MRCP(UK) - Acute Medicine

Specialty Certificate Examination in Acute Medicine

Exam Date	UK Registration Period	Overseas Registration Period	Results Release
28 November 2012	1 August - 19 October 2012	1 August - 3 September 2012	4 weeks after exam date

The Specialty Certificate Examination (SCE) in Acute Medicine will be delivered once a year.

For UK trainees who started CCT training to the new AIM curriculum on or after 1 August 2009 the SCE in Acute Medicine will be the mandatory knowledge-based assessment. For those appointed to programmes prior to the introduction of the AIM curriculum and who are still following the curriculum for GIM(Acute) the SCE remains optional though trainees may take it if they wish.

Eligibility requirements

There are no entry requirements for the SCE in Acute Medicine, although candidates in UK training posts would normally take the SCE in Acute Medicine in their penultimate year of higher specialty training.

Exam format

The Specialty Certificate Examination in Acute Medicine is a computer-based two-paper test with a total of 200 questions. Each paper contains 100 questions and lasts three hours.

The papers are based on the MRCP(UK) ‘best of five’ multiple choice questions format. This format, in addition to testing core knowledge and comprehension, also assesses the ability to interpret information and to solve clinical problems. There will be five options - one correct answer and four alternatives to the correct answer. The four distractors will be closely related to the preferred option but less correct, therefore acting as plausible alternatives.

Sample questions

These questions give an indication of the type of question you can expect in the exam:

SCE in Acute Medicine Sample Questions

Qualification: Certificate in Acute Medicine

Trainees who have gained the Certificate in Acute Medicine and who are recommended for a CCT will be entitled to apply for the postnominal MRCP(UK) (Acute Medicine). For further details please see the FAQs.

Curriculum

The curriculum is published by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB).

Blueprint

The examination is made up of questions covering the whole curriculum, selected by a predetermined blueprint. Download a copy of the assessment blueprint for more details:

SCE in Acute Medicine Blueprint