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About
Who we are
Our People
Our Trustees
Committees
Devolved Nations
Regions
Special interest groups
Vision, mission & values
Careers in rheumatology
Rheumatology Taster Days
Specialty Certificate Examination
Versus Arthritis handbook
Working with BSR
Jobs at BSR
News & Policy
Events & Learning
Conferences
Annual Conference
Courses
Core Skills in Rheumatology
Quality Improvement
Rheumatology for Specialist Nurses
Foot and ankle
Transitional Care for Children and Young People
Ultrasound for Rheumatology Practice
Webinars
Awards
Bursaries
Education bursary
Fellowships
Practice & Quality
Audits
NEIAA
Lupus
Guidelines
Paediatric and adolescent guidance
Commissioning
Frameworks
COVID-19 guidance
Registers
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Psoriatic Arthritis
Published papers
Requesting registers data
Policy
Research
Best Practice Awards
ePROMs
Quality Review
Membership
Join
Benefits
FAQs
Mentoring
COVID-19
Jobs
eLearning
Journals
Rheumatology
Rheumatology Advances in Practice
Musculoskeletal Care
Specialty Certificate Examination
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Overview
The Specialty Certificate Examination (SCE) in rheumatology must be passed before you complete your training. Find out about what support we can offer, and read our FAQs.
We're giving free member access to an online database of practice questions to help you prepare for this exam. The question bank, published by Learna Ltd, reflects what you'll see in the examination, with questions reviewed regularly.
While this resource is aimed primarily at exam candidates, any member wanting to revise their knowledge can take advantage of this. Please get in touch with our Membership team on
membership@rheumatology.org.uk
for your access code.
Abbvie has provided financial support to enable this member benefit, which normally has a £149 subscription fee.
Visit the question bank
FAQs: Specialty Certificate Examination
What is the rheumatology specialty certificate examination?
This is the exam which is required to be passed in the UK prior to completion of training (CCT), delivered by the Royal College of Physicians. It tests candidates on pathophysiology, clinical diagnosis and management of rheumatological conditions.
When should it be attempted?
The SCE needs to be passed prior to progression to CCT. The pass rate is about 80%, if performed at ST4/5. According to the Rheumatology ARCP Decision Aid 2014, it needs to be attempted at ST5 level, although some people will attempt prior to this.
It takes place once a year, usually in June. Registration is at the beginning of March to the end of May. These dates are subject to change so please do
check the MRCP website
for official dates.
What is the format?
There are two examinations which take place on the same day. They are both 'best of five' multiple choice format. They take place in specific centres around the UK. Examination fees for 2019 are £665 for UK applicants and £833 for international applicants.
The questions are distributed across a variety of subjects. Full information can be found in the
MRCP website's blueprint document
.
How can I prepare?
Study leave: Trusts are obliged to give study leave for the SCE day so long as they are given the mandatory 6-8 weeks of notice. If you have any issues with this, please speak to your training programme director.
Revision: Everyone revises in different ways, but the following advice is based on feedback from previous candidates:
"Give yourself enough time - start early. Find somebody doing the exam at the same time as you so you have a study buddy"
"The most important thing revision wise is to look up the latest guidelines for BSR, EULAR and ACR, because those questions come up a lot in papers. Revise in the same way you did for MRCP"
What resources are available to me?
We recommend:
Rheumatology Secrets, Sterling West
Rheumatology (Oxford Desk Reference)
EULAR: Textbook on Rheumatic Diseases
PRN rheumatology question bank
General rheumatology with cases
(out Feb 2021)
FAQs: how to access
How do I access the question bank?
Access is free for all members.
If you're a specialty or foundation trainee member who joined before 20 June 2020, you received a unique code via email; we can resend this if necessary.
If you joined BSR after 20 June 2020, please
get in touch
with the Membership team to claim your code.
My code isn't recognised?
Please
get in touch
with the Membership team to confirm the correct code.
How can I get free access?
Join BSR today
!