How much time do I have in which to pass Part 2 Written and PACES and complete my MRCP(UK)?
How many attempts can a candidate make at PACES?
What happens if my stage 2 eligibility period finishes in the middle of a PACES main assessment period?
I passed the MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written Exam in the 2008/3 diet (December 2008). How long do I have to pass the PACES Exam?
I am at the end of my 7-year eligibility period but cannot use my last exam attempt due to ill health. Can I have one
more attempt before returning to the Part 1 Examination?
Can I use an old version of the application form?
When can I send in my application form?
What are the eligibility requirements for the PACES examination?
What level of experience should I have to enter the PACES examination?
What infection control guidelines will I be expected to follow?
Is there a dress code for the PACES examination?
What information do I need to provide in the Proposer section of the application form?
Why do I need the support of my educational supervisor or supervising consultant?
Does my Proposer need to hold MRCP(UK) or FRCP(UK)?
What should I do if I pass all MRCP(UK) Examinations but cannot get my Form of Faith supported by a Proposer who holds
MRCP(UK) or FRCP(UK)?
I was given a PACES period of eligibility before the MRCP(UK) Regulations were updated in 2009. How can I check my status?
Are there approved hospitals / centres at which I can obtain work experience / training for PACES?
Can I use experience gained outside the UK towards PACES?
Where can I find out about courses for the PACES examination?
What do I do if I want to sit PACES in a centre overseas?
When and where will my PACES Examination take place and when do I find out?
When will I hear that I have been accepted to take the exam?
In each period of the PACES examination - what if there are dates that I can't do?
How do I withdraw from the PACES Examination and what will happen if I decide to withdraw?
I’ve been informed that my application is incomplete – will I still have a place in the exam?
How are PACES results published on the website?
Upon passing their Part 1 Written examination, candidates will be permitted seven years from the date of the Part 1 examination at which they were successful, in which to pass the remaining parts of the MRCP(UK).
From 2009 candidates are permitted unlimited attempts at both Part 2 Written and PACES within their seven years since passing the Part 1 examination. Please note that a candidate may only make one attempt per examination diet.
In order to be eligible to apply for PACES, the entire main assessment period for PACES will need to fall within a candidate’s 7 year stage 2 eligibility. If your stage 2 eligibility period ends during a PACES assessment period, the preceding diet will be the last diet you can apply for.
In accordance with the 2008 MRCP(UK) Exam Regulations, candidates who passed the MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written Exam in the 2008/3 diet have a two-year eligibility period in which to sit and pass the PACES Exam. This will expire on 31 May 2011. Given the regulation changes which took effect on 1 January 2009 however, these candidates were automatically granted either the time remaining until their pass in the Part 1 Exam expires or until the end of this PACES eligibility period (whichever is greater) to pass the PACES Exam.
Candidates who passed the Part 2 Written Exam in December 2008 can apply for the PACES Exam from the 2009/1 exam diet onwards and take the exam as often as necessary within their eligibility period. Candidates should refer to the Regulations page of the website for further information on updates to the Regulations from 2009.
Usually, extensions cannot be given beyond a candidate’s seven year eligibility period. However, if exceptional circumstances prevent a candidate from sitting the exam they should contact the MRCP(UK) Central Office in writing, detailing their situation and providing documentary evidence where applicable. Appeals will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
No. All candidates must submit the most recent version of any given application form, as provided on this website. Old versions of the form will not be accepted and will be returned.
Applications should be submitted no earlier than three weeks before the closing date. Please note that the number of clinical spaces available for each PACES Examination is limited and candidates are advised to submit their applications early in the examination application period in order to avoid any disappointment.
As of 2009, candidates are required to have passed the Part 1 Written examination within the last seven years in order to meet the eligibility requirements for the PACES examination.
It is recommended that candidates will normally have completed a 2 year Foundation programme and commenced Core Medical Training (or an equivalent period of training) before attempting the PACES examination. Within these two years not less than 4 months should be spent in posts involving the continuing care of emergency medical patients.
