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MRCGP Simulated Consultation Assessment

Consultation skills judged across three domains, now sat as the Simulated Consultation Assessment. The exam that punishes doctors who solve the problem without ever asking what the patient was worried about.

United KingdomRoyal College of General Practitioners clinical / OSCE

Coming soon. This bank is still in build and not on sale yet. The banks live now are PLAB 1, MRCP Part 1 and AMC MCQ.

What is on the MRCGP SCA?

Questions or stations12 verified 2026-08-10 Source says: “12 simulated consultations, each lasting 12 minutes” check it yourself
Time12 minutes verified 2026-08-10 Source says: “each lasting 12 minutes, with three minutes' reading time” check it yourself
Format12 simulated consultations, each marked on data gathering, clinical management, and relating to others
Adaptive deliveryNo
Pass markJudged across the whole assessment on three marking domains; there is no fixed number of cases you must pass. verified 2026-08-10 check it yourself
BlueprintBeing a General Practitioner — RCGP curriculum, Royal College of General Practitioners

The RCA was replaced by the Simulated Consultation Assessment (SCA) in November 2023: 12 cases of 12 minutes each, with three minutes' reading time per case.

Verification status. All 3 published figures on this page have been read in the source document and dated above. Source of truth: Being a General Practitioner — RCGP curriculum, Royal College of General Practitioners. How we verify.

The MRCGP SCA curriculum, section by section

Every question in this bank is tagged to one of the sections below, and the tag traces to Being a General Practitioner — RCGP curriculum. That is what makes a coverage claim checkable instead of a marketing line. The table shows exactly how many items exist in each section today, including the sections where the answer is none.

Curriculum sectionShare of the blueprintItems in this bank
Data gathering, technical and assessment skills 33% 1
Clinical management skills 33% 1
Interpersonal skills and relating to others 34% 1

Coverage today: 3 of 3 sections. We publish the gap rather than hiding it.

OSCE stations

MRCGP SCA is a clinical examination, so the material is structured as stations rather than multiple choice: a candidate brief, a simulated patient brief, and the mark scheme as separate scorable criteria you can tick against your own performance.

  • Medically unexplained symptoms — repeated attendance with fatigue — 8 marked criteria, 12 minutes
  • Request for antibiotics for an acute cough — 8 marked criteria, 12 minutes
  • Tiredness in a teenager, with a hidden agenda — 8 marked criteria, 12 minutes

Where MRCGP SCA sits in the pathway

UK general practice (MRCGP) runs MRCGP AKT → MRCGP SCA. One DocPasser account covers all of them, so moving to the next stage does not mean a new subscription and a progress history you can no longer see.

MRCGP AKT

Questions people actually ask about MRCGP SCA

What fails candidates in the RCA?

Consultations that are clinically correct but never surface the patient's ideas, concerns and expectations. Two of the three domains are about the conversation, not the diagnosis.

What does MRCGP SCA preparation cost?

MRCGP SCA is a flat £20 for 12 months of access — one price, one purchase, no tiers. The first 1 station is free, with the full explanation for every option, so you can judge the quality of the explanations before paying for anything.

DocPasser is exam preparation material, not clinical guidance. Nothing here should be used to make a decision about a real patient. Always work from your own local guidelines and seniors.