Examinations

If you have not yet sat or received your results for your current exam attempt you can still provisionally apply for the next diet in specific centres only. Some International centres no longer offer provisional places; if you are awaiting results of your current PACES exam, please do not apply for this centre as your application will not be considered. Please see here for further information.

If you then pass your current PACES attempt, your provisional application will be automatically removed and you will receive a 100% refund of fees paid for the unused attempt.

Provisional applications can be submitted online via My MRCP(UK). Candidates must still apply during the application period and late applications will not be accepted.

The international application period opens before the UK application period, therefore if you are not allocated an international space you then have an opportunity to apply to take PACES in the UK.

The application period is open for 1 week, it does not matter when you apply - there is no first come first served rule.

We advise candidates to only apply to centres where they are able to obtain an entry visa as refunds will not be permitted for candidates withdrawing from an examination due to visa-related issues.

How to apply online

Main steps to applying online:

1. Log into your My MRCP(UK) account
2. Check your personal details are up-to-date
3. Indicate whether you are training in the UK or not
4. Choose where you would like to take PACES  – you can choose up to four locations but you do not need to choose all four (please check centre details for local prioritisation rules)
5. Complete any special arrangements where applicable (see details below)
6. Fill in details of the past 12 months hospital work history including where you have taken PACES  or attended a PACES course
7. Submit your application.
8. You do not pay until it has been confirmed you have a place. An incomplete item will be automatically placed on your account, no further actions are required until your place has been confirmed.
9. You will find out within 3 weeks of the closing date of the application period whether you have a place.

Next steps for successful applications to international centres:

1. You will receive a successful application email which will include a link for online payments which must be made within 2 weeks.
2. Your place is now confirmed.
3. Once payment is accepted you will receive admission details of your exam centre and date at least 4 weeks before the date of assessment.
4. Visa support letters can be sent out to successful candidates if required.

*We advise candidates to only apply to UK centres if they are able to obtain an entry visa as refunds will not be permitted for candidates withdrawing from an examination due to visa-related issues.

Next steps if your international application has been rejected:

1. Apply online for a UK place.*
2. Follow the same procedure as before but you can request a preferred area and timeframe.
3. You will be emailed within 1 week of the application period closing if you are successful.
4. Non-UK trainees are only required to pay after their application has been accepted
5. If you do not pay your application will be rejected
6. You will only be informed of your exam venue and date after payment has been completed. Admission documents are sent out a minimum of 4 weeks prior to examination date
7. Visa support letters can be sent out to successful candidates if required. 

UK PACES spaces are prioritised for UK trainees; with any remaining places are then allocated to other applicants in accordance with the current prioritisation criteria. Apply through your My MRCP(UK) account and late applications are not accepted.

Processing of applications

UK trainees must pay for their exam when submitting their applications, whereas non-UK trainees are must pay once their place is confirmed.

If any of the three colleges have an oversubscription of applications; candidates may be transferred to other colleges.

Admission documents are sent out a minimum of 4 weeks prior to examination date.

Special arrangements

Visa support letters

All non-UK trainees applying to sit PACES in a UK centre may request a visa support letter which will be sent from their college of entry after their details have been confirmed.

Medical conditions/ Access support

If you require special arrangements due to medical conditions should submit supporting documentary evidence to their college of entry; the documents should be emailed as scanned attachments.

Information about date and location requests

You can  request a preferred area and timeframe when submitting your application. These requests should be included in the ‘Other’ section under Special Arrangements (step 5 of 9 of the online application).

You should should keep your requests as broad as possible to enable us to accommodate them. No requests will be guaranteed and are considered on a case by case basis. If your request is based on medical or compassionate grounds, it must be supported by documentary evidence.

If you are allocated an examination date that is unsuitable, you should contact your college of entry when you have received your admission document to find out if it’s possible to transfer to another centre. We cannot guarantee a transfer and you should be prepared to travel anywhere within the UK.

• Application Received* – your application is currently being processed
• Application Accepted* – your examination space is confirmed
• Application Not Accepted – your application has been rejected due to oversubscription

*Should you be experiencing Application Received/Accepted on your MRCP(UK) portal and are pending results from a sitting, your results are being processed, and your application status will only change once these results have been released.

Incomplete status

• Your online credit card transaction was unsuccessful - please contact us with your credit card details to pay the examination fee – this incomplete item is automatically placed on all applications that haven't been confirmed and candidates should not be alarmed.

If you have been placed on a waiting list by the three colleges, this waiting list is only applicable for the respective diet you have applied for and will not roll over into future diets. When the subsequent application window of PACES opens, this will mean your space on that current waiting list will now become null as we were unable to accommodate you a seat in the diet you applied for. A new waiting list will form per diet, and applications will only be considered for that specific diet aligned with the centres running during that particular time period.

You must submit a new application in order to be considered for the future diet, and any fees you paid for a previous diet will be refunded by your college of entry as a result of not gaining a space. Please get in touch with your college of entry if you are experiencing any error messages in applying for the new diet.

We can not transfer applications to future diets, nor can we transfer funds to future diets, as these must be refunded.