Specialty Certificate Examination in Rheumatology
The Specialty Certificate Examination in Rheumatology will be delivered once a year.
Eligibility requirements
There are no entry requirements for the SCE in Rheumatology, although candidates in UK training posts would normally take the SCE in Rheumatology during higher specialty training after entering ST3.
Qualification: Certificate in Rheumatology
Trainees who have gained the Certificate in Rheumatology and who are recommended for a CCT will be entitled to apply for the postnominal MRCP(UK) (Rheumatology). For further details please see the FAQs.
Resources for trainees
Preparation for the SCE requires a wide range of knowledge around the curriculum and should involve reading textbooks, journals and guidelines, and be supplemented by attending conferences.
Information tested in the SCE may come from a variety of sources and will not be restricted to the sources below.
Curriculum and blueprint
The SCE in Rheumatology covers the whole of the curriculum as published by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB).
The examination is made up of questions outlined in the curriculum, selected by a predetermined blueprint. Download a copy of the assessment blueprint for more details:
SCE in Rheumatology Blueprint
Sample questions
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.
These questions give an indication of the type of question you can expect in the exam:
SCE in Rheumatology Sample Questions
Online resources
- British Society for Rheumatology website - BSR
- The European League Against Rheumatism website - EULAR
- American College of Rheumatology website - ACR
- NICE TAG and disease guidelines - NICE website
- Arthritis Research UK website - ARUK
Textbooks
- Oxford Handbook of Rheumatology (Eds Hakim, Clunie and Haq. Pub Oxford University Press)
- Rheumatology 5th edition (Eds Hochberg et al. Pub Elsevier)
- Oxford textbook of rheumatology (Eds Isenberg, Madison, Woo, Klars and F. C. Breedveld. Pub Oxford University Press)
- Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases (Eds Klippel, Stone, Crofford, White)
- Textbook of Pediatric Rheumatology (Authors Cassidy, Petty)
Journals
Conferences