What is the rheumatology specialty certificate examination?
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It’s an exam that tests the specialty rheumatology curriculum. It’s designed to ensure that specialists have sufficient knowledge of their specialty to practice safely and competently as consultants.
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When should it be attempted?
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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 April. These dates are subject to change, so please do check the MRCP website for official dates.
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What's the format?
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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.
The questions are distributed across a variety of topics. Full information can be found in the MRCP website's blueprint document.
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How can I prepare?
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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"
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Are there entry requirements?
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No, but it’s a specialist assessment, designed to test rheumatology experience. For example, candidates in UK training posts would usually take it in their penultimate year of training.
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Tips on how to prepare?
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- Plan ahead and start revision early
- Read all the guidance on the RCP website
- There is a blueprint available on the RCP website so you can see specifically which areas will be tested. Tailor your revision to this
- Get as much experience as you can in rheumatology including clinical experience, attending conferences, reading journals or listening to podcasts
- It’s also important to note that it’s a UK exam with content mapped to UK core medical training. Candidates, particularly those not currently practicing in the UK, should make sure they are up to date with UK national guidelines as part of their preparation including NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) and SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network)
- Make sure you check out the new Rheumatology curriculum from 2022
- Do lots of practice questions. We have our own multiple-choice mock SCE question bank designed to mimic the types of questions that appear on the SCE exam paper. There are also some sample questions available for free on the RCP website
- Discuss with your educational supervisor booking some study leave to help prepare
- Practice exam conditions, 3 hours is a long sit
- Note 2025 dates; the booking period is 5 March-2 April 2025, the date of the exam is on 25 June 2025.
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