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
2023/3 diet:
| Candidate group | % of candidates passing |
| UK trainees 1st attempt | 20.8% |
| UK trainees all attempts | 27.5% |
| UK graduates 1st attempt | 69.3% |
| UK graduates all attempts | 59.7% |
| All candidates | 41.3% |
2023/2 diet:
| Candidate group | % of candidate passing |
| UK trainees 1st attempt | 37.0% |
| UK trainees all attempts | 42.6% |
| UK graduates 1st attempt | 69.3% |
| UK graduates all attempts | 63.9% |
| All candidates | 49.4% |
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% |
Part 1 Examination annual performance report (2022)
Part 2 Written Examination
2023/3 diet:
| Candidate group | % of candidates passing |
| UK trainees 1st attempt | 93.8% |
| UK trainees all attempts | 93.2% |
| UK graduates 1st attempt | 96.2% |
| UK graduates all attempts | 96.1% |
| All candidates | 72.9% |
2023/2 diet:
| Candidate group | % of candidates passing |
| UK trainees 1st attempt | 77.3% |
| UK trainees all attempts | 71.7% |
| UK graduates 1st attempt | 85.3% |
| UK graduates all attempts | 80.8% |
| All candidates | 64.4% |
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% |
Part 2 written annual performance report (2022)
PACES Examination
2023/2 diet:
| Candidate group | % of candidates passing |
| UK trainees 1st attempt | 54.3% |
| UK trainees all attempts | 54.5% |
| UK graduates 1st attempt | 63.8% |
| UK graduates all attempts | 63.7% |
| All candidates | 49.0% |
2023/1 diet:
| Candidate group | % of candidates passing |
| UK trainees 1st attempt | 77.3% |
| UK trainees all attempts | 71.7% |
| UK graduates 1st attempt | 85.3% |
| UK graduates all attempts | 80.8% |
| All candidates | 64.4% |
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% |
PACES Examination annual performance report (2022)
SCE - 2023:
| % of UK trainees passing | % of all candidates passing | |
| Acute medicine | 56.6% | 37.4% |
| Dermatology | 50.6% | 32.9% |
| Endocrinology and Diabetes | 48.5% | 28.6% |
| ESEGH | 61.5% | 54.7% |
| ESENeph | 74.4% | 61.5% |
| Geriatric medicine | 57.7% | 47.5% |
| Medical Oncology | 64.9% | 53.4% |
| Neurology 23-1 | 75.6% | 56.6% |
| Neurology 23-2 | ||
| Palliative medicine | 95.1% | 74.2% |
| Respiratory medicine | 80.5% | 64.3% |
| Rheumatology | 77.9% | 60.5% |
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: