Specialty Certificate Examination in Medical Oncology - FAQ

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1 Specialty Certificate Examination in Medical Oncology - FAQ Why do we need an examination for Medical Oncology? The Specialty Certificate Examination (SCE) is the assessment method selected to determine whether a trainee has achieved competence in the knowledge aspects of the curriculum. The skill-based assessment methods of mini-cex and multi-source feedback do not adequately assess knowledge and therefore a separate assessment is required. This is being introduced across all medical specialties within the Royal College of Physicians. Who must do this examination? It is a GMC requirement that all trainees that entered at ST3 to begin training in Medical Oncology on or after 1 August 2007 must sit this exam in order to obtain CCT. If you were appointed before this date, the examination is optional. If you were appointed as a LAT or undertook other locum posts, the date you entered training is the date you were awarded an NTN. If you acquired your NTN after 1 August 2007, the exam is mandatory. I am applying for Article 14 registration, is this for me? Under Article 14, clinicians can apply for recognition of their training to be considered against the defined curriculum of a specialty and apply for direct entry onto the specialist register. All such applications are now made to the GMC (previously PMETB). As part of the application, evidence must be submitted to allow determination of the competencies of the applicant. A certificate of success in the SCE will strengthen the application as it provides evidence of equivalence of knowledge against the curriculum. It is not mandatory but optional for such clinicians. When can this be taken and how many attempts am I allowed? The examination is designed to assess the depth and breadth of the curriculum. Therefore trainees that have not completed a reasonable proportion of their training may be disadvantaged as they may be assessed in areas that have not yet been covered. It is advised that for most trainees the first time they should attempt the exam is towards the end of their second year in Medical Oncology (ST4). There is no limit on the number of attempts. Therefore, it could be possible to attempt the exam at the end of ST4, three times during a research period and twice more during ST5-6. This provides six opportunities within the normal training period if research is integrated into the training. What happens if I get to my CCT date but have not passed the examination? For trainees appointed to an NTN on or after 1 August 2007, the SCE is an integral component of the assessment and evidence required to achieve CCT. Therefore if a trainee has not passed the SCE by the date of their CCT, the CCT date will be delayed until a pass has been achieved. In this case, the continuation of salary is a matter for the Deanery, although it is expected that such an event will occur rarely. How much will the examination cost? For trainees within the UK for 2011 it will cost 825 and for those outside of the UK the cost is This relates to your physical location at the time of the examination and not your official residence, or whether you are an EU graduate or overseas graduate. The fees have been fixed since 2008 and may change in line with inflation but any changes will be notified on the MRCP website. When can I register and take the examination? The next sitting of the exam will be on 24 November 2011 and registration is likely to become available between the end of July and early September. The dates for each sitting will be published on the MRCP website but are likely to be in Q4 of each year. What is the format of the examination? The Specialty Certificate Examination comprises two three-hour multiple choice tests of 100 items and is delivered in a computer-based format at an invigilated Pearson VUE test centre. Each paper is based on the MRCP(UK) written paper format and contains 100 multiple choice questions in 'best of five' format, where candidates choose the best answer from five possible answers. Each correct answer is awarded one mark; there is no negative marking.

2 Points to remember when taking the examination: mark the answer box carefully skip difficult questions (these can be electronically flagged to go back to) go through those not done second time round answer all questions keep checking the clock (100 questions in 3 hours) Can I review the questions first or go back to skipped questions? Yes you can. At the computer terminal you will see a single question on the screen. If you are uncertain of your answer you can move onto another question and then come back at a later point. You can change your answers up to the time limit of the examination. Therefore, you could review a question and come back to it after answering others first. Although all candidates will be answering the same 100 questions on each paper, individual questions will be randomly displayed such that no two candidates will see the questions in the same order or at the same time. Are example questions available? Yes, examples of representative questions are available on the MRCP website. It is recommended that candidates familiarise themselves with the demonstration tutorial also provided on the MRCP website. Where will the examination be held? Candidates who have selected to sit the exam in the UK must contact Pearson VUE, after registration on the MRCP website, to book their test. The earlier you book, the greater the chance of your preferred centre being available. Pearson VUE operates a large number of test centres throughout the UK and a core list is provided on the MRCP website. What can I expect on exam day? Candidates are expected to arrive at test centres at least 30 minutes before the examination is due to start. Candidates who arrive late will not be able to take the examination and will not normally be able to claim a refund of fees. On arrival at a centre candidates must provide: two identification documents, one showing their name, photograph and signature (i.e. a valid passport or UK photocard driving licence), the other their name and signature (e.g. a credit card) proof of identity must match examination registration details proof that they have registered and paid for the examination Candidates failing to provide identity documents which match examination registration details will be unable to sit the examination. If the names are different (e.g. one is their maiden name and the other their married name), candidates must present an original official document that links the two names (e.g. a marriage certificate). If proof cannot be provided, the candidate will not be permitted to take the examination as Pearson VUE must be certain that the person sitting the examination is the person who registered with the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK. Candidates will not be permitted to take anything into the test room such as: any electronic or electrical equipment (including mobile phones and pagers) paper of any kind bags and coats purses and wallets food and drink non-essential medicines The test centres provide water and secure lockers for the storage of candidates belongings. Wipe-clean board and pens are available for each candidate for any workings out. Candidates may leave the room temporarily. No additional time will be allowed to complete the assessment. There is a one-hour break between papers 1 and 2. Candidates will be permitted to leave the test centre but anyone who returns late will not be allowed into the test room. There will be identity checks and test centres operate closed circuit television cameras.

