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MRCPUK JRCPTB CPD

Examinations

Rheumatology

Specialty Certificate Examination in Rheumatology

Exam dateApplication periodPearson VUE UK booking windowReasonable Adjustment DeadlineResults releaseCertificates posted
28 June 202308 March - 05 April 202305 April - 03 May 202313 April 202327 July 202315 September 2023
26 June 202406 March-03 April 202403 April-01 May 202410 April 20244 weeks after exam8 weeks after results release

Please ensure you apply for your examination within the application period and have submitted your reasonable adjustment request by the reasonable adjustment deadline.

The Specialty Certificate Examination in Rheumatology is 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 in their penultimate year of higher specialty training.

Qualification: Certificate in Rheumatology

Trainees who hold MRCP(UK), 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.

Curriculum and blueprint

The Specialty Training Curriculum for Rheumatology is published by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB).

The examination is made up of questions covering the whole curriculum, selected by a predetermined blueprint:

SCE in Rheumatology blueprint

Resources for trainees

Preparation for the SCE requires a wide breadth of knowledge around the curriculum and should involve reading of textbooks, journals and guidelines. Experience of the MRCP(UK) examination provides an excellent background to the format of the examination.

Suggested sources and reading are listed below:

Conferences

  • American Congress of Rheumatology
  • British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) AGM
  • EULAR Congress

Journals

Textbooks

  • Oxford Handbook of Rheumatology (Eds Hakim, Clunie and Haq. Published by Oxford University Press)
  • Oxford Textbook of Rheumatology (Eds Isenberg, Madison, Woo, Klars and F. C. Breedveld. Published by Oxford University Press)
  • Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases (Eds Klippel, Stone, Crofford, White)
  • Rheumatology 5th edition (Eds Hochberg et al. Published by Elsevier)
  • Textbook of Pediatric Rheumatology (Authors Cassidy, Petty)

Websites

Sample questions

The questions are in ‘best of five’ multiple choice 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. Please take part in this interactive sample test:

Results report

The selected metrics report provides details about the previous year's examination. All the statistics are intended to help candidates to be more informed and better prepared for the examination. The reports are 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.

Rheumatology results report

Email updates

Click here to get alerts on the opening of application periods as well as info/tips on revision/preparation resources and more!