Statement on Examination Fees

It is usual for examination fees to increase annually prior to the start of each academic year. In deciding the annual increase, the College considers a range of factors comprising exam delivery costs, costs of maintaining validity and the necessary developments to achieve this, such as changes to question types and high fidelity equipment. 

Any increase to fees is planned and proportionate to cover the increasing costs of our activities in this key area. It will also align with the College strategic objective, which states that it will not seek to make an overall operational surplus on UK examinations. The fee increase for 2020-21 will continue to comply this objective. 

To ensure trainees continue to receive assessments that are the fairest, most valid and of the best quality during their training programme, the College trustees’ have agreed the need to increase examination fees by five per cent for 2020-21. This follows three years where the College only increased fees by inflation, which although appropriate at the time, restrained improvements being made to our examination systems. This increase will support a more sophisticated examination system that will improve the exam experience for the candidate and enable us to design tests which more closely replicate the needs of the workplace and the capabilities required during and post COVID-19. The College is committed to delivering good value for money therefore any procurement on examinations is judged against this commitment.

The College appreciates the significant impact and disruption that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on trainees’ working lives. The College is committed to supporting trainees through this time therefore the planned increase to fees will be deferred until January 2021. This will allow trainees who sit exams up to December 2020 to take them at the rate for the academic year 2019-20. Additionally, we are moving to online written examinations from September 2020 to ensure that these exams can continue to take place despite social distancing measures and restrictions on travel. We will not pass on this additional cost to trainees for 2020-21. 

Trainees who sit examinations as part of a training programme can claim tax relief on their exam fees. Trainees can also claim tax relief on membership fees, and additional expenses incurred from exams, such as hotel accommodation, can be claimed under professional expenses. More information is available on the booking pages of the website for each examination.