Policy Update Notice - Assessments and Examinations Candidate Handbook

Handbook

Change

Rationale

Part 1 - National Entry Assessment

Part 2 - Fellowship Exams

The handbook has been updated to reflect current policies, environment and practices (e.g. College-led training, transition from PEP-Standard to FSP) and their implications on the National Entry Assessment and Fellowship Exams.

Candidates are provided with accurate and up-to-date information.

The handbook incorporates information about Special Arrangements previously covered in two guides which have now been retired:

• Provisions and procedures for nursing breaks during RACGP assessments and examinations (Guide)
• RACGP Examinations Special Arrangements (Guide)

Candidates are provided with more cohesive information about Special Arrangements in a single document.

A paragraph has been added to the ‘Withdrawal’ section to address exemption to sitting the National entry assessment or Fellowship exams for candidates who have contracted COVID-19:

If you need to apply for an exemption because you have contracted COVID-19, you must provide a medical certificate and evidence of a positive PCR test with your special exemption application. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) will not be accepted.

Up until now, the requirement re. COVID-19 has been that candidates provide a medical certificate and evidence of a positive RAT test to be eligible to apply for exemption.

As the pandemic is in a new phase, the RACGP has determined evidence of a positive PCR test is required for exemptions to sitting the National entry assessment and Fellowship exams.

Part 2 - Fellowship Exams

Part 2 of the handbook includes a new requirement applicable to AGPT registrars on extension who intend to withdraw from a Fellowship Exam:

If you are an AGPT registrar and were granted any extension of program time, you must obtain written approval from your Region's Director of Training (RDOT) if you wish to withdraw from a Fellowship exam. Withdrawal requests that do not include a written approval signed by your Region's Director of Training will not be processed.

This new requirement will ensure that candidates on extension discuss their request for withdrawal with the RDOT first so they can be provided with timely and appropriate advice on the consequences of withdrawing.

This requirement will alleviate issues encountered in the past, e.g. the delayed knowledge that candidates had withdrawn from a Fellowship Exam meant that some registrars missed the application dates for FSP.