FFPMRCA Examinations
FFPMRCA Examinations
Next MCQ sitting: Wednesday 21 August 2024
- Applications opening date: Monday 20 May 2024
- Applications closing date: Thursday 4 July 2024
Next SOE sitting: Tuesday 15 October 2024
- Applications opening date: Tuesday 6 August 2024
- Applications closing date: Friday 13 September 2024
Applications for the FFPMRCA SOE for Tuesday 15 October 2024 are now open. The closing date for applications is Friday 13 September 2024 at 5pm.
FFPMRCA MCQ
The next sitting of the MCQ is Wednesday 21 August 2024.
This exam will be delivered online and invigilated by remote invigilators through a company called TestReach. TestReach are very experienced in running online invigilated tests and expert on guiding candidates through a remote delivery of their examination successfully.
Once candidates enrol on the exam, TestReach will support them personally in the set up and pre-test trial of their examination.
TestReach tutorials for candidates
Generic tutorials of the TestReach system are available on the RCoA website for any candidates who wish to view the system in advance and can be accessed via this page.
FFPMRCA SOE
The next sitting of the SOE is Tuesday 15 October 2024.
The Structured Oral Examination (SOE) is delivered in person at the College.
Guide to sitting the SOE in person at the RCoA
Getting to Churchill House: Map and Directions
Arrival at the College. Please arrive at the Royal College of Anaesthetists at least 30 minutes before the first call time on your Admission Notice. The timetable and marking system do not allow late admissions. Please note that the earliest time you will be admitted to the College is 07.30.
Dress Code: The same dress code for day-to-day clinical practice/contact with patients applies to the FRCA examination e.g. suit and tie. The form of dress should not constrain a candidate’s ability to demonstrate recognised skills including effective communication with simulated patients or examiners. There is no requirement to wear clinical/theatre clothing during any of the examinations.
Candidates are requested not to wear forms of dress that cover the face to ensure easy verification of the candidate’s identity.
Water bottles: Help us to reduce the use of single-use plastic in the College by bringing a water bottle to your exam. Water bottles may be taken onto the OSCE and SOE exam floors and refilled at points around the College.
On arrival at the College. Please report to the reception desk and present your Admission Notice and ID. You will be given clear instructions on when and where to report for each examination component. We will issue you with a label bearing your candidate number. Your candidate number must be visible at all times when you are in the College. You must sign in and out at reception when leaving/returning throughout the day.
Mobile phones and other electronic devices. Switch off your phone and store in secure locker/luggage for duration of time in College. A Pound coin is needed for the lockers.
Under no circumstances should mobile phones or smart watches be taken to the exam floor. Candidates will be disqualified if phones or smart watches are found on their person once they have entered the exam floor.
Changes: We do not envisage making changes to exam dates and times set out in admission notices but if there is a ‘National Emergency Situation’ that is likely to affect a majority of College examiners or candidates, there may be a need to implement a contingency plan to deal with the situation. If this happens and there is sufficient time available to us, we will inform you personally. In the unlikely event of this happening at short notice, then an urgent announcement will be published on the College website – homepage (www.rcoa.ac.uk).
SOE Exam Prep Course
The next course will take place on Wednesday 11 September 2024.
Booking will open on Monday 6 August 2024.
New examination policies for Complaints and Appeals and Reasonable Adjustments
In a continued effort to promote transparency and fairness, we have updated our Examinations Complaints and Appeals and Reasonable Adjustment policies for candidates sitting the FFPMRCA exam.
A summary of the key updates to each policy is provided below:
Examination Appeals Policy
The updated policy clarifies what constitutes grounds for an appeal and sets out the process and timeline. We have also significantly reduced the cost to the candidate of making an appeal.
The updated policy also replaces the previous review process, providing one streamlined process for candidates who wish to appeal. Candidates have two grounds on which to appeal:
- Evidence of procedural irregularity in the conduct or delivery of the examination (including administrative error) which has adversely affected their performance.
- There are exceptional circumstances, for which documentary evidence must be provided that adversely affected a candidate’s performance in the examination in addition to the complaint submission.
The reduced fee for submitting an appeal is £498, which will be refunded to the candidate if the appeal is upheld.
For full details please see the new appeals policy Examination Complaints and Appeals | Faculty of Pain Medicine (fpm.ac.uk.
Reasonable Adjustments Policy
To improve our process for requesting reasonable adjustments, a new online form will enable candidates to provide a greater level of detail on the support they will require when sitting an exam, and an earlier submission window will mean we will be better able to review the request, seek further evidence if required, and put in place the adjustment.
The updated process to request reasonable adjustments is:
- For applications for exams delivered from January 2025 onwards, candidates will complete a new reasonable adjustment form on our website Reasonable Adjustment Application Form | Faculty of Pain Medicine (fpm.ac.uk and attach supporting evidence. This must be completed within the reasonable adjustment window stated in the exams calendar on the website.
