Specialty Certificate Examination in Medical Oncology

The Specialty Certificate Examination (SCE) in Medical Oncology will be delivered once a year.

Eligibility requirements

There are no entry requirements for the SCE in Medical Oncology, however, trainees 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 Medical Oncology 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 Medical Oncology Sample Questions

Qualification: Certificate in Medical Oncology

Trainees who have gained the Certificate in Medical Oncology and who are recommended for a CCT will be entitled to apply for the postnominal MRCP(UK) (Medical Oncology). 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 Medical Oncology Blueprint

Standard setting

The Specialty Certificate Examination is criterion-referenced with a pass mark determined in advance.

Exam fees