This page outlines the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s examination cancellation policies, helping candidates understand what to expect if they need to withdraw from an exam.
Information is divided into two sections for clarity: one tab details the policy for theory examinations, while the other covers OSCE examinations. Candidates are encouraged to read the relevant section carefully to ensure they are aware of all the appropriate details for their exam.
Cancellation Policy – Theory Exams
When is this policy used?
This policy is used by candidates who have booked an RCEM theory exam and are unable to attend their exam. Reasons for needing to utilise this policy include and are not limited to; ill health, bereavement, disrupted preparation and unforeseen events.
This policy is active for all exams booked after 11 December 2025 and will not apply retrospectively.
Deadlines
Exam | Exam Date | Deferral Request Deadline | Cancellation Request Deadline |
MRCEM Primary – April 2026 | 22 April 2026 | 23 March 2026 | 22 April 2026 |
FRCEM SBA – May 2026 | 20 May 2026 | 20 April 2026 | 20 May 2026 |
MRCEM SBA – September 2026 | 16 September 2026 | 17 August 2026 | 16 September 2026 |
FRCEM SBA – Oct 2026 | 7 October 2026 | 7 September 2026 | 7 October 2026 |
What does this policy mean for me?
Below is a table showing you how you the policy applies to you, which is dependent on where you are in your exam candidate journey.
| Deferral | Cancellation | Withdrawal – Forfeit | |
| What does this mean? | Your exam application and fee will be transferred to the next diet of the exam. | You are unable to sit the exam and will receive a partial credit to your RCEM account. | You have not booked your exam sitting, you did not sit the exam or have not been in touch with the college to defer or cancel your exam sitting. |
| When can I apply | From payment to 30 days before the exam | 29 days (or less) from the exam until the exam day. | Exam day onwards. |
| Supporting Evidence Required? | No | No | No |
| How do I apply | Form | Form | No application required |
| Do I need to pay a fee? | Yes. A £50 Admin fee is payable on submission of your deferral form. | Yes, 50% of your exam fee. This covers costs levied by our supplier. All remaining funds will be held in your RCEM account. | Yes, 100% of your exam fee. This covers costs levied by our supplier. |
| Do I need to pay additional exam fees? | Maybe – Should your exam move from one exam fee year to the next, you will be required to pay the uplift, if applicable. This will be added as a charge to your account in advance of the exam. | Yes, the balance transferred from your exam will be held on your RCEM account and you will be required to pay the remaining balance for the next diet of the exam. | Yes, you will need to pay the full exam fee for the next diet of the exam. |
| Does this count as an attempt of this exam | No | No | No |
| Do I need to apply for the next exam diet? | No – although you may have to pay any uplift on fees as mentioned above. You will also need to ensure your Medical Registration documents are updated. | Yes, your application will not be automatically transferred to the next diet. You will be responsible for ensuring you apply when the application window opens for the next exam diet. | Yes, your application will not be automatically transferred to the next diet. You will be responsible for ensuring you apply when the application window opens for the next exam diet. |
Frequently Asked Questions
I no longer wish to sit the exam, can I have a refund?
No refunds are issued for RCEM theory exams after an application has been submitted.
Candidates can defer their sitting, cancel or withdraw and forfeit their fee should they wish to not sit the exam.
I would like to defer my exam to the next diet
You can defer your exam application to the next diet without the need for supporting evidence
As long as you:
- Request the deferral no less than 30 days ahead of the exam.
You should be aware that:
- You do not need to re-apply for the next exam diet
- If you are transferring to an exam diet with a higher exam fee. Where exam fees are subject to approval, you will be required to pay the difference between with the increased fee.
You cannot defer your exam if:
- The exam is within less than 30 days
My exam is less than 30 days away, but I cannot attend the exam.
We understand that from time to time, exceptional circumstances happen at the last minute which are out of your control, and you are unable to sit your exam as planned.
Where this happens, you can apply for a cancellation. The college will allow you to cancel your exam sitting and will apply a credit of 50% of the original exam fee you paid to your RCEM account.
Please note, where candidates are required to pay additional Goods and Services Tax (GST) this will not be credited, as this is paid to governments based on the sale made.
