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Dr Maureen Baker: ‘The RCGP has long recognised differential rates’

The overall pass rate across all elements of the MRCGP assessment has increased between 2012/13 to 2013/14.

The key purpose of the exam is to ensure that all GPs who pass are fit and confident to practise independently and provide excellent and safe care for their patients. This increase means that there are more doctors, in the community doing this, which is good news.

The RCGP has long recognised differential pass rates for International Medical Graduates and BME UK graduates taking the exam for the first time, which is the norm in professional and higher education examinations, but we are working with the British Association for Physicians of Indian Origin, the British International Doctors Association, and other stakeholders to address this.

There is now a broad consensus that the focus of future work needs to be on the early identification and support of trainees who might struggle with their assessments and the evaluation of training interventions.

The RCGP is committed to supporting the whole training community with MRCGP preparation and has undertaken a number of initiatives in this area including inviting GP trainers to observe  the CSA exam, developing training resources and publishing joint guidance with COGPED on CSA preparation which is now available from our website.

We hope that this work will help candidates to optimise their performance in the MRCGP.

Dr Maureen Baker is chair of the RCGP