What's new with MRCP (UK) PACES 2023?
Updated: 1 hour ago
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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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stations were removed in PACES23?
PACES23 removed the old Station 2 (history-taking in isolation), Station 4 (a single 20-minute communication/ethics encounter), and Station 5 (all seven skills tested together under time pressure).
What replaced the removed stations?
Two 10-minute communication encounters judged on observation alone (no examiner Q&A), and two 20-minute clinical consultations that assess all seven core skills — 15 minutes with the patient followed by a 5-minute Q&A with examiners.
When did PACES23 take effect?
PACES23 was introduced from the 3rd Diet of 2023.
Written by Dr Lavanya Narayanan, President & Academic Director at MEDIT.
