exams will no longer be expunged from candidate’s records but will be updated to show that new information revealing the new diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions has led to additional attempt(s) being granted.