
Table of Contents
- Components of FRCEM
- Max attempts allowed
- How to get MRCEM certification?
- MRCEM Primary
- MRCEM Intermediate
- MRCEM OSCE
- How to get FRCEM certificate
- Locations
- RCEM exam dates and Fees
If you want to get certified in FRCEM, here’s all you need to know about FRCEM
Components of FRCEM
FRCEM full form is Fellowship of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and it has the following components.
The Membership exam: Awards you MRCEM
• MRCEM Primary examination
• MRCEM Intermediate SBA examination
• MRCEM OSCE
The Fellowship exam: Awards you FRCEM
• FRCEM SBA examination
• FRCEM OSCE2021 changes
The FRCEM Critical Appraisal and FRCEM QIP have been withdrawn.
From Aug 2021
Name changes from Aug 2021.
Current name | Updated name |
---|---|
FRCEM primary SBA | MRCEM Primary SBA |
FRCEM Intermediate SAQ / MRCEM Part B | MRCEM Intermediate SBA |
FRCEM Intermediate SJP | MRCEM OSCE |
FRCEM Final SAQ | FRCEM SBA |
FRCEM OSCE | FRCEM OSCE |
Max attempts allowed
The number maximum allowed attempts are going to remain the same as follows, and any attempts take at an exam after Aug 2016 will be counted towards the allowed attempts.
- MRCEM Primary SBA- 6 attempts
- MRCEM Intermediate – 6 attempts
- MRCEM OSCE – 6 attempts
- FRCEM Final SAQ and OSCE- 4 each
If you take the exam online for the first time, that first 1 attempt will not be counted in the max attempts.
Only the first online attempt, till Aug 31st 2021.
This derogation is applicable to all written examinations, sat online or in a Pearson VUE test centre, the remote FRCEM Final OSCE and hybrid MRCEM OSCE.

How to get MRCEM certification?
You need to clear the following examinations to receive an MRCEM degree
- Primary : Must’ve passed one of
- MRCEM Primary or FRCEM Primary after 1 August 2016
- MRCEM Part A after 1 August 2012
- Or, been granted an exemption
- Intermediate : Must’ve passed one of
- MRCEM Intermediate or FRCEM Intermediate SAQ after 1 August 2016
- MRCEM Part B after 1 August 2012
- OSCE : MRCEM OSCE or MRCEM Part C, passed after 1 August 2012
MRCEM Primary
Assesses the RCEM Basic Sciences Curriculum. The examination will consist of a 3 hour, multiple choice question (MCQ) paper of 180, single best answer questions (SBA). Please check the curriculum from RCEM linked below. (Version 1.4.4, current as of Aug 2020)
MRCEM Intermediate
The exam is mapped to the Specialty Learning Outcomes (SLO) of Year 1-3 of the Emergency Medicine 2021 Curriculum linked below.
Exam consists of a multiple-choice question (MCQ) paper of 180, single best answer questions (SBAQ). The examination is delivered as two, two-hour examination papers each containing 90 questions. The two papers are delivered on the same day with a one-hour break.
Delivered via PearsonVue (We advice you to take the exam from a centre, not from home, to avoid technical delays or cancellation of attempts).
MRCEM OSCE
The MRCEM Objective Structure Clinical Examination (OSCE) is mapped to the Specialty Learning Outcomes (SLO) of the Emergency Medicine 2021Curriculum linked below.
The MRCEM OSCE consists of an Objective Structure Clinical Examination of 18, seven minute stations. An additional one minute of reading time is provided for candidates between each OSCE station.
How to get FRCEM certificate
The FRCEM examinations are mapped to the Emergency Medicine 2021 Curriculum, in its entirety, which is available on the curriculum website linked below
Fellowship examination consists of the following components must be finished to get FRCEM awarded:
- FRCEM SBA examination
- FRCEM OSCE
FRCEM SBA Paper comprising of 180 MCQ questions, presented as two 90 question papers with two hours per paper
FRCEM OSCE consisting of 16, 8 minute stations. An additional one minute of reading time is provided for candidates between each OSCE station (1 minute reading time + 8 minutes in each station).
Locations
Where are the offline exams conducted? (As of Feb 2023)
- UK, India and Malaysia
- Many locations where PearsonVUe test centres are available
RCEM exam dates and Fees
MRCEM and FRCEM exam dates calendar from RCEM is available on RCEM website.
2023 exam schedule
Examination | Exam Dates | Centres | Diet | Application Dates | Results Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MRCEM Primary | 17 May 23 | Pearson VUE | Diet 1 | 23 Jan – 06 Feb 2023 | Jun Last week |
MRCEM Primary | 22 Nov 23 | Pearson VUE | Diet 2 | 31 Jul – 14 Aug 2023 | TBC |
MRCEM SBA | 25 Apr 23 | Pearson VUE | Diet 1 | 04 – 16 Jan 2023 | Jun 2nd week |
MRCEM SBA | 26 Oct 23 | Pearson VUE | Diet 2 | 03 – 17 Jul 2023 | TBC |
MRCEM OSCE | 12-23 Jun 23 | London | Diet 2 | 20 – 31 Mar 2023 | TBC |
MRCEM OSCE | 13-24 Nov 23 | London | Diet 3 | 07 – 18 Aug 2023 | TBC |
MRCEM OSCE | 24-28 Jul 23 | India – Chennai | Diet 1 | 03 – 14 Apr 2023 | TBC |
MRCEM OSCE | 09-13 Oct 23 | India – Hyderabad | Diet 2 | 03 – 14 Jul 2023 | TBC |
MRCEM OSCE | 13-17 Mar 23 | Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur | Diet 1 | 12 – 22 Dec 2022 | TBC |
FRCEM SBA | 04 Oct 23 | Pearson VUE | Diet 2 | 12 – 26 Jun 2023 | TBC |
FRCEM OSCE | 15-26 May 23 | London | Diet 1 | 13 – 24 Feb 23 | TBC |
FRCEM OSCE | 16-27 Oct 23 | London | Diet 2 | 17 – 28 Jul 23 | TBC |
Exam fee
As on April 13th, 2023, the RCEM page lists the fee as…
- MRCEM Primary – £330
- MRCEM (OSCE) Objective Structured Clinical Examination – £450 / £650 India / £750 (Malaysia)
- MRCEM SBA – £335
- FRCEM SBA – £345
- FRCEM OSCE – £465
Apart from the online fee you pay during your application, if you are attending the exam overseas (Out of UK), you will pay some fee to the local organization that’s conducting the exam. This fee differs between countries, talk to the local body to get an idea (In India, it’s close to 20,000 INR when the entire OSCE was offline/live).
Now that you read All you need to know about FRCEM, you might find these useful
- MRCEM Intermediate SBA preparation resources – 2023 update
- All about MRCEM Intermediate SBA exam – 2023 new guidance
- All about MRCEM OSCE exam – Nov 2022 update
- How to schedule MRCEM exams on Pearson Vue
- How to check MRCEM results on RCEM website – Easy 2023 guide