The RCGP's assessment for GP specialty training, with three components: the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), the Simulated Consultation Assessment (SCA) and Workplace-based Assessment (WPBA).

How many questions are in the AKT?

From October 2025, 160 single best answer style questions in 2 hours 40 minutes (RCGP).

When can I sit the AKT and the SCA?

The AKT during or after ST2; the SCA in ST3 (RCGP).

Is the CSA still part of the MRCGP?

No. The RCGP says the CSA ran until 2020, the RCA replaced it during COVID-19, and the SCA has been the clinical skills assessment since November 2023.

How many attempts do I get at the AKT and SCA?

Six at each if you entered GP training for the first time on or after 2 August 2023. If you were already in training on 1 August 2023, the AKT page gives four attempts and the regulations describe an exceptional fifth attempt policy.

How long is an MRCGP exam pass valid?

The RCGP's regulations say "CSA, RCA and SCA passes are valid for seven years".

Where do MRCGP results come out?

Via your Portfolio, at 17:00 on the published results day; results are also issued to your host deanery (RCGP).

MRCGP Exams Explained: AKT, SCA and WPBA Guide (2026-27)

Name: Confetto
Brand: Confetto
Price: 149 USD
Availability: InStock

The short version

Three components: AKT (knowledge), SCA (consultation skills), WPBA (workplace performance over time).
AKT: computer-based at Pearson test centers across the UK; from October 2025, "160 single best answer style questions, answered in 2 hours 40 minutes"; 80% clinical knowledge, 10% evidence-based practice, 10% organization and management; January, April, July and October; from ST2. Fee £481 (2026), £494 for exams sat from 1 January to the end of July 2027.
SCA: 12 consultations of 12 minutes with simulated patients, 3 minutes' reading each, sat in a local GP surgery; ST3; nine diets a year. Fee £1,207 (2026), £1,238 for Jan–Jul 2027.
WPBA: "evidence related to 13 areas of professional capability" recorded in the Trainee Portfolio; reviewed by your Educational Supervisor every six months and at ARCP at least once every 12 months.
Attempts: trainees who started GP training on or after 2 August 2023 get a maximum of six attempts at each of the AKT and SCA.
Results are published via your Portfolio and also sent to your deanery (MRCGP regulations).

The three components at a glance

	AKT	SCA	WPBA
What it tests (RCGP)	"the knowledge base that underpins independent general practice in the UK within the context of the NHS"	"a GP candidate's ability to integrate and apply clinical, professional and communication skills"	"progress in those areas of professional practice best tested in the workplace"
Format	Computer-based; 160 single best answer style questions in 2 h 40 min (from Oct 2025)	12 simulated consultations, 12 min each, 3 min reading each; mostly video, some audio only	Ongoing assessments and evidence in the Trainee Portfolio
Where	Pearson test centers across the UK	A local GP surgery, usually your own, via the Osler platform	Your training posts
When	During or after ST2 (regulations: ST2 and ST3)	ST3	Throughout training
How often	Four times a year: January, April, July, October	Nine diets a year	Six-monthly reviews; ARCP at least every 12 months
Fee	£481 (2026); £494 (Jan–Jul 2027)	£1,207 (2026); £1,238 (Jan–Jul 2027)	No exam fee stated on the pages we read
Attempts	Six if you entered GP training on or after 2 Aug 2023; four if already in training on 1 Aug 2023	Six if you entered GP training on or after 2 Aug 2023	Not an exam with attempts

The AKT (Applied Knowledge Test)

From the RCGP's AKT pages:

"A computer-based assessment", delivered "four times a year in January, April, July and October", with "Exclusive Pearson test centre usage on exam days across the UK".
Length: "From October 2025 160 single best answer style questions, answered in 2 hours 40 minutes" (before October 2025 it was 200 questions in 3 hours 10 minutes). The RCGP says the GMC approved the change and that "the passing standard of the examination will remain the same".
Content: "80% on clinical knowledge", "10% on evidence-based practice (including evidence interpretation and the critical appraisal skills needed to interpret research data)" and "10% on primary care organisation and management issues (including administrative, ethical, regulatory and statutory frameworks)".
Style: "All questions address issues relating to UK general practice. They focus on higher order problem-solving rather than the recall of basic facts." Item types include single best answer, multiple best answer, free text and extended matching items, with "one mark awarded for each correct answer" and "no negative marking".
Eligibility: "You can take the AKT during or after the ST2 stage of GP training." Candidates in ST1 during a booking window must show they will be in ST2 by the test date.
Attempts: "A maximum of four attempts is allowed if you were already in training on 1 August 2023. A maximum of six attempts is allowed if you entered GP Speciality Training for the first time on or after 2 August 2023."
Fee: "The examination fee for the AKT is £481." For exams sat from 1 January 2027 to the end of July 2027: £494.

