MRCEM practice

How to prepare for the MRCEM

The MRCEM OSCE is the last of the three MRCEM exams: 16 eight-minute stations blueprinted to the emergency medicine curriculum's learning outcomes, each marked on one to four weighted domains. Prepare by working through the curriculum's year 1-3 outcomes, practising every station type aloud against an eight-minute clock, and using each station's briefing sheet, which shows the domains being assessed, to decide where your time goes.

What happens in the MRCEM exam: parts, timings and marking An example MRCEM station, with example feedback MRCEM dates and countdown

Step by step

  1. 1

    Check eligibility and your seven-year window

    You need a primary medical qualification accepted by the GMC, full registration with a licence to practise, 6 months' full-time equivalent emergency medicine experience above Foundation level, and passes in the MRCEM Primary and MRCEM SBA; you cannot apply until you have the SBA pass. You have six attempts at each MRCEM exam and seven years from passing the Primary to complete MRCEM.

  2. 2

    Work from the curriculum's year 1-3 outcomes

    RCEM strongly advises MRCEM applicants to familiarise themselves with the year 1-3 competences, and the OSCE is blueprinted to eight learning outcomes: complex stable patient, answering questions, resus, injured patient, paediatric emergency medicine, procedural skills, complex and challenging situations, and supervising and teaching. Children's emergencies are examined at the level of a general emergency department.

  3. 3

    Learn the seven domains

    RCEM tells candidates to familiarise themselves with the domains: clinical reasoning and decision making, practical skills, communication (including conflict), teaching, history taking, organisation and prioritisation, and clinical examination. Each station tests one to four of them, weighted by their importance in that station, so ask yourself before every practice station which domains carry the marks.

  4. 4

    Use the minute of reading time

    Before each station a briefing sheet gives the scenario, the task, the examiner's role and a pie chart of the domains being assessed. Practise reading a brief in under a minute and deciding how to split your eight minutes before you walk in.

  5. 5

    Practise with a clock, not a countdown

    No timer is shown during stations; an analogue clock is visible and you are responsible for your own time management, which RCEM calls a key component of the exam. Time every practice station on a wall clock or watch face so you learn to pace yourself without prompts.

  6. 6

    Rehearse every station type aloud

    Practise leading a resuscitation, assessing an injured patient, taking a history from a parent, breaking bad news, consent and complaints, teaching a junior and answering an examiner's questions on a case. Practical skills are one of the domains, so rehearse procedures hands-on in your department, and ask a senior colleague to mark you on the domains.

  7. 7

    Use RCEMLearning and the curriculum site

    RCEM suggests consulting relevant material on RCEMLearning, its online platform of curriculum-aligned clinical cases and learning sessions; some content is for members only. Check each learning outcome against the RCEM curriculum, which was updated in August 2025.

  8. 8

    Behave as you would at work, and plan the day

    Stations reflect real practice in any UK emergency department, and RCEM asks you to behave as on a normal working day, addressing everyone professionally and with courtesy. Arrive within your registration window, bring ID matching your RCEM account, and expect to surrender electronic devices; all equipment, including stethoscopes, is provided.

Official resources

  • OSCE Exams & FAQs

    RCEM's preparation advice, the exam-day timetable, what the station briefing sheet contains and answers to candidates' questions.

  • Domain Based Marking

    RCEM's one-page explanation of the seven MRCEM OSCE domains and how station scores are built; use it to mark practice stations.

  • MRCEM OSCE Regulations and Information Pack

    The station blueprint, showing which learning outcome each of the 16 stations samples.

  • EM Curriculum

    RCEM's page for the 2021 curriculum and its 2025 update, including the learning outcomes the OSCE is mapped to.

  • RCEMLearning

    RCEM's online learning platform with clinical cases, learning sessions and exam preparation material.

  • Results, Feedback and Awarding

    How OSCE results and feedback letters work, and what they show.

  • Exam Eligibility and Adjustments

    The eligibility rules for each MRCEM exam, including an eligibility quiz; check before the application window.

Common mistakes examiners report

  • Spending station time on the wrong skill. RCEM's own example: if a station is 90% assessing practical skills, do not spend five minutes taking a history. source
  • Arriving after the registration window closes. Late candidates are not permitted to take the exam. source
  • Relying on a countdown. No timer is shown in the station, and RCEM makes candidates responsible for their own time management. source

Practise with MedMock

MedMock simulates nine MRCEM OSCE station types covering every blueprint area, including an adult history, a psychiatric assessment, answering an examiner's questions, leading a resuscitation, the injured patient, a history from a parent, a procedure, a difficult conversation and teaching. Each is timed at the real eight minutes with one minute of reading, and ends with marked feedback. Procedures are talked through aloud rather than performed, so practise the hands-on skills separately.

Practise MRCEM stations Free trial, no card needed.

Questions candidates ask

Can I apply for the MRCEM OSCE before I get my SBA result?

No. RCEM says you need a pass in the MRCEM SBA before you can apply for the MRCEM OSCE.

Do I need to bring a stethoscope or other equipment?

No. Candidates are not required to bring any equipment, including stethoscopes; anything a station needs is provided.

Are there double stations or rest stations?

There are no double stations. The MRCEM OSCE has two rest stations in addition to the 16 exam stations, as the format page shows.

What feedback will I get?

Within a week of results, every candidate receives a feedback letter with their score, the pass mark, the cohort average and a breakdown by station, learning outcome or curriculum area. RCEM recommends going through it with your supervisor or mentor.

How long should I prepare for the MRCEM OSCE?

RCEM does not set a preparation period. Book when you can run each of the eight learning outcome areas as timed eight-minute stations and a senior colleague marking the domains judges you ready for higher training, the level the exam is set at.

Sources

Checked on 27 September 2026.

Exams and their regulations change. MedMock is not affiliated with any examining body; always check the current guidance on the official site before you book.