Temporary Examination Eligibility (TEE)

About TEE

Temporary Examination Eligibility allows any practising anaesthetist, who lives and works outside the UK and has not worked in the NHS, to become eligible for and apply for Primary FRCA examinations.   

TEE is open for new applications from April 1st 2023 until June 1st 2023, no applications will be accepted outside of this time. Please apply using the electronic application form at the bottom of this page. For more dates see the information below. College membership is an essential requirement to become eligible to sit all FRCA examinations. Anaesthetists who are working outside of the UK do not currently qualify for any of the College membership categories. Temporary Examination Eligibility (TEE) bridges this gap and allows overseas doctors to satisfy the membership requirement and become eligible for the Primary FRCA examinations.

However, doctors must have worked in the NHS for at least one year to become eligible for the Final FRCA examinations and therefore, TEE applicants are not eligible to sit the Final FRCA examinations unless they take up a role in the NHS UK and will have worked in that role for at least 12 months prior to the date of the Final exam they are applying for.

Please be advised that the Primary OSCE and SOE examinations returned to a face to face delivery in May 2022. All candidates must attend the exam at the College building in London. The RCoA cannot advise in matters to do with travelling into the UK or visa requirements. We do not have the knowledge or authority to submit supporting documentation beyond providing candidates with an admission notice to the exam after the closing date. 

Temporary Examination Eligibility (TEE) is open to any practising anaesthetist* in the world who wishes to sit the FRCA Primary Examinations, and is living and working outside the UK.

College membership is a prerequisite for taking the FRCA Examinations. Anaesthetists who are working outside of the UK and therefore do not qualify for any of the College membership categories, can apply for TEE as a means to take the Primary FRCA examinations. 

*If you are practicing in Ireland and registered with the CAI you do not require TEE status, please email exams@rcoa.ac.uk who will supply you with a College Reference number at no cost, so you can apply for your exam.

To apply for TEE you must be a practising anaesthetist, living and working outside the UK.

You should complete the electronic application form at the bottom of this page and make sure to upload the following documents, otherwise your application will be rejected. 

  • proof of registration with the Medical Council of the country or region in which you are practicing.
  • proof of primary medical qualification or medical degree.
  • proof of foundation training, an example can be found here
  • proof of speciality training in anaesthesia of a minimum of 6 months. This can be a certificate or a letter of confirmation from your hospital.
  • proof of your current job role/ that you are practising anaesthesia

Once you have submitted you TEE application form, it may take a while for the exams team to get back to you, so please be patient. When your application has been processed and assuming TEE is granted, you will receive a confirmation letter via email. This will included instructions on how to apply for exams and your unique TEE number. You will also be prompted to pay for your TEE registration online which will be sent to you by the College's finance department. The current annual TEE membership fee is £115.

New TEE applicants must have their TEE applications approved prior to their application for the FRCA Primary MCQ examination. Please refer to the examinations calendar and time your application for TEE appropriately. Please also make sure you state on application, which sitting you intend to attend as this will help us to assign you the correct TEE period.

TEE application period

April 1- June 1

August 1 - September 1

October 1 - November 1

TEE Validity Period of 12 months

June 1- June 30 (the following year)

September 1 - September 30 (the following year)

November 1 – November 30 (the following year)

Candidates can apply to the following MCQ exams

September

November

February/March

November

September

February/March

February/March

September

November

The TEE period is slightly over twelve months. In this time it is possible to successfully attempt and pass each part of the FRCA Primary Examination. If your TEE period expires before you have passed each component, then you can renew TEE by submitting another application form, proof that you are still registered with a medical council and evidence that you are still working. There is no need to submit the other documents.

There is no limit to the number of times that you can renew TEE, but please be aware that a candidate can only make six attempts at each exam component. Please refer to the examination regulations for more details.

Once you have been issued with a TEE number which you can use to apply for exams.  You should then apply for the exams via the College website in the normal fashion. Please pay careful attention to the examinations calendars for when to apply for your intended exam as late applications will not be accepted.

Exam Structure

All FRCA Examinations are based on practices within the NHS in the UK. The exam syllabus is drawn from the UK Anaesthetic Basic Level Training Curriculum. TEE then you should understand the structure of the Primary exam which can be found on the Primary FRCA exam overview page.  

There are a number of resources available to exam candidates and overseas applicants are advised to take full advantage of the Primary guide, example questions, exam courses and videos which can be accessed or researched on the resource for candidate pages.  A particular useful tool in familiarising yourself with what to expect when arriving at the College for your exam is the 'exam run thorough video series and a further understanding of the Primary SOE can be gained from the Primary SOE video series which can be found by clicking the SOE box on the Primary -candidate resources page.   

Language

All FRCA examinations are conducted in English. Where a candidate’s first language is not English, the College recommends that an applicant’s communication and written skills in English are at least equivalent to the level at which a doctor could successfully pass the PLAB (Professional Linguistics Assessment Board) tests or at a level where they would expect to gain an average score of approximately 7.5/9 across all bands of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). However we do not require you to provide us with a certificate proving competency in English.

Further Information

Candidates applying for examinations under TEE will be subject to both the general exam regulations and the TEE regulations.

TEE is not a membership category and does not give any privileges associated with College membership, it only gives an overseas applicant eligibility towards Primary FRCA exams.  If you wish to apply for the Final Examinations after passing the Primary examinations, this cannot be done under TEE. Please refer to the exams eligibility section of the website for more information regarding applying for the FRCA Final Examinations.

If you are currently employed in the UK as an anaesthetist and you are not a member of the College but wish to sit the Primary exam, then TEE is not for you. You should contact the membership department for more information about a category which would be better suited to you.

