+ MRCEM Primary
The MRCEM Primary examination is the new name for the FRCEM Primary examination from August 2021.
The MRCEM Primary examination is mapped to the RCEM Basic Sciences Curriculum (June 2010) and 2021 Emergency Medicine curriculum. All applicants for the MRCEM Primary examination are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with the Basic Sciences Curriculum in preparation for sitting the examination.
The MRCEM Primary examination consists of a three hour, multiple choice question (MCQ) paper of 180, single best answer questions (SBAQ).
Please see the MRCEM Primary Regulations and Information pack (November 2023) for detailed information for this examination component.
Glossary of terms used in RCEM examinations (April 2023)
The MRCEM SBA examination replaces to the FRCEM Intermediate SAQ examination from 1 August 2021.
The MRCEM SBA examination is mapped to the 2021 Emergency Medicine curriculum. All applicants for the MRCEM SBA examination are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with the 2021 curriculum, paying particular attention to the SLOs assessed in this examination.
The MRCEM SBA consists of 180 single best answer (SBA) questions delivered in two 120 minute papers with 90 questions per paper.
Please see the MRCEM SBA Regulations and Information pack (November 2023) for detailed information on this examination.
Glossary of terms used in RCEM examinations (April 2023)
The MRCEM OSCE consists of an Objective Structure Clinical Examination of 16, eight minute stations. An additional one minute of reading time is provided for candidates between each OSCE station.
Please see the MRCEM OSCE Regulations and Information Pack (November 2023) for detailed information on the MRCEM OSCE examination.
Membership by Examination is awarded to candidates who pass three required examination components:
From 1 August 2021, MRCEM achieved after 1 August 2012 is recognised for entry to HST and eligibility for FRCEM Final examinations.
From 1 August 2021, FRCEM consists of the following components:
Please see the FRCEM Regulations and Information Pack (November 2023) for detailed information for these examination components.
The FRCEM Critical Appraisal and FRCEM QIP have been withdrawn as formal examination components contributing to the award of Fellowship. The skills and knowledge tested in each of these components will be assessed within the wider programme of assessment as defined in the 2021 curriculum. Candidates who have passed the FRCEM Final SAQ (after August 2016) and FRCEM Final OSCE within a seven year window (and meet other eligibility requirements) but have not passed either the FRCEM QIP or Critical Appraisal, will be awarded Fellowship in September 2021.
Glossary of terms used in RCEM examinations (April 2023)
+ Cancellation Policy
No refunds will be issued for any of the above Theory exams after an application has been submitted. Under certain exceptional circumstances, supported by appropriate supporting evidence*, applications may be transferred to the next available exam at no extra cost.
Exceptional circumstances may include, but are not limited to; illness, bereavement, military deployment, unplanned surgery, or other reasons deemed exceptional by the Head of Exams. Any such requests for transfers to the next available exam will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should be made in writing by emailing exams@rcem.ac.uk at least five working days before an exam. Exceptional circumstances for which supporting evidence is not available, such as geopolitical events, will also be considered on a case-by-case basis. Transfers can only be made to the next available exam.
Once an application has been reviewed and approved, candidates will receive details of how to book a space at a Pearson VUE test centre, along with the respective deadline for test centre bookings. Any candidates facing difficulties finding a test centre should email exams@rcem.ac.uk before the respective booking deadline for support and guidance. Candidates must book a test centre space before this deadline, any candidates who do not book a test centre space will have their application transferred to the next available diet.
Candidates who do not attend an exam or withdraw within five working days of their exam will forfeit their exam fee and will not be transferred to the next available exam, but this will not count towards the maximum number of attempts permitted for that exam.
In certain extraordinary circumstances, the Head of Exams will consider requests for transfers immediately before, on, or after an exam day subject to receipt of suitable written evidence (e.g. a detailed hospital admission report covering the exam date) up to two working days after the exam day.
Lack of preparation, change of mind, social plans (including birthday parties, weddings, holidays), clashes with other exams or courses, or other circumstances known about at the point of application will not be considered as acceptable grounds for a transfer.
