Sitting your examination at the College

Guide to sitting the OSCE and SOE in person at the RCoA

Getting to Churchill House: Map and Directions 

Arrival at the College. Please arrive at the Royal College of Anaesthetists at least 30 minutes before the first call time on your Admission Notice. The timetable and marking system do not allow late admissions. Please note that the earliest time you will be admitted to the College is 07.30.   

Dress Code:  The same dress code for day-to-day clinical practice/contact with patients applies to the FRCA examination.   The form of dress should not constrain a candidate’s ability to demonstrate recognised skills including effective communication with simulated patients or examiners. There is no requirement to wear clinical/theatre clothing during any of the examinations.

Candidates are requested not to wear forms of dress that cover the face to ensure easy verification of the candidate’s identity.

Water bottles: Help us to reduce the use of single-use plastic in the College by bringing a water bottle to your exam. Water bottles may be taken onto the OSCE and SOE exam floors and refilled at points around the College.  

On arrival at the College. Please report to the reception desk and present your Admission Notice and ID. You will be given clear instructions on when and where to report for each examination  component. You must sign in and out at reception when leaving/returning throughout the day.

Access in the College - your electronic pass. We will issue you with an electronic pass on a lanyard to access the building via the electronic gates and to operate the lifts. The pass will contain your College Reference Number (CRN). You must wear your pass at all times when you are in the College. After you have completed all parts of your exam, please return your pass and lanyard to reception before exiting the building. 

Mobile phones and other electronic devices. Switch off your phone and store in secure locker/luggage for duration of time in College. A Pound coin is needed for the lockers.
Under no circumstances should mobile phones or smart watches be taken to the exam floor. Candidates will be disqualified if phones or smart watches are found on their person once they have entered the exam floor.

Changes: We do not envisage making changes to exam dates and times set out in admission notices but if there is a ‘National Emergency Situation’ that is likely to affect a majority of College examiners or candidates, there may be a need to implement a contingency plan to deal with the situation.  If this happens and there is sufficient time available to us, we will inform you personally. In the unlikely event of this happening at short notice, then an urgent announcement will be published on the College website – homepage (www.rcoa.ac.uk).