Q.1 What is the eligibility criterion to apply for the examination?
The details of the all three categories of the eligibility criteria are given below.
Either:
1. Certification of completion of a structured two years training course inclusive of experience in
Family Medicine/General Practice and accredited by the South Asia Region MRCGP [INT] Board.
Or:
2. Certification of completion of an accredited one year programme in Family Medicine with an
additional two years clinical experience. This should consist of either two years in FM or a minimum
of one year in FM with a further year in a speciality/-ies allied to Family Medicine/General Practice
that are certified by the local accrediting organisation and approved by the regional MRCGP [INT]
Board.
Or
3. Minimum of five years clinical experience of which a minimum of three years should be in Family
Medicine/General Practice and the other years in speciality/-ies allied to Family Medicine/General
Practice certified by the local accrediting organisation and approved by the regional MRCGP [INT]
Board.
Or
4. Minimum of 18 months clinical experience of which at least 6 months should be in Family
Medicine/General Practice and the remaining years in speciality/-ies allied to Family
Medicine/General Practice certified by the local accrediting organisation and approved by the
regional MRCGP [INT.] Board. This will enable candidates to sit ONLY the Part I AKT examination.
Eligibility for part II OSCE exam,
Such candidates should have a total of (before and after AKT) five years of clinical experience of
which a minimum of three years should be in Family Medicine/General Practice and the other
years in speciality/-ies allied to Family Medicine/General Practice certified by the local accrediting
organisation and approved by the regional MRCGP [INT.] Board to sit the Part II OSCE examination.
Please note that the total duration of experience will remain the same as per criteria “C” and after
passing part I AKT exam candidates will have to complete remaining requirement of clinical
experience to be eligible for OSCE.
Q.2 What are the other sub-specialties accepted by the South Asia Board?
The acceptable sub-specialties for the remaining required clinical experience in eligibility criteria
2 & 3 include Internal medicine, Obs & Gynae, Paeds, Psychiatry, and Emergency Medicine. Up
to six months of Surgery experience is also accepted.
Q.3 Tell me the dates of the Part I AKT & Part II OSCE examination in the current year, the
fee structure and the registration dates.
Details of all examinations scheduled in the current year are available in examination calendar
on the website. The registration opening dates and fee details are also available in the same
document.
Q.4 How can I get the application form and where should I submit it?
Application form is published on the website on the registration opening date and can be
downloaded. Form along with the required documents can be sent directly to the South Asia
admin office in Karachi or to any of the regional offices (details of all the offices are available on
the website).
Q.5 Does the South Asia Board offers exemption from any part of the exam on the basis of
any qualification?
The MRCGP [INT] South Asia Board does not offer any exemption on any basis.
Q.6 I have cleared Part I exam from MRCGP [INT.] UAE / (any other approved site), Can I
apply for the South Asian Part II OSCE exam?
All parts of the examination are to be cleared from one accredited site.
Q.7 Please confirm the documents to be submitted along with the Part I application form.
An application guide is published on the website on the examination registration opening date
and contains the details of all the documents to be attached with the application form.
Q.8 I have previously appeared / cleared Part I exam. Do I need to send all experience
certificates again with the next part I or OSCE application.
Candidates already registered only need to send a filled and signed updated version of the
application form, copy of any valid medical license, photograph and the bank draft. OSCE
candidates must attach part I passing email.
Q.9 All queries regarding the International Membership of Royal College of General
Practitioners (RCGP).
All membership queries are dealt by the membership department at RCGP and queries should
be sent to [email protected]
Q.10 I belong to a south Asian country but permanently based in the UK and would like to
take the South Asia exam.
South Asian candidates based in UK can apply for the exam subject to fulfilling the eligibility
criteria.
Q.11 I am interested to work as a GP in the UK in future; can I apply for the South Asian
examination?
The qualification does not guarantee a working opportunity in the UK. Please visit the RCGP
website www.rcgp.org for the required version of the MRCGP exam for working in UK.
Q.12 I am not satisfied with my result and would like my examination paper to be scrutinized
again?
As per the rules and regulations of the South Asia Board, the result announced is final and the
Board does not accept any request / appeal for rechecking of paper or the change of marks.
Q.13 Can I pay the fee online / through direct bank transfer?
The fee can be paid through a bank draft in GBP or USD and can also be paid through bank
transfer. The routing for direct bank transfer is published on the website with the exam
registration opening. Note that bank drafts in GBP must have a MICR code as without that they
are not accepted for clearance. Online payments through credit card is currently not available.
Q.14 Can I apply online for the examination?
Currently online application facility is not available and the candidates are required to send duly
filled and signed hard copy of the application form along with the required documents.
Q.15 Please suggest the reading material for the examination preparation.
See the exam resources page on our website. Sample MCQs and model videos have also been
published on the website. Exam preparation guidelines are also mentioned in the rules and
regulations document on the website.
Q.16 Can I know my result on phone?
As per the policy, result is ONLY communicated through email on the candidates registered
email ID.
Q.17 Is it mandatory to attend a preparatory course?
Attending preparatory course is recommended by the South Asia Board but it is not mandatory.
The MRCGP [INT.] South Asia does not accredit any preparatory course run by various
organizations / individuals. The South Asia Board runs its own OSCE orientation course available
twice a year.
Q. 18 I am interested in attending the OSCE orientation course run by the MRCGP [INT.] South
Asia Board. Please provide the details.
