MRCGP · the consultation exam
The SCA, explained
The Simulated Consultation Assessment is the clinical half of the MRCGP: twelve video consultations of twelve minutes each, with trained role players, sat from a room in your own surgery. Each case is marked by a GP examiner across three domains. You take it in ST3, and it is the exam most trainees say they were least sure how to prepare for.
- 12video cases
- 12 mineach
- ST3sat in
- £1,238per attempt
Twelve cases, each timed. The mix above is illustrative: every diet is built to a blueprint so the twelve together cover the curriculum.
What happens on the day
No exam centre. You sit the SCA from a room in your own practice, consulting over video with role players while a GP examiner watches each case.
The examiner marks the same case for every candidate that day, which is how the RCGP keeps marking consistent. You will not know which case an examiner is on.
- 1
Set up as the RCGP specifies
A private room at your surgery, a computer that has passed the mandatory device check, a webcam, a microphone and a connection that meets the standard. Your practice manager will have the Candidate Surgery Guide.
- 2
Twelve consultations, twelve minutes each
Each case opens with a short brief on screen, then the role player joins. The clock runs from the start and the consultation ends when it hits zero, wherever you are. A comfort break comes after the sixth case.
- 3
Reruns, if the technology fails
A case lost to a technical problem is rerun at the end of the day after a five-minute break. Up to three cases can be rerun. Nothing is rerun because it went badly.
- 4
Results about five weeks later
Released through MyRCGP with feedback on every case under each marking domain, so you can see where the marks went even if you passed.
How the SCA is marked
Three domains, graded on every case. Management carries half as much again as the other two, which is where most candidates lose the exam.
Every domain gets one of four grades
- CPClear pass: above the standard
- PPass: at the standard
- FFail: below the standard
- CFClear fail: clearly below
Examiners also rate each candidate's overall performance on the case. Those borderline ratings set the pass mark for the diet through borderline regression, so there is no fixed pass mark and no percentage to aim for. The mean score sits around 84 of 126.
RCGP marking guidancePass rate and attempts
Roughly seven in ten candidates pass a given diet. The gap between first attempts and resits is real but smaller than for the AKT, which tells you the SCA is about preparation of a different kind: practising the consultation, not revising the content.
Attempts are limited by the GMC rule for all national exams: six if you entered GP training from 2 August 2023, four if you were already in training. Every attempt costs the full £1,238.
70–74%
of candidates passed each of the four most recent sittings with published results. First-attempt candidates pass at around 73%; the October 2025 diet, at 59.8%, was the lowest yet.
- May 202670.1%
- April 202674.2%
- March 202673.3%
- February 202670.7%
Overall pass rates as published with each diet's results.
SCA exam dates 2027
Nine diets a year, each run over three or four days. Book and pay through MyRCGP by the final deadline, about seven weeks before. Since April 2026 payment is staged: a quarter to reserve, a quarter at twelve weeks, the rest by the deadline.
Next diet you can still book
February 2027 · 9–12 February 2027
| Diet | Exam days | Adjustments by | Book & pay by | Results | Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 | 12 Oct 2026 | 6 Nov 2026 | 16 Feb 2027 | £1,238 | Booking closed | |
| February 2027 | 9 Nov 2026 | 4 Dec 2026 | 16 Mar 2027 | £1,238 | Booking open | |
| March 2027 | 14 Dec 2026 | 8 Jan 2027 | 13 Apr 2027 | £1,238 | Booking open | |
| April 2027 | 11 Jan 2027 | 5 Feb 2027 | 18 May 2027 | £1,238 | Booking open | |
| May 2027 | 8 Feb 2027 | 5 Mar 2027 | 15 Jun 2027 | £1,238 | Booking open | |
| June 2027 | 22 Mar 2027 | 16 Apr 2027 | 13 Jul 2027 | £1,238 | Booking open | |
| September 2026 | 8 Jun 2026 | 3 Jul 2026 | 20 Oct 2026 | £1,207 | Results out | |
| October 2026 | 6 Jul 2026 | 31 Jul 2026 | 10 Nov 2026 | £1,207 | Sat, awaiting results | |
| November 2026 | 3 Aug 2026 | 28 Aug 2026 | 8 Dec 2026 | £1,207 | Sat, awaiting results |
Dates from the RCGP exam dates page, last checked 15 September 2026. Always confirm with the RCGP before you book. Sitting the AKT too? AKT dates are here.
How to prepare
Practise the exam, not the textbook
The SCA rewards a repeatable twelve-minute consultation: gather what matters, decide, share the decision, and safety-net, with a person on the other end of a webcam. It is learned by doing it under the clock, with feedback against the three domains.
Royal Medicare's SCA preparation is in development. Free account holders hear first.
- 12 weeks outBook your diet. Start consulting to time in surgery: twelve minutes, every patient, no overruns.
- 8 weeks outPair up with another ST3 and run cases over video, three or four a session, swapping roles. Mark each other against the three domains.
- 6 weeks outRecord yourself. Watch for the management half of the mark: options, shared decision, safety-net, follow-up.
- 4 weeks outRun full twelve-case mornings with the comfort break in the right place. Fatigue in cases nine to twelve is where diets are lost.
- Exam weekDevice check done, room booked, brief read. Nothing new.
SCA questions, answered
What is the SCA?
The Simulated Consultation Assessment, the consultation skills exam of the MRCGP. It replaced the Recorded Consultation Assessment in November 2023. Twelve remote video consultations of twelve minutes each, with role players playing patients, relatives and colleagues, each marked by a GP examiner.
When can I sit the SCA?
In ST3, your final year of GP training. Most trainees sit it in the first half of ST3 so there is time for a resit before their certificate of completion of training if needed. There are nine diets a year.
Where do I sit the SCA?
At your own GP surgery, in a room that meets the RCGP's requirements for privacy, lighting, internet and equipment. You consult over video on the Osler Online platform; there is no exam centre.
How is the SCA marked?
Each case is scored across three domains: data gathering and diagnosis, clinical management and medical complexity, and relating to others. Clinical management carries 4.5 marks per case, the other two 3 each, so a case is worth 10.5 and the exam 126. The pass mark is set for each diet by borderline regression, so there is no fixed number.
What is the SCA pass rate?
Recent diets have passed between 70% and 74% of candidates, with first-attempt candidates around 73%. The mean score is typically around 84 out of 126.
How much does the SCA cost?
The RCGP fee is £1,207 per attempt for diets up to November 2026 and £1,238 for diets from January 2027. Since April 2026 payment is staged: about a quarter when you reserve a place, a quarter twelve weeks before the exam, and the balance seven weeks before, which is also the final booking deadline.
What kinds of cases come up?
Cases are drawn across the GP curriculum and the different people a GP consults with: adults, children via a parent, older adults, mental health, long-term conditions, acute presentations, and consultations with a relative, carer or colleague rather than the patient. Every diet is built to a blueprint so that the twelve cases together cover that range.
What happens if the technology fails during a case?
The case is rerun at the end of the day. Up to three cases can be rerun after the twelfth, after a short break. Do the RCGP's mandatory device check well before your diet.
Facts checked against the RCGP's SCA pages on 15 September 2026. The RCGP is the authority on eligibility, fees and attempts; treat this page as the guide, their site as the rulebook. The written exam is covered in the AKT guide.