- If the reasonable adjustments are not complex, we will send you confirmation of your approved adjustments within 14 working days of the reasonable adjustment request window closing.
- If the reasonable adjustments are complex, we will contact you within 14 working days but it may take up to 28 working days to confirm your approved adjustments.
Reports submitted as evidence must have been obtained after the age of 16 and include recommendations for adjustments required for the specific FFPMRCA exam component for which you are applying to sit.
For full details please see the new reasonable adjustment policy Reasonable Adjustment Policy | Faculty of Pain Medicine (fpm.ac.uk).
FFPMRCA Examinations Calendar
Please note that dates below may be subject to change.
FFPMRCA MCQ | FFPMRCA MCQ | FFPMRCA SOE | FFPMRCA SOE | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Reasonable adjustment application window opening date | N/A | Monday 23 September 2024 | N/A | Monday 9 December 2024 |
Reasonable adjustment application window closing date | N/A | Monday 4 November 2024 | N/A | Monday 20 January 2025 |
Opening date for FFPMRCA exam applications | Monday 20 May 2024 | Monday 4 November 2024 | Tuesday 6 August 2024 |
Monday 20 January 2025 |
Closing date for FFPMRCA exam applications | Thursday 4 July 2024 | Thursday 12 December 2024 | Friday 13 September 2024 |
Wednesday 5 March 2025 |
Examination date | Wednesday 21 August 2024 | Tuesday 4 February 2025 |
Tuesday 15 October 2024 |
Tuesday 15 April 2025 |
Results released* | Tuesday 10 September 2024 | Tuesday 25 February 2025 |
Tuesday 22 October 2024 |
Tuesday 22 April 2025 |
Examination fees | £630 | £630 | £885 | £885 |
*Please note that results are emailed directly to candidates.
The Examination
The Fellowship of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FFPMRCA) examination is consistent with the requirements for Fellowships of other UK Colleges and Faculties and established Faculties of Pain Medicine internationally. The examination is in addition to, not a replacement for, achievement of the competencies of Advanced Pain Training as currently assessed. The examination is conducted in accordance with the highest standards and further raise standards of Pain Medicine in the UK.
All Advanced Pain Trainees are required to take the examination (Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) paper and Structured Oral Examinations (SOE) in order to achieve the FFPMRCA. For examination eligibility please see the regulations .
To obtain the appropriate FPM Membership to sit the exam please see the guide below. A useful FPM Membership flowchart can be found here - https://fpm.ac.uk/about-us/join-faculty. If you have any queries please email us at contact@fpm.ac.uk
Membership Type | Membership Category |
---|---|
Trainee |
FPM Trainee registration |
Post-CCT Trainee (UK) |
|
Post CCT Trainee (Overseas) |
FPM Affiliate or FPM Affiliate Fellow |
Consultant (UK) |
FPM Affiliate Fellow or FPM Associate Fellow |
Consultant (Overseas) |
FPM Affiliate Fellow or FPM Associate Fellow |
Consultant Specialty/SAS Grade |
|
Medical Training Initiative (MTI) |
FPM Trainee registration (Other Category) |
Fellowship Applicant |
FPM Affiliate |
Please click here for the RCoA CCT in Anaesthetics of which the Pain Medicine modules in Basic, Intermediate, Higher and Advanced and the generic modules from the curriculum for the examination can be found.
Examination Fees
Please see the table above, under FFPMRCA Examination Dates and Results, for MCQ and SOE fees.
Examination regulations, guidance and related documents
Contacting us
For all queries regarding the FFPMRCA examinations please contact the RCoA examinations department at FacultyExams@rcoa.ac.uk or call 020 7092 1731.
FFPMRCA Examination FAQs
Following discussion with RCoA Council, it was agreed in 2008 that an examination needed to be created to award post-nominal Fellowships of the Faculty. The Faculty Board introduced the examination, in line with other international pain examinations, to further drive up the standard and standing of Pain Medicine in the UK and of UK Pain Medicine internationally.
All questions are reviewed by the MCQ Core Group before and again after each sitting of the MCQ paper. All queries about questions raised by candidates sitting the MCQ paper are discussed in detail at the MCQ Core Group’s meeting held a week after the MCQ paper. Any questions assessed as being contentious or unclear are discounted from the marking of the paper.
The syllabus for the examination is the Basic, Intermediate, Higher and Advanced Pain Medicine component of the CCT in Anaesthetics curriculum.
A trainee took and passed the examination has also written an article for Transmitter with a full library of suggested reading. The Training & Assessment Committee has provided a curriculum expansion document.
