SCA dates, fees and booking for 2026–27

SCA dates 2026–27

The RCGP runs the SCA across nine diets a year. Each diet normally takes place over several exam days (the RCGP currently allocates four), and you are given a date within the diet. Results are published at 17:00 on the results day. The dates below are from the RCGP's exam dates and booking page and reasonable adjustments page. The RCGP notes that dates can change.

“Check RCGP” means we could not confirm the date from an RCGP source when we last checked. The September and October 2026 diets have already taken place. As a rule of thumb from the published dates, the final booking deadline falls about nine to ten weeks before the diet, and the reasonable adjustments deadline about four weeks before that.

The SCA fee

• £1,207: the fee for the 2025–26 exam year. It still applies to candidates booked on diets from September to November 2026.
• £1,238: the published fee for SCA diets sat from 1 January 2027 to the end of July 2027.

The RCGP reviews fees at the start of each academic year, so confirm the figure for your diet on the RCGP's important exam information page before you budget. Some employers, deaneries and study-budget schemes help with exam costs; ask your programme team what applies to you.

Booking and staged payments

1. Book through MyRCGP. The RCGP's help pages describe booking in your MyRCGP account under My Exams → Book an upcoming exam. Your MRCGP (Associate in Training) membership must be active.
2. Book early. You can book up to 12 months ahead, and cancelling or changing dates is free until the final booking deadline (RCGP: applying for the SCA).
3. Pay in stages. Since 1 April 2026 SCA bookings use staged payments: a 25% deposit and a second 25% payment, with the balance due by the final booking deadline. Payments are not taken automatically, and a missed payment can mean your booking is cancelled. The exact timings for each instalment: check RCGP.
4. Confirm eligibility by the final booking deadline. Full payment and eligibility must be in place by then, or provisional bookings are cancelled.

Who can sit the SCA

The RCGP says trainees are eligible to sit the SCA from ST3, and your training record must show you are in ST3. Several deanery pages describe this as being within 12 months of your expected completion of training (CCT) date. Under the MRCGP regulations, the AKT and SCA must be passed during training to apply for a CCT, with further attempts possible during deanery-authorised extensions. Attempt limits and rules for out-of-training candidates are in the MRCGP regulations check RCGP.

If you need reasonable adjustments (for example for dyslexia, a disability, a health condition, pregnancy or breastfeeding), apply by the deadline in the table. It is usually several weeks before booking closes.

Planning backwards from your diet

Pick the diet first, then plan revision backwards. Most candidates want 8–12 weeks of focused preparation (see the 12-week plan in the SCA Guide), with two full mock exams in the last six weeks. Start with the free SCA cases to find your baseline. If you are rebooking after a fail, read SCA resit advice before choosing a date.

Frequently asked questions

More SCA guides