Examiners for the FRCA are expected to adhere to the following principles when involved with local teaching examinations practice and courses, or in the writing of revision textbooks/or online published materials. The declaration that an examiner takes on appointment clearly states that they agree to give the highest priority to the examination above other commitments. The core principles are:
- Examiner should support their local trainees and others on courses, whenever possible by helping in local teaching and delivering courses for the examinations.
- An examiner may help and advise other local ‘examiners’ in such activities as standard setting, appropriate behaviour, time keeping.
- For local teaching or text book writing, examiners should only use questions in the public domain (for example those published by the College) or provided by the course organisers. It is inappropriate either to suggest topics or give more concrete examples of questions. This compromises both the FRCA examination and the integrity of the examiner concerned.
- Examiners are expected to support the FRCA examination by developing questions for use in this examination. Such questions are to be kept strictly confidential and must under no circumstances be used in other situations/courses/books as such use would inevitably compromise the fairness and impartiality of the FRCA examination.
- Examiners must be aware that there is a clear conflict of interest in being an examiner at the same time as managing or playing an equally significant role in a local or online examination preparation course or the writing of revision textbooks and apps.
- The examinations committee, as part of the annual re-appointment of examiners, will review any activity associated with local courses and take it into consideration when deciding on individual re-appointment.
