Paying for SCA preparation, honestly

The exam fee

The biggest single cost is the exam itself. According to the RCGP's important exam information page, the SCA fee is £1,207 for candidates already booked on diets in September to November 2026, and £1,238 for diets sat from 1 January 2027 to the end of July 2027. The RCGP reviews fees at the start of each academic year and explains its approach in its update on SCA fees. Staged payments are available; see SCA dates and fees.

You also need active RCGP Associate in Training membership to book. Membership and exam fees are separate from any preparation costs.

What the study budget may cover

GP trainees in England have access to a study budget managed by NHS England, but the rules on exam preparation are set out nationally and applied locally. What follows comes from published NHS England and regional pages. It is a guide to what to ask, not a promise that anything will be reimbursed.

• Exam fees are not funded through study leave. NHS England's national study leave overview says so directly. It adds that travel and subsistence can usually be claimed for sitting exams required by your current curriculum.
• One preparation course per exam is common. The London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex GP trainee support article describes funding one SCA preparation course, with your educational supervisor's agreement, and says question banks can be funded but count as that single course. Further courses go through a discretionary process.
• Online resources are treated differently by region. The Wessex (South East) study leave A–Z allows one set of question banks from a recognised provider in place of a course, but excludes other online resources. The Thames Valley study budget FAQs (2023) say question banks and standalone online courses are not covered. The South West FAQs exclude online resources and subscriptions.
• Approval usually comes first. Most schemes expect you to apply before you spend, with your educational supervisor or programme team agreeing the activity.
• Study leave time is separate from money. Some regions allow a few days of study leave for private exam preparation; the West Midlands GP study leave page is one example.

Our plans and prices

These are the current prices from our pricing page. If anything here differs from that page, the pricing page is correct.

For SCA preparation alone, Gold is the relevant plan. Monthly Gold can be cancelled once you have sat the exam, Gold every 3 months (£40) covers a typical run-up, and yearly Gold costs less than seven months of monthly. Start with the free cases to see whether the format suits you before paying anything.

Payment, VAT and invoices

• Payment. Individual plans are paid by card or Apple Pay through PayPal. The pricing page states that prices include VAT where applicable.
• Invoices for groups. Practices, VTS schemes and training programmes can ask about group access, which can be invoiced to the practice or programme. Use the group enquiry on the pricing page.
• Proof of payment. If you plan to claim a cost back, check what evidence your region needs before you pay.

Cancelling and pausing

• Cancel at any time from Manage my plan, or in your PayPal account. No further payments are taken, and you keep access to the end of the period you have already paid for.
• Pause instead for 1, 2 or 3 months on recurring plans. The pause starts when your current paid period ends.
• Refunds. Access starts as soon as you subscribe, at your request, so there is no 14-day cooling-off refund. Your statutory rights are not affected.
• After you stop paying, your account returns to the free plan and nothing is deleted.

Full details are on the pricing page and in our terms.

Frequently asked questions

More SCA guides