3 Will I be awarded postnominals? Trainees with MRCP(UK) who pass the Specialty Certificate Examination in their specialty and who are recommended for a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) are granted the postnominal: MRCP(UK) (Medical Oncology) Trainees who have joined a higher specialty training programme with a diploma from an alternative UK Royal College, e.g. MRCGP, MRCPCH, who pass the Specialty Certificate Examination in Medical Oncology and who are recommended for a CCT in Medical Oncology are also granted the postnominal MRCP(UK) (Medical Oncology). Trainees who have joined a higher specialty training programme with non-gmc-approved training, passed the Specialty Certificate Examination and are recommended for a CESR(CP) and in addition have passed MRCP(UK) are also granted the postnominal MRCP(UK) (Medical Oncology). Trainees who are recommended for a CESR(CP) but who have not passed the MRCP(UK) are not granted the use of the postnominal. They may decide to take MRCP(UK) at a later date and if successful will then become eligible for the postnominal. All other candidates that pass the Specialty Certificate Examination but are not in a training programme, will be awarded a Certificate of Medical Oncology. Unless one of the above conditions is met they are not granted use of the postnominal. For more information about CCT and CESR(CP) please see the GMC website. How do I apply for the examination? Application is made online at the MRCP website and the process includes: register online at My MRCP(UK) (with opportunity to register any special arrangements) pay the applicable fee application is confirmed in an automatically generated contact Pearson VUE to select test centre receive confirmation from Pearson VUE What is the governance of the examination? Ultimate authority for the Specialty Certificate Examinations lies jointly with the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (the Federation) and the Specialist Societies. Responsibility for the academic activities of the Specialty Certificate Examinations is delegated to the following bodies: MRCP(UK) Management Board Specialty Certificate Steering Group Specialty Certificate Examining Board Specialty Certificate Standard Setting Group Specialty Certificate Question Writing Group The Specialty Certificate Steering Group s remit is to evaluate the progress and success of the Specialty Certificate Examinations, in which capacity it is responsible for advising the MRCP(UK) Management Board on all policy and academic matters relating to the Examinations. Additionally, it monitors the performance of the Specialty Certificate Examining Boards, Question Writing Group and Standard Setting Groups. More information about the remits and responsibilities of these groups is available on the MRCP website. Who wrote the questions? All the questions are written by senior staff trained in Medical Oncology. Each question is reviewed by a team of authors for accuracy and authenticity during a 2-day writing workshop. They are then edited by the MRCP editors into a house style and passed to the Exam Board for review and final editing. Questions may be referred for further revision in the writing groups or are approved and stored in the question bank. All bank questions are then sent for standard setting (see below) and the Exam Board make a final selection of questions for the 2 examination papers.

