Today, we are providing answers to many of the questions we are receiving from candidates in these regular updates. More questions and answers will be published in the coming days once information is available.
Why did this happen?
We are commissioning an independent review to transparently identify precisely what went wrong, how we have responded to fix the problem and support the doctors affected. The Resident Doctors’ Committees of our three partner Royal Colleges of Physicians are involved to ensure the voice of Resident Doctors is at the heart of the process. We recognise the many questions and concerns people have about what has happened and that we need to provide assurance that the problem can not happen again and we are supporting the doctors affected. We are committed to being transparent, learning from and implementing the Review’s recommendations. The Independent Review will be able to examine anything and speak to anyone it believes are necessary to complete its work, which we hope can be conducted as quickly as possible to provide answers for the affected doctors and everyone who is concerned.
Which exam was affected, and which candidates were impacted?
MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written Examination on the 6 September 2023 (Diet 2023/3)
1451 candidates sat the exam and 283 were given the wrong result
- 61 candidates who were told they had failed have passed
- 222 candidates who were told they had passed have failed
No other examinations were affected by this issue.
How many candidates had their results changed and in what direction?
61 candidates (all international) were originally informed that they had failed had actually passed the examination.
222 candidates (202 UK, 20 international) were originally informed that they had passed had actually failed the examination.
What remedies are being put in place for those candidates affected – pass to fail and fail to pass?
We have taken the following immediate action:
- Directly informing all candidates who have been impacted and how it affects them.
- Providing one-to-one support to affected candidates from senior Federation clinicians.
- Established a helpline for affected candidates and we have responded to approximately 400 calls from concerned candidates.
- One to one calls between each of the candidates affected and a senior clinician to discuss their individual situations and circumstances are being arranged. These meetings are being conducted over the weekend and into next week.
- Refunding examinations fees and providing free resits.
- Targeting other help according to individual circumstances.
Was this a marking error?
No. There was no error with marking or setting the paper. There was a data processing issue that led to incorrect results being communicated to some candidates.
As its been so long, why can’t candidates keep their original pass?
The MRCP(UK) examination is the gold standard of early physician assessment, and its standards are rigorously upheld. Regrettably, although the problem was not their fault, candidates who we now know did not pass, must resit and pass the exam in order to be awarded the MRCP(UK) Diploma and to progress in their training.
Are the doctors who failed still treating patients?
Yes. UK resident doctors who are likely to have taken this examination are at an early level of practice and are under the supervision of consultant physicians and therefore there is no new risk to patient safety arising from the situation.
UK resident doctors take exams throughout their training to become more senior or specialise. Not passing means they remain at their level of practice and can resit if they want to become more senior doctor.