Pass your MRCGP SCA exam with a clear, complete system.
Exam Overview
The SCA is the RCGP’s permanent replacement for the CSA (clinical skills assessment) and the more recent RCA (recorded consultation assessment). It is one (often the last) of the three components of the MRCGP qualification needed to complete GP training in the UK. It aims to test various aspects of General Practice through the form of live, virtual consultations. Areas tested include clinical, practical, communication and professional skills related to General Practice.
It is taken virtually through an online exam platform, from a local GP practice. There are 12 simulated, live consultations with a role-player which are assessed remotely by an assessor. Role-players are trained, calibrated and standardised. Each case is 12 minutes long, with 3 minutes reading time between cases. Cases can be video or telephone consultations. Role-players will usually be playing patients directly, however there may be cases with parents, carers or other healthcare professionals such as social workers.
Four our most comprehensive SCA resource – focusing on both knowledge and exam technique – see our SCA Ultimate Package.
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Dr Aman Arora is a previous GP VTS Programme Director and GMC Examiner. The Arora team have taught over 50,000 doctors globally through a combination of live, online, and audio teaching, helping them pass exams such as MRCGP AKT, MRCGP SCA, MSRA and PLAB.
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Exam Format
FAQs
The SCA is the RCGP’s permanent replacement for the CSA (clinical skills assessment) and the more recent RCA (recorded consultation assessment). It is one (often the last) of the three components of the MRCGP qualification needed to complete GP training in the UK. It aims to test various aspects of General Practice through the form of live, virtual consultations. Areas tested include clinical, practical, communication and professional skills related to General Practice.
It is taken virtually through an online exam platform, from a local GP practice. There are 12 simulated, live consultations with a role-player which are assessed remotely by an assessor. Role-players are trained, calibrated and standardised. Each case is 12 minutes long, with 3 minutes reading time between cases. Cases can be video or telephone consultations. Role-players will usually be playing patients directly, however there may be cases with parents, carers or other healthcare professionals such as social workers.
Four our most comprehensive SCA resource – focusing on both knowledge and exam technique – see our SCA Ultimate Package.
MRCGP stands for ‘Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners’, which means an MRCGP qualification (if passed) qualifies a GP trainee to join the Royal College and practice in the UK as a General Practitioner.
This type of qualification is a postgraduate course, run by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
The RCGP is responsible for all educational elements that trainee doctors require to qualify in general practice. Now, all trainees who want to practice as GPs in Britain must gain an MRCGP qualification first.
The two main exams allowing trainees to do this are the AKT (Applied Knowledge Assessment) and the SCA (Simulated Consultation Assessment). These are designed to test candidates’ clinical knowledge and skills as well as their ability to work under the conditions of a General Practice environment and effectively communicate with patients.
Essentially, anything! Cases will reflect real life general practice, including types of patients and the various issues that GPs can see in day-to-day practice.
Bearing in mind the older CSA exam, there is likely to be a mix of acute presentations as well as chronic management. Cases may vary from children to older adults. Complexity may include clinical complexity as well as situational complexity. Our RCA Gold Package covers teaching and resources to handle all types of GP consultation.
Cases can be tested through telephone or video consultations.
The SCA is the second part of the MRCGP examination process, the first being the MRCGP AKT exam. Candidates can apply to sit the SCA exam only in their ST3 year or from their third year of GP training.
Yes, some trainees prefer to sit the SCA before their AKT exam. It is a personal choice as to which order you sit your exams. However as you can take the AKT from ST2 onwards, many trainees prefer to take their AKT in ST2 and focus on the SCA in ST3.
The SCA currently costs £1180 to take the assessment.
The upcoming SCA dates are as follows:
January 2026: 6 to 9 January
February 2026: 3 to 6 February
March 2026: 3 to 6 March
April 2026: 7 to 10 April
May 2026: 5 to 8 May
June 2026: 2 to 5 June
There is limited information available about this yet.
Each SCA case will be be assessed across three domains. The three domains were:
– Data gathering and diagnosis.
– Clinical management and medical complexity.
– Relating to others (Interpersonal skills).
All 3 are focused on heavily in our All-in-One SCA Ultimate Package.
Data gathering assesses your ability to first gather, and then utilise data from various sources. These include relevant history taking and examination skills, as well as interpretation of results and clinical letters. Data gathering is not restricted to clinical issues – understanding the patient’s thoughts, as well as impact on their psychosocial life is also part of understanding key issues of the case. Being efficient, relevant and systematic is important as time can quickly add up – leaving enough time for management is key to using the data effectively.
Clinical management assesses your ability to use the data that you have elicited, both in terms of managing the clinical problem AS WELL AS managing the situation as a whole. Clinical decision-making, managing patient expectations, health promotion and effective use of resources may feature here.
Relating to other (Interpersonal skills) run throughout the ten-minute consultation, assessing your ability to communicate effectively and with a patient-centered approach. It is not simply ‘being nice to the patient’ – adapting techniques for different situations is key – done so in a fluid, non-rehearsed way. It also focuses on areas such as ethics, equality and diversity, explanations and attitude.
These 3 domains are awarded one of four grades:
CP (clear pass): Domain clearly demonstrated above the standard of a newly qualified, independent GP
P (pass): Domain sufficiently demonstrated at the standard of a newly qualified, independent GP
F (fail): Domain insufficiently demonstrated at the standard of a newly qualified, independent GP
CF (clear fail): Domain clearly demonstrated below the standard of a newly qualified, independent GP
Our All-in-One SCA Ultimate Package includes a SCA live day course, full SCA video course, 3x SCA audiobook courses, an online case bank, data gathering flashcards and explanation flashcards – meaning you have everything you need to help pass SCA the first time around.