4 As a trainee can I get involved in writing questions for the exam? Nice try, I like your style, but no! Once you have gained CCT you could contribute question to a writing group and receive CPD points. Such a contribution might exempt you from any future revalidation exercise that draw on the same question bank. Are the same questions going to be used in sequential sittings? The simple answer is no. Great effort is made to create a bank of sufficient questions (> 1000) to ensure that the same question will not be used for several years. During the MRCP Part I examination there are marker questions used most times, that do not contribute to the overall score for the candidate, but for which detailed statistical analysis is available which allows comparison between cohorts of candidates. What is the format of the questions? Each question is framed around a clinical scenario. These are representative of typical scenarios, discussions, issues or decisions that are made at tumour-specific multidisciplinary meetings. Trainees are expected to be familiar with the evidence that underpins such decisions of planning investigation or management of patients with cancer. Some questions require the interpretation of clinical or laboratory data and these will be representative of similar requirements that trainees undertake in the delivery of a clinical service. How often will the exam run? The examination currently planned to run once per year. How is the pass mark determined? The Specialty Certificate Examination is criterion-referenced with a pass mark determined in advance. Prior to the test, the difficulty of each question is considered by the Standard Setting Group, comprising practising Consultant Physicians who have participated in setting the Specialty Certificate Examination and those who have medical education experience relevant to this process. This is exactly the same process as used in the MRCP(UK) Part 1 and 2 Written examinations. Further information about the standard setting process is available in the regulations document for each Specialty Certificate Examination, provided on the MRCP website. In practice, each question is considered by the group who make a determination of what percentage of the just passing candidates are expected to get the question correct. There is then debate to explore the outliers of this scoring and a final average is taken. Across the paper the marks are assimilated to determine the percentage of candidates expected to pass and this is used to determine the pass mark. Therefore, the pass mark will change for each sitting of the examination. Is there a breakdown of the topics covered? All questions must relate to the curriculum for Medical Oncology and are mapped using a blueprint document. Therefore, the questions are designed to test the depth and breadth of knowledge defined within the curriculum document. Please note that the curriculum requires that you have knowledge about cancers that you may not have clinical experience in managing. Candidates are therefore tested on a wide range of common and important disorders as set out in the curriculum. An example composition of the papers at one sitting is as follows: Topic Number of questions* Breast cancer 24 * This should be taken as an indication of the likely number Lung cancer 21 of questions the actual number will vary and will change Colorectal and anal cancer 18 on successive examination diets. Chemotherapeutic agents 17 Skin cancer and sarcoma 16 Clinical research 12 Renal cell cancer & urothelial cancer 12 Scientific basis of malignancy 11 Lymphoma 9 Hepatobiliary cancer 9 Ovarian cancer 7 Oesophagogastric cancer 7 Standard operating procedures 7 Cervical and uterine cancer 7 Other 23 Total 200 questions (100 per paper)

5 The distribution of questions will change for each sitting of the exam but a breakdown will be available on the MRCP website before each sitting. Will feedback be provided? For candidates that do not achieve sufficient marks for a pass, there will be feedback against which of the topics (as above) they scored poorly. This will direct your future revision. Note that marks for individual questions will not be provided. When will I receive my exam results? Examination results will be ed within four weeks of the date of the Specialty Certificate Examination. Please refrain from telephoning the college regarding your results during this period as this will delay the process further. Results cannot be collected from the Royal Colleges of Physicians or given over the telephone or by fax. Two weeks after the examination, the date on which results will be released will be posted on the MRCP(UK) Examination website. Is it possible for all candidates to pass at a single sitting? Yes. As the examination is criterion-referenced with a predefined pass mark, if all candidates exceed this mark, they all pass. Pass result The qualification for candidates who pass the Specialty Certificate Examination will be a Certificate in Medical Oncology with no explicit postnominal or title. All UK trainees with a Certificate in Medical Oncology who are recommended to the General Medical Council by the JRCPTB for a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) will be entitled to apply for the postnominal 'MRCP(Medical Oncology)'. Fail A candidate not achieving a pass mark will be deemed to have failed the examination. Review Results are released when the Chairman of the Specialty Certificate Examining Board is satisfied that the Specialty Certificate Examination has been conducted appropriately and in accordance with the procedures of the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK and the Specialist Societies. Pass rates Pass rates for the Specialty Certificate Examinations following pilot sittings are available on the MRCP website. In the pilot studies the pass mark was between 58-68% and the percentage of trainees passing was high. What if I have special requirements? If any candidate for the Specialty Certificate Examinations is unable, through disability or other special need, to be assessed by the methods set out in the regulations, they may apply for reasonable adjustments to be made to their examination. Contact with the MRCP office is required in the first instance to discuss this. Useful URLs GMC website: MRCP website: Author: Graham Dark Chairman: Board of Examiners, Specialty Certificate Examination for Medical Oncology January 2011