Advance notice of changes to the FRCA examinations

Council is considering a number of changes to the FRCA Examinations to comply with PMETB’s conditions for the approval of the College’s CCT assessment systems and to introduce current best practice in those areas where assessment has moved on since the last major change to the FRCA Examinations ten years ago.

The removal of negative marking from the MCQ examinations, with effect from 1 September 2008, was recently announced. To pre-empt speculation and rumour the following additional changes are also being considered:

• Primary MCQ examination
  The possible introduction of some Single Best Answer questions (SBA) and / or Extended Matching Questions (EMQ).

• Primary Structured Oral Examinations (SOE)
  The possible merger of SOE 1 and SOE 2 into a single examination lasting 1 hour, which would cover the same ground and have the same total number of questions as the current format.

• Final MCQ examination
  • The introduction of some SBA questions.
  • The possible introduction of some EMQs.

• Final SOEs
  The possible merger of SOE 1 and SOE 2 into a single examination lasting 1 hr 20 mins covering the same ground and having the same total number of questions as the current format.

• Pass/fail, stand-alone examinations
  Currently all parts of the Primary and Final FRCA Examinations (with the exception of the Primary MCQ) must be taken at the same diet with marks of 2, 2 and 1+ or better (for the Primary) and 2, 2, 2 and 1+ or better (for the Final) to pass. Council is considering making all parts of both examinations pass/fail with re-sits permitted of just the parts that have been failed, although it is possible that the Final FRCA MCQ and SAQ would need to be passed before sitting the SOE examination.

29 Nov 2007