If you have any further queries about TEE or any element regarding exam eligibility then please contact the Exams Dept: exams@rcoa.ac.uk

Once you have submitted your TEE application form please be patient and do not send emails chasing your application as we do not have time to reply to them. Also please do not call the exams department chasing applications, we will process applications as quickly as possible and this is made slower by repeated emails and calls chasing applications. Successful TEE applicants will be notified on or after the closing date of the application period. Details regarding how to pay for TEE will be communicated after/if TEE is granted. 

Is this a new application or a renewal?

You must upload proof of attendance/completion of the following.
NOTE: if documents are not in the English language, you must provide a letter of translation signed by a senior anaesthetic consultant or notary.
Allowed types: pdf, jpg only
Allowed types: pdf, jpg only
Allowed types: pdf, jpg only
Allowed types: pdf, jpg only
Allowed types: pdf, jpg only
You must upload the following.
NOTE: if documents are not in the English language, you must provide a letter of translation signed by a senior anaesthetic consultant or notary.
Allowed types: pdf, jpg only
Allowed types: pdf, jpg only

Personal details

Current place of residence
Candidates living/working in the UK are not eligible for TEE. Please contact the membership team to discuss a more suitable membership category.

Eligibility

Proof of training

Please include the name and country of the university or hospital where the training was carried out.
Is your anaesthetic training on-going?

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We have a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion within the College, and these principles are embedded into our values and the way we work. It is for this reason that we are working hard to create and foster the proper representation of ethnic minority, gender and other groups that share protected characteristics in the work of the College and wider specialty. In order to achieve this we are conducting wide-ranging projects to obtain the necessary data to underpin a strategic, supportive and open approach to EDI.

To help us do this, we encourage you to complete the following questionnaire on ethnicity, diversity and inclusion as this data will help us:
  • develop a more detailed picture of our membership profile so we can consider and address areas of under-representation
  • better understand the needs of our Fellows, Members and stakeholders
  • inform strategic planning and policy reform to improve equality, diversity and representation across our work
  • assess the impact of our initiatives and;
  • promote, develop and foster positive relations between different groups.
In line with the Data Protection Act 2018 (C.12), the College will always keep your information safe and stored appropriately. Please see our Privacy Policy for further details. You can request for your data to be deleted if you change your mind.

The College is determined to create a more inclusive environment at all levels where differences are valued and respected.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have provided the below information previously and your details have not changed, you are not required to complete this form.

Ethnic groups are based on the Census 2021 categories
If you are considering how to answer, use the sex recorded on your birth certificate or Gender Recognition Certificate.
Do you consider yourself to have a disability according to the terms given in the Equality Act 2010?
The Equality Act 2010 protects people with disabilities. The Equality Act 2010 defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long term (ie has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months) and adverse effect on the person's ability to carry out normal day to day activities.
Do you have carer responsibilities?
Is English your first language?

Terms and Conditions

1.  Applicants must have been accepted for Temporary Examination Eligibility three calendar months before the commencement date of any FRCA examination applied for.

2.  TEE is valid for 12 months from the TEE deadline date.  All applicants are provided with a TEE deadline date and TEE number by email on receipt of a TEE form and appropriate fee. The TEE deadline dates are available on the website. These dates are used to give a joint commencement date and allow TEE applicants to sit the maximum number of exams available over a 12 month period.  TEE applications received after a deadline date will be verified on receipt but the 12 month TEE period will be held to commence on the next listed deadline date.

3.  TEE applicants must prove registration with a National Medical Council with all requests for TEE.

4.  At first request for TEE, applicants must also supply copies of:
  • Primary medical qualification.
  • Attendance/completion of foundation training.
  • Attendance/completion of anaesthetic training.
  • Proof of current work.
5.  TEE applicants will not automatically be entered into any Primary FRCA examination.  Applicants must submit an examination application form and appropriate fee in accordance with the RCoA examination calendar.  TEE numbers must be quoted on all examination applications.

6.  All examination applicants must pass the Primary FRCA MCQ before they can apply for the Primary FRCA OSCE/SOE.

7.  TEE must be living outside the UK and practicing anaesthesia.

8.  TEE applicants will only be accepted on to the Primary OSCE/SOE examination if the RCoA has the capacity to examine them.  TEE applicants will be subject to a priority waiting list system as set out in Section 4 of the RCoA Examination Regulations.  If the College is unable to examine a TEE applicant due to lack of capacity, TEE form validity will be extended accordingly on request.

9.  All examination applications are subject to the conditions set out in the RCoA Examination Regulations.  You must be a UK trainee or former UK trainee in anaesthesia to apply for the Final FRCA examination.

10.  Temporary Examination Eligibility does not require attendance at the College.  Examination applicants must apply for entry visas to attend examinations in good time, prior to exam dates.  The College plays no part in visa requests.  Inability to attend exams due to refusal or non-receipt of visas will incur loss of exam fee.

11.  All TEE applications must be accompanied by the administration fee which must be paid online once TEE is granted. 
Please sign above using your mouse or finger (if using a touchscreen device).

Confirmation

Data Protection Statement

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is fully committed to the principles of data protection, as set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The RCoA relies on legitimate interests as the lawful basis for processing of personal data. We process and maintain personal data about you so that we can manage your membership, provide you with appropriate products and services and share information with you about RCoA activities.

We will only use your information for the purposes as described and will not pass on your details to other third parties unless you have given us consent to do so.

We use appropriate organisational and technical measures to ensure that your data are secure and protected from loss, misuse and unauthorised access or alteration.

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies in your information corrected. If you have any questions about data protection or require further information, please email dpo@rcoa.ac.uk

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.