The exam in one line
180 single-best-answer questions in two two-hour papers with a one-hour break, mapped to the whole Emergency Medicine 2021 curriculum — including research, management and QI — with no negative marking.
What RCEM Says About the Exam
- Format: 180 SBA questions across two papers of two hours each, with a one-hour break in the middle.
- Where: Surpass Assessments test centres worldwide.
- Content: mapped to the full Emergency Medicine 2021 curriculum; the blueprint includes research, management and quality improvement. It replaced the FRCEM Final SAQ from August 2021.
- Marking: machine-marked — one mark for a correct answer, nothing for a wrong one, no negative marking.
- Pass mark: set by the Angoff method plus one standard error of measurement.
- Results: by 17:00 on a pre-advised day, about five weeks after the exam, in your RCEM account.
- Fee: £429 for UK RCEM members, up to £609 for international non-members (2026 Exam Fees; all fees).
RCEM's published pass rate for the FRCEM SBA was 51.1% in 2024 and 47.0% in 2023 — see FRCEM pass rates. Eligibility rules, including the ARCP route for UK trainees, are in FRCEM eligibility.
A 12-Week Plan
This is our suggested structure, not an RCEM requirement. It assumes you are working full time; stretch it if your baseline is low.
| Weeks | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Blueprint and baseline | Download RCEM's FRCEM Regulations and Information pack for the blueprint and sample questions. Do a timed baseline set and list your weakest curriculum areas. |
| 3–8 | Curriculum blocks | Work through the curriculum one or two areas a week. Aim for a steady daily set of questions and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. Give research, management and QI their own time — they are in the blueprint. |
| 9–10 | Exam conditions | Sit mixed timed sets as two two-hour papers with a one-hour break. 180 questions in four hours is 80 seconds each — practise that pace. |
| 11 | Weak areas | Go back to the areas your timed papers exposed and redo the questions you missed. |
| 12 | Consolidate | Light review of summaries and your own notes, check your test-centre booking and the exam-day instructions, and rest. |
On the Day
- Answer every question. There is no negative marking, so a blank scores the same as a wrong answer.
- Keep to about 80 seconds a question so the last ones are not rushed.
- Use the break to reset rather than to revise.
Frequently Asked Questions
180 single-best-answer questions across two papers of two hours each, with a one-hour break between them.
No. RCEM machine-marks the paper: a correct answer scores one mark and an incorrect answer scores nothing, so answer every question.
RCEM maps it to the full Emergency Medicine 2021 curriculum, and its blueprint includes research, management and quality improvement. The blueprint and sample questions are in RCEM's FRCEM Regulations and Information pack.
On a pre-advised day, by 17:00, roughly five weeks after the exam, through your RCEM website account.
RCEM gives no official figure. This plan assumes about 12 weeks alongside full-time clinical work; start earlier if your baseline score is low.
Sources: RCEM's FRCEM Exams page and Exam Pass Rate Report 2024, checked September 2026.
Practise for the FRCEM
Work through SLO-tagged FRCEM SBA questions — bank 1 is free — and practise OSCE stations built to RCEM's format.