Extension to MRCS and DOHNS candidates out of time in 2020
19 Jun 2020
Extension of eligibility period during COVID-19 restrictions
The Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) are cognisant that the decision to postpone all examinations from 16 March 2020 until the end of August will have an impact on many candidates’ plans for completing the MRCS, MRCS (ENT) or DO-HNS.
To ensure that candidates will have an opportunity to complete the above exams, ICBSE and the four Surgical Royal colleges have decided to relax the current rules around the seven-year eligibility period. All candidates whose seven-year eligibility period was due to end between 16 March and 31 December 2020 will automatically have this extended by 12 months; these candidates will therefore have one additional year to complete MRCS, MRCS (ENT) or DO-HNS.
Details of the normal eligibility period are outlined in the following sections of the regulations:
- MRCS: Paragraph 4.2, page 3
- MRCS (ENT): Paragraph 5.5, page 3
- DO-HNS: Paragraph 4.1, page 3
Candidates will still need to follow the limit on attempts outlined within the above regulations when applying for a future diet of the examination.