The remaining 50% of the fee will cover cancellation charges levied to us by Surpass, our theory exam supplier.
What happens if I’m unable to book my test centre?
Should you experience issues with finding a test centre, you should contact the exams team by emailing exams@rcem.ac.uk for support.
If you do not book a test centre during the booking window, which is outlined to you in communications from RCEM, and you are unable to be accommodated at a test centre, you can defer your sitting, cancel or withdraw and forfeit their fee should they wish to not sit the exam. Please note, the timescales in the above table must be met.
Cancellation Policy – OSCE Exams
When is this policy used?
This policy is used by candidates who have booked an RCEM OSCE exam and are unable to attend their exam. Reasons for needing to utilise this policy include and are not limited to; ill health, bereavement, disrupted preparation and unforeseen events.
This policy is active for all exams booked after 11 December 2025 and will not apply retrospectively.
What does this policy mean for me?
Below is a table showing you how you the policy applies to you, which is dependent on where you are in your exam candidate journey.
| Cancellation | Withdrawal |
What does this mean? | You are unable to sit the exam due to exceptional circumstances and will receive a partial credit to your RCEM account. | You are unable to sit the exam and do not have exceptional circumstances causing you to miss the exam |
When can I apply | After making payment for your exam until the day before your exam | After making payment for your exam until the day before your exam |
Supporting Evidence Required? | Yes | No |
How do I apply | Form | |
Do I need to pay a fee? | Yes, 50% of your exam fee. This covers costs that the college has committed to. All remaining funds will be credited to your RCEM account. | Yes, 100% of your exam fee. This covers costs that the college has committed to.
|
Do I need to pay additional exam fees? | Yes, The balance transferred from your exam will be held on your RCEM account and you will be required to pay the remaining balance for the next diet of the exam. | Yes, you receive no refund from the college in this circumstance. |
Does this count as an attempt of this exam | No | No |
Do I need to apply for the next exam diet? | Yes, your application will not be automatically transferred to the next diet. You will be responsible for ensuring you apply when the application window opens for the next exam diet. | Yes, your application will not be automatically transferred to the next diet. You will be responsible for ensuring you apply when the application window opens for the next exam diet. |
Terminology Used:
Term | Definition |
Exceptional Circumstances | May include but is not limited to;
|
Supporting Evidence | Supporting evidence must be on official letterhead, signed or stamped, dated, clearly display your name and be submitted in English. |
Acceptable forms of Supporting Evidence | Acceptable forms of supporting evidence include, but are not limited to; a doctor’s letter or a fitness to work assessment indicating that you are unable to attend the exam due to health reasons, proof of military service conflicting with the exam day, death certificates, court summons etc. Exceptional circumstances for which supporting evidence is not available, such as geopolitical events, will also be considered on a case-by-case basis |
I have been offered a space on an OSCE, but I would like to defer my exam to the next diet
If you have been offered an OSCE space after the college has applied the oversubscription criteria, but you are no longer able to attend the OSCE date range set by the college, you should let us know.
You are unable to defer an OSCE exam, this is because of the significant demand on OSCE spaces.
I have paid for my OSCE but I no longer wish to sit the exam, can I have a refund?
You only pay for an OSCE once the college has offered you a space on the exam.
Once you have paid for the exam, if you face exceptional circumstances, you can cancel your exam sitting. You will receive a credit of 50% of the exam fee to your RCEM account.
I have paid for the OSCE, and I am now unable to attend the exam
Candidates wishing to withdraw from the exam will forfeit their exam fee, their fee will not be transferred, but this will not count as an attempt.
Candidates who are unable to attend following exceptional circumstances as detailed in the table above, should supply supporting evidence.
Requests for refunds will be considered where candidates have exceptional circumstances and must be supported by appropriate supporting evidence (as outlined in the table above).
Due to the difficulty of filling OSCE spaces at short notice, any requests to withdraw owing to exceptional circumstances at this point will incur a 50% administrative fee. The remaining funds will be credited to your RCEM account.
What happens if I do not attend my exam?
If you do not attend your exam you be considered as a withdrawal, and will forfeit your exam fee.