All candidates are required to have discussed and gained the support of their current or most recent educational supervisor or supervising consultant for their PACES examination. All candidates will be required to provide details of their educational supervisor or supervising consultant on the application form in the Proposer section and confirm that their application has been discussed with and is supported by that person. Please be advised that verification of this support may be sought through direct communication with each candidate's proposer.
It is advised that trainees are unlikely to be able to apply their clinical knowledge or demonstrate their clinical skills across the broad range of clinical cases, and thus be successful in the MRCP(UK) PACES examination, before a total of two years’ experience, including at least four months in medical specialties or medical sub-specialties, following the award of their primary medical degree. We therefore recommend that candidates will normally have completed a two-year Foundation programme and commenced Core Medical Training (or an equivalent period of training) before attempting the MRCP(UK) PACES examination. Within these two years, not less than four months should be spent in posts involving the continuing care of emergency medical patients. This experience in the UK should as a minimum be at Foundation Year One and Two level (or equivalent) and in Core Medical Training (or equivalent), but may be gained in any hospital throughout the world.
Dress and appearance are an important aspect of professionalism. You should dress in a smart and conservative manner. Your fingernails should be short and clean. Infection-control policies vary from centre to centre. You are usually required to wear a short-sleeved shirt or blouse, with no neck-tie, false nails, wrist-watch or wrist jewellery (a plain wedding ring may be acceptable) at examination centres in the UK. Candidates attending centres in the UK must come prepared to meet these criteria - failure to comply will mean that you cannot sit the exam, and in these circumstances you will not be eligible for a refund. Centres outside the UK have not imposed dress requirements at the present time but, if such policies are introduced, candidates must comply with them.
Every time a candidate applies to sit the exam they must obtain support from their current or most recent educational supervisor or supervising consultant (referred to on the application as the Proposer). Candidates must write their Proposer's details in the relevant section of the application form and tick the box to confirm that they have discussed this matter with them. Verification of this support may be sought through direct communication between the MRCP(UK) Central Office and the Proposer.
This is to ensure that each candidate has discussed their proposed application with their educational supervisor or supervising consultant in detail and that he/she feels the candidate has the experience and acquired the level of knowledge to have a reasonable chance of success.
For the purpose of application to the exam, a candidate’s Proposer does not have to hold MRCP(UK) or FRCP(UK). However, once a candidate completes all three parts of the exam, they must submit a Form of faith that is completed and signed by a Proposer who holds FRCP(UK) or who has held MRCP(UK) for at least 8 years.
Please note that the Form of Faith is now available for candidates to download from the Results Section.
It is compulsory for candidates to have their Form of Faith supported by a Proposer who holds FRCP(UK) or who has held MRCP(UK) for at least 8 years, and candidates should be aware of this when applying for the examinations. If a candidate experiences exceptional difficulties finding a suitable Proposer they should contact the MRCP(UK) Central Office who will advise them further.
Candidates should check the 2009 MRCP(UK) Regulations for details of transitional arrangements. Alternatively candidates may contact us on paces.queries@mrcpuk.org
The Colleges' Examinations Offices do not have a list of accredited or recognised centres for training and work experience. There is therefore no requirement that candidates train or work at approved hospitals for the MRCP(UK) examination. Candidates may wish to check with the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) that their experience meets the requirements for progression in their career after having completed the MRCP(UK) examinations.
Experience / training is accepted from countries outside the United Kingdom provided that it meets the PACES examination regulations requirements.