The MRCGP [INT.] South Asia Board organize two OSCE orientation courses every year in
June/July and December/January. Exact dates are published on the website. Usually the course
venue is Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Q.19 For examination registration, Is it mandatory to get membership from any of the family
medicine organization?
Membership of any family medicine organization is not mandatory for application.
Q. 20 I have a medical problem, Can special arrangements be made for me during the
examination?
Candidates must inform the South Asia admin office in writing well before the exam date. Based
on the nature of the problem, possible arrangements could be made (like giving some extra time
to candidate with dyslexia) during the part I examination. Due to the OSCE examination format
such arrangements cannot be made. However, OSCE examiners are informed beforehand if any
candidate has any related medical problem and it is considered while marking the candidate.
Candidates will be required to submit supporting evidence by an appropriate qualified authority
with the request for special arrangements.
Q. 21 What are the maximum number of attempts for the part I and part II exams?
There is no limit for the part I exam. On clearing part I exam, a maximum of three attempts are
allowed for the part II OSCE exam and failing to which a candidate will have to re-sit part I exam.
Q. 22 I cleared part I exam three years back. Can I apply for the upcoming OSCE?
Both parts of the exam have to be cleared within 6 years of the date of passing the part I AKT
exam.
Q. 23 I cleared the last AKT exam. Can I appear in the upcoming OSCE exam?
Candidates who applied under criteria A, B & C are eligible to apply for OSCE immediately on
passing Part 1 exam.
Candidate who applied under criteria “D” must complete the remaining duration of the
mandatory five years of clinical experience of which a minimum of three years should be in
Family Medicine/General Practice and the other years in speciality/-ies allied to Family
Medicine/General Practice certified by the local accrediting organisation and approved by the
regional MRCGP [INT.] Board to sit the Part II OSCE examination.
Q. 24 I cleared the last AKT exam but could not appear in the upcoming OSCE exam. Will it be
counted as an attempt?
Only those attempts will be counted in which the candidate appeared and was unsuccessful.
Q. 25 I need a certificate mentioning that I have cleared part I written exam.
Part I result is only communicated through email and no certificate is issued in this regard.
Q. 26 I want my MRCGP [INT.] degree to be verified. How can I do that?
RCGP has some understanding with British Council (BC) for verification of their degrees. Please
contact the local BC office or RCGP directly.
Q. 27 Can you provide old AKT examination papers / OSCE cases for preparing for the exam?
Previous examination papers and sample OSCE stations are not provided. Please visit the
website for sample MCQs and model video consultations.
Q. 28 Please confirm about the do’s and don’ts for the AKT / OSCE exam? What do I need to
take with me?
Both part I & OSCE candidates must bring with them a printout of the email sent by the South
Asia administration office and any photo identification document on the exam day. They will be
briefed before the start of each exam. Stationery is provided to the part I candidates at the
exam venue. OSCE candidates are required to bring a stethoscope with them.
Q. 29 Is there a specific dress code for AKT & OSCE exam?
The required dress standard for candidates is professional attire maintaining suitable standard
of appearance. Wearing white lab coat is not mandatory. Jeans, sandals, track suit and scrubs
are not allowed. Candidates may not be allowed to appear in the exam in case of not following
the dress code.
Female candidates wearing a scarf will be asked for face identification. This will be done by a
female staff member during the OSCE. For the AKT exam, the Board shall advise British Council
to make arrangements accordingly but does not guarantee for this arrangement at all centres.
Q. 30 Can the South Asia administration office help us in making the hotel reservation for the
OSCE exam?
No assistance is offered by the administration office in accommodation reservation.
Q. 31 I sent my application for the upcoming exam through courier. Please confirm receipt.
Application receiving acknowledgement emails are sent after at least two weeks from the
application submission deadline. However, candidates may confirm from the courier company
through which they sent the application, the date of delivery and the name of receiving person.
Q. 32 I am based in KSA but can I take part I exam in Chennai?
A part I exam candidate can appear at any of the eight centres and need to mark preferred
centre in the application form. OSCE exam is only held every year currently in March in Karachi,
Pakistan and every September / October in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Q. 33 I am a registered candidate for the upcoming exam but unable to attend it. What about
my paid fee?
Application withdrawal deadlines are mentioned in the examination calendar. In case of
withdrawal without any deduction, the candidate may either choose to credit the full fee towards
the next subsequent exam and will be required to pay the difference of the fee in case it is revised.
In case the candidate want the application and bank draft to be returned, he / she will have to
send a prepaid courier envelope for it as the charges have to be borne by the candidate. Ineligible
candidates are also required to send prepaid courier envelopes for returning the application and
bank draft.
Q. 34 I am interested in working abroad. How the examination can help me?
The qualification provides working opportunities in UAE, KSA and other Middle East countries.
Q. 35 How can I apply for FRCGP?
Candidates with MRCGP [INT] qualification and having good standing with RCGP for a period of at
least five years may be eligible to apply for FRCGP [INT] subject to fulfilling the conditions. Further
information is available on the RCGP website.
Q.36 Is the exam qualification recognized by The Pakistan Medical Council (PMC)?
The qualification is recognized as an additional qualification by PMC.
Q. 37 Please send me the details of the Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions /
programmes.
The MRCGP [INT.] South Asia Board from time to time organizes various CME programmes for
the Family Physicians and in future the details will also be published on the website. Various
Family Medicine organizations working in the member countries also organize CME programmes
throughout the year and may be contacted directly for details.