There are a limited number of spaces available for each OSCE exam, so candidates will only be asked to pay for an OSCE exam if they have been allocated a space. As there are sometimes more applications than the number of spaces available, candidates will be allocated using our agreed Oversubscription Criteria. Allocated candidates will receive a confirmation email with details of how to make their payment to complete their booking, along with a payment deadline, and will then receive confirmation of their allocation once payment has been received. Applications are considered complete and final once payment has been received.
Any requests to withdraw from an OSCE exam within five working days of receiving confirmation of an allocation will be subject to an administrative fee (30% for UK OSCEs, 50% for International OSCEs) to help cover the costs associated with processing withdrawals and refunds. No supporting evidence will be required for withdrawals at this stage and the administrative fee will apply in all cases. Any spaces made available due to withdrawals at this stage will be offered to those on our waiting list.
Candidates requesting to withdraw from an OSCE exam more than five working days after confirmed allocations will forfeit the exam fee. Requests for refunds at this stage will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and must be supported by appropriate supporting evidence*. 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. Candidates who do not attend an OSCE exam for any reason will forfeit their exam fee.
The exam fee, less any respective administrative fee, will be refunded to the original payment method. Refunds will only be made to the original payment method, unless the payment card has expired, or the bank account has been closed. In such cases, refunds can only be made to accounts under the name of the candidate.
*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 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.
Our previous Cancellation Policy is still in place for exams that had an application window before 1 June 2024 and are yet to take place, namely: June’s MRCEM OSCE in London, July’s MRCEM OSCE in Hyderabad, and September’s MRCEM OSCE in Malaysia.
Candidates can request to withdraw at any point before their exam by emailing exams@rcem.ac.uk. An administration fee of 15% of the cost of the exam will be charged for these exams to help cover the costs associated with processing withdrawals and refunds.
Candidates who withdraw from their exam within the respective application window or within one week of the close of the respective application window will not be subject to any administrative fee. Requests to withdraw from these exams citing exceptional circumstances, supported by appropriate supporting evidence, may not be subject to any administrative charge. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Head of Exams.
Candidates who do not attend this exam will forfeit their exam fee. In some exceptional circumstances, for matters beyond the candidate’s control, the Head of Exams will consider requests for refunds after an exam subject to receipt of suitable written documentation (e.g. a detailed medical certificate) within 20 working days from the date of the exam. Such requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and any refunds approved after the date of the exam will be subject to the 15% administration fee.
By virtue of entering an examination candidates are deemed to have understood and agreed to abide by all examination regulations and policies, including the code of conduct for candidates and applicants (applicable from 1 January 2020)
Any allegations of misconduct raised by an invigilator, examiner or fellow candidate will be investigated and acted upon in accordance with the Misconduct Policy for MRCEM and FRCEM Examinations (Updated December 2023).
Candidates who are dissatisfied with any aspects of the service we deliver have the right to complain in line with our Complaints Policy. All complaints will be investigated thoroughly, fairly and objectively in line with this policy. Candidates can submit written complaints by emailing Exams@rcem.ac.uk.
Places in OSCE examinations are limited and, as the number of applications sometimes exceeds the number of spaces available, we allocate candidates using Oversubscription Criteria agreed by the Examinations Sub-Committee.
Candidates are allocated to spaces in the MRCEM OSCE examination in order of the following criteria:
Candidates are allocated to spaces in the FRCEM OSCE examination in order of the following criteria:
Reasonable adjustments to exam sittings
The College is committed to ensuring candidates have fair opportunities at undertaking exams. Candidates wishing to request a reasonable adjustment for their exam sitting must indicate so within their application form and provide supporting evidence from a relevant professional outlining their specific needs and the adjustments recommended. All requests must be submitted with the exam application and will be reviewed as part of the application process. Each request will be considered on a case by case basis by the College and candidates will be notified the outcome of their application in writing. Exam adjustments which may be approved with the appropriate supporting evidence include:
Candidates who will be pregnant or have given birth within the prior 26 weeks at the time of the examination can request reasonable adjustments according to their specific needs and these will be considered on an individual basis. Candidates requiring facilities to breastfeed or express (for children of any age) while they are at their examination centre should contact the Exams Department so that arrangements can be facilitated as best as possible.
Full details of reasonable adjustments and the process can be found in the regulations for each exam.