The Examination fee is set by the RCoA and the FPM and is designed to break even on paper (and in reality lose money once overheads are included). The Examination is subsidised by Fellowship subscriptions in order to not fully pass the cost burden onto examinees. The FPM appreciates that the cost is higher than the FRCA (although still lower than other Colleges) – holding a high standard, well designed, quality assured and continuing improving examination is not an inexpensive endeavour and the comparatively small numbers undertaking the exam mean we benefit less from economies of scale.
Yes. The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA), Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) and Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FICM) ensure that trainees, members and fellows are provided with an appropriate breakdown of costs of supporting trainees and in the provision of the examinations that form part of the relevant training programmes. For the purposes of this analysis, the income and expenditure for FRCA, FFICM and FFPMRCA examinations have been combined, as the vast majority of the functions are managed centrally by the RCoA examinations department to improve economies of scale.
Each department within the College and each Faculty has its own budget which is managed by the relevant head of function and the overall directorate budget is the responsibility of the relevant director.
For further details on the cost of training please click here.
It is entirely understandable for those taking the exam to perceive the actual examination days themselves as the major part of the exam process. In reality, each exam sitting, whether MCQ or SOE, takes a considerable amount of development, both in times of physical days (Standard Setting Groups, Core Groups for question writing, training etc.) and remote development (IT systems, engagement with the Academy/GMC on national assessment changes). A difference in fee between the written and oral components of the exam has been agreed to reflect the different costs of the actual exam days, in similar ratio to that of the FRCA.
The FRCA has been in existence for a considerable time longer than the FFPMRCA and therefore has a bank of question many times bigger, allowing a number of used questions to be released for revision purposes. So far the FFPMRCA has released a small sample of questions (see below). We will continue to release example questions at a rate made possible by question writing. The Court of Examiners is already considering ways to increase question writing to support this.
For the MCQ: The pass mark for each MCQ exam is set using a modified Angoff method. An Angoffing group, comprising examiners and independent Pain consultants (including junior consultants who have recently attained the Fellowship), grade each question in the paper according to difficulty using the proxy of the likelihood of borderline candidates knowing the answer. A week following the exam a meeting takes place in which the group spends several hours discussing the scores given, with particular regard to the questions where there is disparity in the responses. Once an agreed score for each question has been reached a raw score for the paper can be calculated. The raw score is adjusted to allow for the potential for guessing the correct answers. The t pass mark is set as the adjusted raw score further reduced based upon the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), a statistic relating to the reliability (Kuder-Richardson 20 score) of the exam. This resulting figure is then rounded down to the nearest whole number to give the pass mark.
For the SOE: At least two standard setting tools are employed in setting the pass mark for the oral component of the exam. Prior to the exam examiners are asked to consider a number of parameters based on pass rate and pass mark, for an exam at this level these parameters are then cross referenced against actual cohort performance to generate a Hofstee chart. During the exam, in addition to candidates being marked on each question, performance at the exam is graded by examiners on a global ratings scale. This global rating is then cross-referenced against performance in individual questions using a linear regression method. The suggested pass marks generated by these two methods (which, to date, have been the same figure) are then used as a basis for discussion between examiners. The individual performance of all candidates whose scores are just above or just below the suggested pass mark are reviewed by the court of examiners in coming to a decision regarding whether they have demonstrated sufficient knowledge and understanding to be awarded the Fellowship. Discussion of these borderline candidates’ performances’ determines the final decision of where the pass mark should be set. Angoff and Ebel referencing methods have also been employed to assist in setting the pass mark.
Please note the proposed changes to the FFPMRCA Examination are not imminent and the points below have been highlighted to ensure you are aware of the forthcoming changes and can adequately prepare and inform your trainees so there is no confusion related to the exams going forward. You can read Dr Vivek Mehta’s (Chair of the Examinations Committee) full article regarding the changes in Transmitter here.
Reason for planned changes:
The Examinations Committee aims to adopt best practices from recent reports (FRCA examinations report and McLachlan report) to cost effectively use best practise in assessment to examine knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes, behaviours and domains of good practice. To achieve this, significant changes are planned for how the FFPMRCA exam will be conducted over the next few years.
Proposed Changes:
- Transitioning from Multiple True-False questions to Single Best Answer and Extended Matching questions.
- Changing the SOE (Structured Oral Examination) to a more OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination)-style format.
Implementation Timeline:
- Aiming to have a 'proof of concept' exam by autumn 2025.
- Full implementation planned for autumn 2026.
These timelines are currently provisional subject to the GMC’s approval of the changes and may have to be extended.
Communication and Notice:
Further communications and updates will be posted on the Faculty website, and no changes will occur without an extensive period of notice for candidates. We will notify candidates at least a year in advance of any proposed changes (as per the GMC’s requirements). Please note that the coming changes do not affect the current exams or learning at this time so please continue with your programme of learning as normal.