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 UPDATE: FRCA Examination places this April and Academic Year 2024/25

We have suspended the window for new applications and renewals for Temporary Examination Eligibility (TEE) from April 2024 until October 2025.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. The College has received extremely high numbers of applications to the Primary FRCA examination this year and as a result, we are allocating places using our prioritisation policy. This means we are prioritising places for anaesthetists in training in UK training programmes, who are required to sit the FRCA examination as a mandatory part of training.

We understand this will be disappointing news for our existing TEE candidates and for those wishing to apply for TEE. We hope to be able to offer an exam place to candidates with a current, valid TEE who have so far been unable to sit the Primary due to restrictions on capacity during the academic year 2024/25.

Validity of examination components

If the validity period for passes in MCQ , OSCE only, or SOE only expires before you are able to sit the OSCE and/or SOE, we will extend the validity by one year. Please email exams@rcoa.ac.uk and we will arrange this for you.

We are doing all we can to increase our examination capacity and we will provide an update on our progress towards the end of the academic year 2024/25.

Please read the prioritisation information and if you have any questions about this update, please email us at exams@rcoa.ac.uk

About Temporary Examination Eligibility (TEE)

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 are delivered 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.

Who is TEE for?

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.

How do I apply for TEE?

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 £120.

When can I apply for TEE?

Application window currently suspended

We have suspended the window for new applications and renewals for Temporary Examination Eligibility from April 2024 until October 2025.

This is due to current capacity issues in the FRCA. We are doing all we can to increase our examination capacity and will provide an update towards the end of the academic year 2024/25.

I have a TEE number, how do I apply for Exams?

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.