Primary and Final FRCA examinations regulations

The College recommends that candidates should not sit the Primary FRCA MCQ paper until they have passed the Initial Assessment of Competency.

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A person is eligible to enter the Primary FRCA MCQ paper who meets the criteria A, B and C described below:

A. 

holds full registration without limitation with the General Medical Council (United Kingdom), or holds equivalent national registration with an overseas Medical Council;

AND

B.

(i) is currently registered with the College or appropriate Faculty as a trainee in a Deanery approved training post on a GMC approved training programme in Anaesthetics, ACCS, ICM or the UK Foundation Programme;*

OR

(ii) is currently registered as a trainee in Anaesthetics with the College of Anaesthetists, Ireland;

OR

(iii) is currently registered with the College in a recognised membership category (not an Affiliate grade) and presently working as a practising anaesthetist;

OR

(iv) is currently registered with the College in a recognised membership category (not Affiliate grade) and if not currently working as an anaesthetist, is a former UK or Irish anaesthetic trainee who left anaesthetic training no more than five years before the published start date of the sitting applied for;

OR

(v) will have successfully applied for Temporary Examination Eligibility (TEE) (which includes currently practicing as an anaesthetist) with the College three calendar months prior to the date of the examination applied for,

AND

C.

satisfies the requirements of these Regulations with regard to application procedures and other matters.

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A person shall not be eligible to enter for the Primary MCQ paper who has already attempted and failed that paper six times. Or where a matter under review or appeal remains unresolved. See Regulation 35(d). However, in accordance with General Medical Council guidelines on managing examinations during the pandemic, any candidate’s first attempt at an examination in a new online format (online written with remote proctoring or online face-to-face clinical  will not have that attempt counted towards the overall total six sittings, if they do not receive a pass. This temporary change applies to all FRCA examinations between August 2020 and 31 July 2021.