SCA pass rates, and what they really mean

The headline figures

The RCGP publishes SCA results in three places: a statement for each diet on its marking and results page, an interim report on the first eight diets, and its MRCGP annual reports. They measure slightly different things, so the numbers do not all match.

• First eight diets (November 2023 to June 2024). 5,582 sittings with an overall pass rate of 70.01% (RCGP interim report). The same report found pass rates had risen compared with the old CSA, by 3.47 percentage points for UK graduates and 8.49 for international medical graduates.
• First-time takers, 2023–24. The MRCGP annual report covering 2023–24 gives a first-attempt pass rate of 74.57% overall: 94.28% for UK graduates and 51.56% for international medical graduates.
• Everyone who sat in the year, 2023–24. Counting unique candidates and all their attempts within the year, the same report gives an in-year cumulative pass rate of 81.18%. The gap between this and the first-time figure reflects candidates who passed at a later sitting in the same year.

Recent diets

These are the overall pass rates the RCGP reported for recent diets, copied from its marking and results page. They count sittings, so a candidate sitting for the second time is included alongside first-timers.

Diets not shown (including September to November 2025, June 2026 and anything later) were left out because we could not confirm the figures when we checked: check RCGP. For the first half of 2025, the RCGP also reported first-time pass rates for each diet, which ranged from about 69% to 76%. An official annual figure for 2024–25 should appear in the RCGP's annual reports.

What the numbers do and do not mean

• They describe groups, not you. A pass rate of 70% does not mean you have a 70% chance. Your preparation, your consulting habits and how you handle the day matter far more than the average.
• The UK and international graduate gap is real. It is not a measure of medical ability. It mostly reflects consultation style and familiarity with NHS systems, both of which can be learned. Read SCA advice for international graduates.
• Per-diet rates bounce around. Each diet has a different mix of first-time and repeat candidates and of UK and international graduates, so a low diet is not evidence that it was harder.
• There is no quota. The pass mark is set by borderline regression from examiners' judgements, not by passing a fixed share of candidates. See how the SCA is marked.
• A fail is common and recoverable. The gap between the first-time and in-year figures shows that many candidates pass on a later attempt. See SCA resit advice.

How to improve your odds

1. Practise out loud, against the clock. Reading cases silently does not build the habits the exam rewards. Use the free cases to find your baseline.
2. Find your weakest domain early by marking every case honestly against the three domains, then spend most of your time there.
3. Practise with real people. Colleagues, especially UK-trained ones, will tell you how you come across in a way no tool can.
4. Sit at least two full 12-case mock exams, one four to six weeks out and one in the last fortnight.
5. Get your trainer to watch real consultations. The SCA rewards how you actually consult, and your trainer sees that every week.
6. Use the support that exists. Deaneries run professional support for trainees, and asking early is better than asking after a result.

Frequently asked questions

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