MRCGP SCA on the day — tech, room & checklist
Exam-day logistics, sourced verbatim from the official RCGP SCA Examination Day Guide. The session timetable, what you can and cannot bring, the room and tech rules, and how the rerun process actually works.
The official SCA timetable
Verbatim from the RCGP SCA Examination Day Guide. Note the exam doesn’t officially end when your last consultation finishes — there’s a 45-minute rerun period after, during which you cannot leave the room or log out.
AM session timetable
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:45 | Candidate registration begins (45 min). Log in to Osler. Invigilator conducts ID and environment check. |
| 09:30 | Examination starts. |
| 09:30–11:00 | Rounds 1–6 — 15 min per station (3 min reading + 12 min consultation, video or telephone). |
| 11:00–11:10 | Comfort break. You must message the invigilator to leave the room and again when you return. |
| 11:10–12:40 | Rounds 7–12 — same format. |
| 12:40–13:25 | Wrapping-up and rerun period (45 min). You may not log out or leave your room. |
| 13:25 | Examination officially ends. You may log out once given permission by the invigilator. |
PM session timetable
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | Candidate registration begins. |
| 14:10 | Examination starts. |
| 14:10–15:40 | Rounds 1–6. |
| 15:40–15:50 | Comfort break. |
| 15:50–17:20 | Rounds 7–12. |
| 17:20–18:05 | Wrapping-up and rerun period. |
| 18:05 | Examination officially ends. |
Candidates with reasonable adjustments (extra consultation time or breaks) should plan for an AM session running through to 15:00. You can also view your own minute-by-minute schedule by logging in to the Osler platform once you receive your credentials, four weeks before the exam.
BNF access is no longer permitted
From September 2024, you cannot bring a paper BNF into the SCA, and there is no online BNF on the Osler platform. The RCGP’s position is that no case requires it — safe management decisions at the passing standard don’t need a real-time drug reference. Don’t plan around having one.
Tech requirements (verbatim from RCGP)
- Device: PC, laptop or Mac only. No phones or tablets.
- Browser: updated version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
- Headset: wired USB headset with microphone. Bluetooth headsets are not permitted.
- Same device, same location as your pre-exam device check.
- Walls clear of clinical guidance, charts and posters before the environment check — these items are prohibited.
- Webcam: the invigilator must be able to perform an environment check; if your webcam is bolted to/embedded in your monitor, they may ask you to use your phone’s camera in combination.
- Pre-exam: four weeks before the exam, you receive an Osler URL, username and password by email. Log in then to view your minute-by-minute schedule and complete the device check and platform walkthrough as many times as you need. The device check must be done on the same device, in the same room you’ll use on the day.
- Bandwidth: RCGP’s minimum recommended bandwidth for Osler Online is 10mbps download and 4mbps upload. Test your speed at speedtest.net from the device and room you intend to use.
- If something breaks on the day: message the invigilator via the in-platform chat function. The RCGP exams team also monitor sessions in real time and will often spot issues themselves.
Room and kit checklist for the night before
A flat list, in the order you’d work through it. Print it, mark it up, throw it away on the morning.
- Book a private consultation room and put a “Do not disturb” sign on the door. Tell reception.
- Disconnect any second monitor — only one screen permitted.
- Disconnect or unplug the landline phone in the room for the duration of the exam.
- Remove or cover any clinical posters, charts, BNF posters, guideline summaries on the walls.
- Confirm the device and location are the same ones you used for your pre-exam device check.
- Check your wired USB headset works. Bluetooth headsets are not permitted — bring a wired backup.
- Plug in the charging cable; do not run on battery.
- Have a water bottle on the desk.
- Have a whiteboard and marker within reach if you want to make notes (pen and paper are not allowed during the exam; Osler has a built-in note tool).
- Mobile phone: silent, inside a clear plastic bag or transparent sleeve, out of arm’s reach. The sleeve is a specific RCGP requirement.
- Confirm the room is quiet — away from the waiting room, no background music or radio nearby.
- Test your Osler login in the same browser you’ll use on the day.
You may bring
- Your mobile phone (silent, in a clear plastic bag or transparent sleeve, out of arm’s reach).
- A water bottle.
- A blank whiteboard and marker for manual notes.
- A wired USB backup headset.
- A basic analogue watch (smart watches are not permitted).
You must not bring
- Personal electronic devices — tablet, iPad, smart watch, camera, recording device.
- Any preparation materials or notes.
- Pen and paper (not permitted during the exam).
- The BNF — from September 2024, paper or online BNF access is no longer permitted. The exam is built so you don’t need it.
- Bluetooth headsets.
- Food or hot drinks.
The rerun process
The RCGP reserves a 45-minute period at the end of each session for candidates who need to rerun stations. Up to three reruns are allowed.
When to flag an issue
- If something goes wrong in cases 1–6, tell the invigilator during the comfort break.
- If something goes wrong in cases 7–12, tell the invigilator within five minutes of finishing your final station.
When a rerun is granted
- Reading-time loss greater than 30 seconds.
- Connection delay or signal drop of 30 seconds or more (single or cumulative) preventing completion.
- Unacceptable audio quality or audio that disrupts the consultation flow.
- External noise from the role-player’s side, the exams team or the invigilator.
- Role-player environment interruption, or an unexpected health-related issue affecting the role-player.
When a rerun is not granted
- Interruptions on your side (doorbell, knock, phone).
- Perceived role-player inconsistency.
- Candidate distress, unless caused by an assessment failure.
Don’t try to compensate by rushing. Flag the issue and keep going. The 45-minute window after your last station is when reruns happen, so you can’t leave the room early either way.
The 4-month revision plan
Group structure, solo practice, recording yourself, and the five mistakes that cost trainees a re-sit.
How the SCA is structured and marked
The 12-by-12 format, the three marking domains, the 12 blueprint groups and the current fees.
Sort the room first. The clinical work is the part you’ve trained for.
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