Fellowship Exam Attempts: FAQs

You have a maximum of three calendar years within which to pass the three Fellowship exams (AKT, KFP and CCE). This three-year period is known as your candidacy and is made up of six exam semesters. Your candidacy starts in the semester in which you enrol and sit your first exam.

All three Fellowship exams are delivered in each exam semester. You may attempt each exam multiple times over the six semesters that make up your candidacy; however, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have six attempts at each Fellowship exam. For example, if you pass the AKT and/or KFP in your sixth semester, you’ll only have one attempt at the CCE since the AKT and KFP are prerequisites for the CCE.

The AKT and KFP can be sat in any order. But you must hold a pass in the AKT and the KFP before you can sit the CCE.

You may enrol in the CCE while you are still awaiting results from the AKT and/or KFP. However, if you are unsuccessful in the AKT and/or KFP, you will be automatically withdrawn from the CCE.

You may enrol in exams whilst you are completing any RACGP-approved program; however, you may not sit exams until you have met the exam eligibility requirements specific to your program.

You may suspend your candidacy for any reason, at any time up until you’ve sat an exam in your final exam semester. This is known as a standard suspension. You are entitled to one standard suspension during your candidacy. For example, you can suspend your candidacy if you don’t want to sit an exam due to personal or financial reasons, or if you would like additional time to prepare for an exam.

A standard suspension applies to an entire exam semester, i.e. you are not required nor permitted to attempt Fellowship exams during that semester.

You can suspend the current exam semester directly through your My candidacy portal. If you wish to retrospectively suspend a semester, please email the RACGP at examinations@racgp.org.au.

A standard suspension applies to the entire exam semester and not to any one exam type; therefore, if you have sat any exam in the semester, a suspension can’t be applied.

In addition to the standard suspension available to all candidates regardless of their circumstances, a non-standard suspension may be permitted if you experience extenuating and unforeseen circumstances. To be considered, these circumstances must be unforeseen, outside your control and shown to have a direct and significant impact on your ability to complete all exams during your candidacy.

Examples of reasons we will consider include:

• ill health (other than minor illnesses)
• carer’s leave
• bereavement
• acute adverse life circumstances
•  hospitalisation
• Australian Defence Force deployment leave
• other circumstances involving significant changes to your circumstances.

Non-standard suspensions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are not automatically granted. All applications for non-standard suspensions must be sent to education.appeals@racgp.org with relevant supporting documentation.

Any withdrawal from an exam that isn’t approved by the RACGP in writing is considered an unsanctioned withdrawal. If you enrol in an exam but fail to sit, this will be recorded as an unsanctioned withdrawal and you will not be able to apply for a standard suspension for that semester.

A withdrawal that is approved in writing by the RACGP is known as a sanctioned withdrawal. You may apply for a standard suspension of your candidacy for the exam semester in which the sanctioned withdrawal applies, providing you haven’t sat any other Fellowship exams in that semester.

If you’re undertaking an approved remediation term, you’re not eligible to sit the Fellowship exams.

You can provisionally enrol in an exam scheduled after your remediation term is due to finish; however, your ability to sit the exam is subject to your remediation term being satisfactorily completed. If you don’t satisfactorily complete your remediation term, we will withdraw you from any exams you have enrolled in for the following term.

If you’re on an approved period of leave, you’re not eligible to sit the Fellowship exams, unless you were granted an exemption by the RACGP.

The exams you pass during your candidacy are valid for the duration of your candidacy, including periods of suspension. This means a suspension will automatically extend the validity of your exam results.

If you don’t pass the AKT and/or KFP until the last semester of your candidacy, you’ll have just one attempt at the CCE. This attempt will be in the same semester that you become eligible to sit the CCE. Passing the written exams doesn’t grant an extension of candidacy.

If you transfer to another training program, your overall period of candidacy doesn’t change; you still have three years in which to sit all Fellowship exams.

If you transfer to another RACGP-approved program after your candidacy has commenced, your candidacy will carry over to your new program. While you’re completing the program, we will suspend your candidacy and it will resume once you have completed the educational component of the program.

Changes to your medical registration don’t necessarily mean you’re no longer eligible to sit exams. You must disclose any changes to the RACGP by sending an email to education@racgp.org.au and we’ll assess these.

Please note, failure to inform the RACGP of any changes that might affect your exam eligibility will be handled as per the Academic Misconduct Policy.

Passing the Fellowship exams is only one of the requirements that must be met for admission to Fellowship of the RACGP. For more information refer to the policy relevant to your program:

• If you are a AGPT, RVTS and FSP candidate, please refer to the Requirements for Fellowship Policy.
• If you are a PEP Standard candidate, please refer to the General Practice Experience Pathway - Requirements for Fellowship Policy.

There are several circumstances that could change your eligibility to sit exams.

• If you lose your medical registration, you’re no longer eligible to enrol in or sit exams.
• For candidates on the General Practice Experience Pathway, your eligibility will change if your General Practice Experience assessment outcome expires or is superseded by a subsequent General Practice Experience assessment outcome that shows you no longer meet the eligibility requirements for your program. Eligibility requirements are outlined in the documents below: 
  • If you are a PEP Standard candidate, please refer to the General Practice Experience Pathway - Exam Eligibility Policy.
  • If you are a FSP candidate, please refer to the Fellowship Exams Policy.
• If you leave any pathway or program, including the AGPT program, RVTS, FSP, or PEP Standard during the education component, you’re likely to become ineligible to sit Fellowship exams. You should consult your pathway’s or program’s exam eligibility policy. 

Please note, failure to inform the RACGP of any changes that might affect your exam eligibility will be handled as per the Academic Misconduct Policy.

If you reach the end of your candidacy and have not passed all Fellowship exams, you will be ineligible for Fellowship and will be withdrawn from any training program on which you are enrolled. There will be no further opportunity to enrol in Fellowship exams.