Examination Regulations

12.1 Pre-Examination Support

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and its Faculty provide various resources to support candidates in their examination preparation, including:

• College / Faculty Revision Courses
• Example questions
• Topic lists published online
• Demonstration of TestReach system to prepare for written exams
• Guidance interviews for resitters
• Candidate guidance sections in the post diet CRQ reports (Final FRCA) and Annual Reports
• e-La (FRCA only)

 

12.2 Candidate Performance Feedback

The RCoA and FFPMRCA are committed to helping all candidates progress through training by providing detailed feedback and guidance opportunities.

Feedback helps candidates understand their performance relative to standards, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and prepare for future attempts while maintaining examination integrity.

Feedback is provided with the result outcome 3-4 weeks after an examination on the date stated in the Examinations Calendar. It is accessed via the My RCoA member portal which enables candidates to view and download their result. 

Feedback includes scores, percentages, and breakdowns by exam section. For the SOE, examiner comments on a candidate’s performance are available upon request to exams@rcoa.ac.uk (FRCA)/ facultyexams@rcoa.ac.uk (FFPM).

Candidates are encouraged to discuss feedback with their College Tutor or trainer to improve preparation.

For full details, please refer to the Candidate Examination Feedback Policy.

 

12.3 Support following an unsuccessful attempt

Guidance Interviews 

A guidance interview is a structured discussion between a candidate and one or more examiners, aimed at helping the candidate understand their performance in previous examination attempts and identify strategies for improvement. These interviews provide an opportunity for constructive feedback and personalised advice to support candidates in their preparation for future examinations. Interviews are conducted online. Attendance of a College Tutor is strongly encouraged to provide additional support and follow-up guidance.

Eligibility for Guidance Interviews:

Candidates may request a guidance interview after:

• One failure of the following components
• Primary FRCA OSCE and/or SOE
• Final FRCA Written (CRQ)
• Final FRCA SOE
• FFPM SOE

 

• Four failures of:
• Primary FRCA MCQ
• Final FRCA MCQ
• FFPM MCQ

 

Attendance at a guidance interview is mandatory at the sixth attempt for any component.

In exceptional circumstances, a College Tutor may recommend a guidance interview after a first failure of any component.

Candidates are typically limited to one interview per component. A second interview may be granted at the sixth attempt, if required.

Request Process:

Submit a request via email to exams@rcoa.ac.uk (FRCA)/ facultyexams@rcoa.ac.uk (FFPM). Requests must be submitted within one calendar month of the last failed attempt.

Guidance interviews do not qualify for refunds, nor does the absence of a request or attendance affect examination eligibility.