AKT dates 2026–27 (RCGP)

Sitting	AKT test date	Results published (17:00)
October 2026	26 Oct 2026	25 Nov 2026
January 2027	26 Jan 2027	24 Feb 2027
April 2027	27 Apr 2027	26 May 2027
July 2027	6 Jul 2027	4 Aug 2027

Booking deadlines and the Pearson booking window for each sitting are on the RCGP's exam dates page.

The SCA (Simulated Consultation Assessment)

The SCA replaced the RCA (which had temporarily replaced the CSA during COVID-19) from November 2023. "There will be twelve consultations with simulated patients, each lasting twelve minutes." "There is 3-minutes reading time at the start of each case." Each case is marked by a different examiner in three domains: Data gathering and diagnosis, Clinical management and medical complexity, and Relating to others. Full detail is in our SCA guides:

WPBA (Workplace Based Assessment)

The RCGP: "Throughout your GP specialty training, you collect evidence related to 13 areas of professional capability and record it in the Trainee Portfolio. This evidence is used to inform six-monthly reviews and - at the end of training

to make a judgement about your readiness for independent practice."

The WPBA tools named on the RCGP's WPBA page:

Tool	What the RCGP says it does
Learning Log	"your personal learning record"; the most common entry is the Clinical Case Review, reflecting on cases across "Clinical Experience Groups"
Case-Based Discussion (CbD) and Care Assessment Tool (CAT)	"structured assessments designed to evaluate your professional judgement"
Consultation Observation Tool (COT) and Audio-COT	Your consultations with real patients; the Audio-COT is for "the assessment of your telephone consultation skills"
Clinical Examination and Procedural Skills (CEPS)	Whether "you are competent in clinical examinations and procedures", including "five GMC-mandated 'intimate' CEPS"
Multi-Source Feedback (MSF)	"your colleagues' opinions on your clinical performance and professional behaviour"; in ST3 also a leadership activity and leadership MSF
Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ)	Patient feedback "on your empathy and relationship-building skills" (9 multiple choice questions)
Educational Supervisor's Report (ESR)	Review of your portfolio "at six-monthly intervals"
Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP)	Portfolio review "at least once every 12 months"

How WPBA links to the SCA: physical examination "will not be assessed within the SCA, and instead will be covered within WPBA" (CEPS), and the SCA "assesses a sample of general practice capability areas that candidates are expected to have mastered through their workplace-based assessment programme". The SCA blueprint even uses "some of the same names as the clinical experience groups in WPBA".

An MRCGP roadmap through training

Roadmap written by Confetto (our suggestion, built on the RCGP's eligibility rules; agree your own timing with your Educational Supervisor).

Stage	RCGP rule	What to do
ST1	WPBA runs from the start; AKT not yet (unless you'll be in ST2 by the test date)	Build portfolio habits: learning logs across Clinical Experience Groups, COTs, CbDs
ST2	AKT eligible "during or after the ST2 stage"	Sit the AKT when ready; keep up WPBA, including an Audio-COT for telephone skills
ST3	SCA eligible (ST3 only); AKT still eligible	Book the SCA (final booking deadline is roughly 7–10 weeks before a diet); attend the RCGP's free webinars at least three months before; leadership activity and MSF
End of training	AKT and SCA "must be taken and passed during the GP training programme to be eligible to apply for CCT"	Final ARCP with the full portfolio

The RCGP's own comment on timing: "For many candidates it will be preferable to pass the AKT and focus attention on the SCA."

What MRCGP exams cost (2026–27)

	Sat by November 2026	Sat 1 Jan to end Jul 2027
AKT	£481	£494
SCA	£1,207	£1,238
AKT + SCA, one attempt each (our sum)	£1,688	£1,732

Fees from the RCGP's exam pages; the totals are our arithmetic and don't include RCGP membership or any resits. The RCGP says: "We review fees at the beginning of each academic year." You can pay in stages (25%, 25%, 50%) by the final booking deadline.