🚦Check out this video
The new format examination, now known as PACES23 will be introduced from the 3rd Diet of 2023
What are being removed from the MRCP (UK) PACES carousel?
❌ Station 2
The history-taking station was considered to be artificial with structured history-taking skills being tested in isolation and not representative of modern practice.
❌ Station 4
20 minutes for a single communication and ethics encounter was felt to be rather long and in particular, the five-minute examiner/candidate interaction added little value to the overall assessment.
❌ Station 5
Testing all seven skills in an integrated manner was very like real life but was very pressured in 10 minutes.
What are being introduced?
✅ Communication
Two 10-minute communication encounters. These will no longer include a question-and-answer section with the examiners. Instead, the encounter will be judged on observation alone.
✅ Consultations
Two 20-minute clinical consultations will assess candidates across all seven skills in a realistic and integrated manner:
- 15 minutes: Take a structured history, examine the patient, explain the likely diagnosis and management and address any questions or concerns raised
- 5 minutes: Question-and-answer section with the examiners
✅ Encounter sequencing across the carousel
The new carousel will alter the sequencing of the encounters through the carousel. Some stations will include a physical examination and communication encounters. This will ensure that examiners at each station contribute more judgements in each of the skills for each candidate, improving the reliability of the exam.
Comments