Exam pass rates

Pass rates for MRCP(UK) Diploma and Specialty Certificate Examinations

While MRCP(UK) has always closely monitored the proportion of candidates passing our exams (the ‘pass rate’), this information has not always been readily available to candidates, their supervisors or the wider public. Following the successful introduction of equating to the Part 1 Examination in the 2008/3 diet, the MRCP(UK) Management Board has now decided that the pass rates for this exam should be openly available in the public domain.

MRCP(UK) has always closely monitored the proportion of candidates passing our exams (the ‘pass rate’) and this information is now made readily available to candidates, their supervisors or the wider public.

Result performance reports

Performance statistics are intended to help candidates to be more informed and better prepared for the examination. The report is also available to other stakeholders (e.g. deaneries’ representatives, board members, trainees’ supervisors) who would like to find out more about candidates’ performance in order to be able to make informed decisions about training programmes or examination standards. UK trainee status is self-declared and therefore may not be fully representative of the UK trainee population.

Part 1 Written Examination

2023/1 diet: 

Candidate group % of candidate passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 71.4%
UK trainees all attempts 52.8%
UK graduates 1st attempt 75.7%
UK graduates all attempts 72.3%
All candidates 53.2%

 

2022/4 diet:

Candidate group % of candidates passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 51.4%
UK trainees all attempts 43.0%
UK graduates 1st attempt 76.2%
UK graduates all attempts 72.4%
All candidates 50.7%

 

2022/3 diet:

Candidate group % of candidates passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 61.5%
UK trainees all attempts 41.5%
UK graduates 1st attempt 72.1%
UK graduates all attempts 62.3%
All candidates 46.9%

 

Part 1 Examination annual performance report (2022)

Part 2 Written Examination

 

2023/1 diet:

Candidate group % of candidates passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 80.0%
UK trainees all attempts 77.7%
UK graduates 1st attempt 87.9%
UK graduates all attempts 87.2%
All candidates  72.2%

 

2022/4 diet:

Candidate group% of candidates passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 75.5%
UK trainees all attempts 65.8%
UK graduates 1st attempt 82.1%
UK graduates all attempts 76.7%
All candidates 66.8%

 

2022/3 diet: 

Candidate group % of candidates passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 65.5%
UK trainees all attempts 61.9%
UK graduates 1st attempt 76.6%
UK graduates all attempts 72.9%
All candidates 64.2%

 

Part 2 written annual performance report (2022)

PACES Examination


2022/3 diet: 

Candidate group % of candidate passing 
UK trainees 1st attempt 59.0%
UK trainees all attempts 56.5%
UK graduates 1st attempt 73.1%
UK graduates all attempts 71.6%
All candidates 48.8%

 

2022/2 diet:

Candidate group % of candidates passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 58.4%
UK trainees all attempts 58.2%
UK graduates 1st attempt 72.0%
UK graduates all attempts 70.6%
All candidates 51.8%

 

2022/1 diet:

Candidate group % of candidates passing
UK trainees 1st attempt 56.5%
UK trainees all attempts 56.4%
UK graduates 1st attempt 63.4%
UK graduates all attempts 63.5%
All candidates 51.4%

 

PACES Examination annual performance report (2022)

SCE - 2022:

  % of UK trainees passing % of all candidates passing
Acute medicine 63.7% 45.0%
Dermatology 56.7% 45.4%
Endocrinology and Diabetes 70.3% 49.4%
ESEGH 65.1% 61.0%
ESENeph 2022-1 65.5% 47.9%
ESENeph 2022-2 68.1% 53.3%
Geriatric medicine 2022-1 79.7% 64.8%
Geriatric medicine 2022-2 71.4% 61.7%
Medical Oncology 75.4% 60.3%
Neurology 79.6% 60.2%
Palliative medicine 82.5% 54.7%
Respiratory medicine 54.5% 37.8%
Rheumatology 64.5% 42.4%
 
 
Please note the number of candidates who chose to enter for the SCEs varied significantly between specialties.

The annual performance report for the SCEs are available on each of the specialty pages.

Report on MRCP(UK) and Specialty Certificate Examination pass rates

A report on examination pass rates by gender and ethnicity is available to download:

2022 Equality and Diversity Report