These will be subject to revision thereafter. Please refer to the 
Entry and Eligibility document for further information.
When can I send in my application form?
Applications should be submitted no earlier than four 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.
What are the eligibility requirements for the PACES examination?
Candidates are required to have passed or gained exemption from the Part 1 and Part 2 Written examinations. In addition, candidates need two and a half years' work experience / training since graduation. Twelve months of this two and a half years must have been spent in a Senior House Officer, equivalent or higher grade in acute medicine posts in which there is a strong emphasis on responsibility for unselected emergency admissions and the continuing care of acute emergency medical patients. Candidates also need to have gained their twelve months of Senior House Officer acute medicine experience within five years of the PACES examination they are taking.
It is also presumed (as in the UK) that all doctors will have undertaken a pre-registration year / year at a house officer level or equivalent in which they would have gained 6 months experience in acute medicine. If this has not been the case then you would also need to obtain a further 6 months of acute experience.
Who can complete the 'Proposer' section on Form P?
Testimonials are accepted only from Fellows of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom or from Members of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom of at least eight years standing. Candidates who are unable to find proposers with FRCP(UK) or MRCP(UK) should contact MRCP(UK) Central Office by email. The email address is paces.queries@mrcpuk.org
When does my Period of Eligibility period start?
All candidates begin their PACES Period of Eligibility period on the first day of the month of the second diet of PACES after their successful Part 2 Written examination.
Example - A candidate passing Part 2 Written in December 2006 would have a PACES Period of Eligibility start date of 1st June 2007 and the first PACES they would be eligible to take would be in June / July 2007 (provided that the candidate meets the experience requirements).
When does my Period of Eligibility end?
Each candidate has 2 calendar years in which to take up to 3 attempts at the PACES examination. Each candidate's PACES Period of Eligibility starts from the 1st day of the month of the 2nd diet of PACES after passing the MRCP (UK) Part 2 Written Examination.
How much are the fees for the PACES Examination?
PACES UK Examination Fees are published on the examination calendar (available from all three Colleges) and are revised annually. Up- to-date information on fees is published on this website.
Are there approved hospitals / centres at which I can obtain work experience / training for PACES?
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 General Professional Training Department 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.
I am doing a Trust Doctor post, does this count towards my relevant acute medicine experience?
Trust Doctor posts will be counted as relevant training provided that the post meets the normal requirements for acute medicine training and that candidates are performing duties broadly equivalent to that which an SHO would perform in the same area. The consultant(s) who sign your application form need to be satisfied that you have achieved the necessary experience before they sign your form. Provided that they are content that your training in a Trust Doctor post meets the acute medicine requirements, the Examinations Office will accept this as evidence.
Where can I find out about courses for the PACES examination?
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
What do I do if I want to sit PACES in a centre overseas?
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.
When and where will my PACES Examination take place and when do I find out?
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.
When will I hear that I have been accepted to take the exam?
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.
In each period of the PACES examination - what if there are dates that I can't do?
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.
How do I withdraw from the PACES Examination and what will happen if I decide to withdraw?
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 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 published application closing date will be refunded their Examination Fee minus a 10% administration fee. Candidates who withdraw after the closing date will forfeit their Examination Fee. If the withdrawal is within three weeks of the first published PACES Examination date of the country you are sitting in, you will also lose an attempt at PACES.
Candidates who are prevented from attending the Examination due to extenuating circumstances may apply to have their attempt reinstated and period of eligibility extended. Where applicable, supporting documentation should be provided.
How are PACES results published on the website?
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.