Structure of the MSRA Exam
The exam is conducted on the computer and is 170 minutes in length. The two papers which make up the exam are independently timed. Remember to attempt all questions as there is no negative marking.
| Section | Time Allocated | Number of Questions |
| Professional Dilemmas Paper | 95 minutes (+25-50% extra time) |
50 questions ~50% ranking questions ~50% multiple choice, 3 actions you should take together |
| Optional Break | 5 minutes | |
| Clinical Problem Solving Paper | 75 minutes (+25-50% extra time) |
97 questions ~50% extended matching questions ~50% single best-answer questions |
Professional Dilemmas (PD)
Format and Structure: Consists of 50 questions to be completed in 95 minutes.
Types of Questions:
- Ranking Questions: Rank responses from most to least appropriate.
- Multiple Choice Questions: Select the best response to a given scenario.
The questions are designed to cover three core competencies:
- Professional Integrity
- Coping with Pressure
- Empathy and Sensitivity
Hints:
- Ensure to fully read the question stem.
- Remember to rank or select options that would be the ‘ideal’ response.
- For MCQ, check the 3 from 8 options are things that would all be done at the same time and are complimentary.
Clinical problem-solving paper
The questions cover 5 core domains/competencies:
- Investigation: Specific investigations that are carried out in order to obtain a more conclusive diagnosis or rule out possible causes of illness/injury.
- Diagnosis: Identification of a condition, disease or injury made by evaluating the symptoms and signs presented by a patient.
- Emergency: Potential serious illness requiring an immediate response (recognizing patient risk based on suggested factors).
- Prescribing: Advising, authorising or reviewing the use of medicine/drugs as part of a patient’s clinical management plan.
- Management (non-prescribing): Advising, authorising or reviewing the use of other forms/methods of treatment (not medicinal/drug-related) as part of a patient’s clinical management plan
Question Type :
- 50% will be extended matching questions (list of 7-10 plausible response
options and multiple, separate questions linked to this response set) - 50% will be single best answers (select single most appropriate or likely answer out of 5-8 plausible responses for 1 clinical presentation).
Understanding your score
| Standardised Score Range | Clinical Problem Solving | Professional Dilemma | ||||
| Approx % scoring in the range | Score band | Score meaning | Approx % scoring in the range | Score band | Score meaning | |
| Below 170 | 7% | 1 | Very poor level of performance | 12% | 1 | Very poor level of performance |
| 171 - 185 | 7% | 1 | Very poor level of performance | 11% | 1 | Very poor level of performance |
| 186 - 210 | 7% | 2 | Below average performance | 28% | 2 | Below average performance |
| 211 - 230 | 20% | 2 | Below average performance | 23% | 2 | Below average performance |
| 231 - 250 | 18% | 3 | Good level of performance | 14% | 3 | Good level of performance |
| 251 - 270 | 16% | 3 | Good level of performance | 7% | 3 | Good level of performance |
| 271 - 290 | 8% | 3 | Good level of performance | 4% | 3 | Good level of performance |
| 291 - 310 | 3% | 3 | Very good level of performance | 1% | 3 | Very good level of performance |
| Above 310 | 0.3% | 4 | Very good level of performance | 0.1% | 4 | Very good level of performance |
Last reviewed: 16 August 2024