Candidates wishing to find out more about courses in preparation for the PACES examinations are advised to contact:
The National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education
PO Box 2516
St James House
Bristol
BS2 2AA
Tel: 0117 915 7069
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/nacpme
Candidates in Scotland may prefer to contact:
NHS Education for Scotland
2nd Floor, Hanover Buildings
66 Rose Street
Edinburgh
EH2 2NN
Tel: 0131 225 4365
Fax: 0131 225 5891
www.nes.scot.nhs.uk
Candidates wishing to sit the PACES Exam in centres overseas need to contact the organiser in the country in which they wish to sit. A list of these is situated on the PACES overseas centres website page. Please consult the calendar on the website for dates of the exams. Information is also available from the Central Office in London. Please note that applications for certain centres must be sent direct to the MRCP(UK) Central Office. These are stated in the PACES overseas centres page.
Candidates are informed of the time and date of their PACES Examination at least two weeks before the first advertised date of the PACES Examination period. Candidates should be prepared to take PACES on any date within the advertised period and should note that dates may be liable to change at short notice.
While efforts are made to find candidates a centre that is not too far from their correspondence address, we cannot guarantee this. Candidates sitting PACES in the UK should be prepared to travel to any centre within the United Kingdom for their Examination.
If you have given an up to date email address on your application form you should initially receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application. You will later receive an acknowledgement letter saying you have been accepted to take the exam. It is difficult to give an exact timescale as to when you should receive this as all candidate applications have to be checked thoroughly for eligibility before these are sent out. This may mean that acknowledgement letters are sent out a week to two weeks after the closing date.
Candidates taking the PACES Examination in a centre outside the UK are advised to contact the local organiser for confirmation that their application has been accepted. Alternatively, if you have applied to a centre that is dealt with directly by the MRCP(UK) Central Office you will receive an acknowledgement email as soon as your application has been processed and your place in the exam is confirmed. Please note that you may not receive this until after the advertised closing date.
Candidates should aim to be available on as many dates as possible within the PACES Exam period. If a candidate can provide good reasons in writing, submitted with their application form, as to why they cannot sit the Examination on a particular date or dates, their College of Entry will try to accommodate them. A place in the Examination cannot be guaranteed on this basis.
Please note that any candidates who are booking clinical courses in preparation for the PACES examination are strongly advised not to seek to book a course that falls within the main assessment period for the PACES Examination.
Notice of withdrawal must be given in writing to your College of entry (or local organiser and Central Office if sitting at an overseas centre). The date of your withdrawal will be taken as the day that notification is received by the PACES Office. Faxes and e-mails notifying of withdrawal will be accepted but an original signed letter must follow.
Candidates who withdraw before the application closing date published on the website will be refunded their Examination fee minus a 10% administration fee. Any candidate withdrawing after the closing date will forfeit the full Examination fee.
Candidates who are not able to attend their examination for any reason are asked to notify their College of Entry as soon as possible. Candidates scheduled to take PACES in the UK who can not attend need to contact the Colleges by email at paces.queries@mrcpuk.org
If an application is incomplete in any way, the MRCP(UK) Central Office will contact the candidate to inform them what is missing and provide a deadline by which the missing information must be received. If information is not received by this deadline the candidate risks having their application rejected. Exam places can only be allocated once applications are complete and will be based on the availability of spaces at that time.
The results of all candidates who take the MRCP(UK) Clinical Examination (PACES) will be published on the MRCP(UK) website approximately 3 weeks after the last day of the UK PACES exam (as advertised on the MRCP(UK) Examinations Calendar). This is normally around 10 days prior to the results mailing date. Please note that candidates' results (pass or fail) can be found by RCP Code Number.
Candidates will not be identified by name, but both the candidate's RCP Code Number and their Examination Number will be listed as well as 'pass' or 'fail'.
Candidates are advised to take careful note of both their code and exam number when they receive their admission documents. Result letters will be posted out approximately 4 - 5 weeks after the last advertised day of the PACES Examination in the UK. Results cannot in any circumstances be given over the telephone or by fax or e-mail, nor can they be collected from the Colleges. A list will not be published in the Colleges.
If an overseas examination centre is running slightly later that the PACES UK Main assessment period, candidates may have to wait longer for confirmation of their result.