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The College is committed to keeping the MRCPsych accessible to international candidates.

Demand for the MRCPsych has increased significantly within the UK and beyond, with candidates from countries across Asia, Africa, Australasia, and the Middle East wishing to take this qualification. Since 2015 the College has offered Paper A and B exams internationally, today this includes 44 different countries, which has increased accessibility and contributed to meeting the growth in global demand. Following the return to face-to-face CASC in 2023, the RCPsych has delivered the CASC clinical exam in Sheffield and in Singapore.

To meet the demand, and to support candidates from across Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Sub-Continent, in February 2023, and as part of the Assessment Strategy Review, it was agreed to introduce an exam diet in the Middle East, due to the accessibility and travel infrastructure available in the region.

Many of the other medical royal colleges also currently offer their clinical exams in the region, including the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Surgeons, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Royal College of Pathologists and Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

We are expanding capacity to meet demand and are also looking at the potential for another clinical exam in South Asia.

A tender process was opened on 1 November 2023. This was advertised on our website and details were sent to our Members in the Middle East Division via email.

Applicants were required to set out how they would meet 12 distinct requirements to host the CASC exam, including the suitability of the venue, administrative support, experience of organising and delivering a clinical exam, access to local examiners, ability to hire professional role players and proximity to travel terminus and accommodation.

Applicants were also required to confirm their commitment to the College values.  

Following a thorough application process, the scoring committee unanimously agreed that Hamad Medical Corporation which is based in Doha, Qatar, was best placed to meet the needs of exam candidates.

Once Hamad Medical Corporation was identified as the top scoring institution, the College carried out a “risk and values assessment” against each of the College values, including courage and respect. The assessment confirmed that Hamad Medical Corporation would uphold our values and allow us to further our mission of promoting excellence and quality improvement in psychiatry

Hamad Medical Corporation has purpose-built facilities, experience in delivering similar exams, including the Royal College of Physicians UK’s Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills (PACES), as well as being able to support the recruitment of local examiners.

In addition to their facilities, contacts and experience, Hamad Medical Corporation were able to demonstrate an ability to access skilled and professional actors from a variety of backgrounds to act as role players.

The location of Hamad Medical Corporation will allow easy access for exam candidates from the Middle East and beyond, with regular flights into Hamad International Airport (DOH) available from countries where CASC exam candidates are well represented. Citizens of many countries are eligible to visit without needing a visa, and many others are eligible to obtain a visa on arrival.

The local infrastructure means that Hamad Medical Corporation is easily accessible via public transport, and there are a variety of hotels and restaurants available to candidates and examiners.

The first exam to be held in Doha will take place in November 2025. Dates and application windows are advertised on the College's examination web pages.

Applications to sit any of the College’s exams can be made via the College’s examination pages. Please check the website for up-to-date information on application windows and examination dates.

The fee will be set as part of the annual budget setting process and considered alongside fees for UK and other international CASC centres. For 2025, the fee is ?1,620.

The RCPsych is committed to keeping the costs of the exams as low as possible. The exams are not designed to be an income-generating activity. The exam fee covers the direct costs of delivering the exam (i.e. examiner travel, staff time, venue hire, role player and invigilator costs, equipment hire etc) as well as overheads. The College is committed to ensuring that any surplus from examinations remains at less than 10% each year. If additional surplus is made, this is assigned to the RCPsych Resident Doctors Training Committee

Recruitment for 2025 has already taken place. If you’d like to be notified about future recruitment, please email us at examinations@rcpsych.ac.uk.

All examiners for international diets are appointed against the eligibility requirements for international examiners. Shortlisted applicants undergo the same training and assessment process, including known and unknown bias training, as UK based examiners. Applicants must demonstrate acceptable correlation scores in the assessment to be appointed as an examiner.

Examiners at the CASC in Doha will be Members from the UK and Middle East. A detailed briefing will be provided to all examiners, candidates and staff, including FCDO travel advice, local customs, and laws.

Just as many more doctors in the UK are taking the MRCPsych, the global demand for the MRCPsych has increased significantly with candidates in Asian, Australasian, African and Middle Eastern countries wishing to take this exam. CASC candidate numbers have grown by over 120% since 2019, with approximately 40% of candidates based outside the UK and Ireland. CASC diets in Singapore continue to be oversubscribed, UK diet capacity is stretched, and many candidates face challenges obtaining UK visas, which prevents them from travelling.

The CASC exam is delivered in the same way, regardless of location. The blueprint specification and standards set out in the CASC syllabus are universally applied, with the same level of standardisation, scrutiny and quality assurance at all stages of the exam process.

We continuously monitor all MRCPsych exam activities. As this is a new CASC diet location and partnership, we will gather feedback from all stakeholders to support continuous improvement and any changes that might be necessary. A report will be provided to the Examinations Committee and Education and Training Committee.

In line with the first International Strategy, Council approved the Assessment Strategy Review in January 2023. This included the introduction of additional diets in the Middle East. The process to select a new host for the CASC exam went to tender in 2023.

Applications were scored against set criteria agreed by the Education and Training Committee, Council and by the members of the scoring committee, including the Chief Examiner, Chair of the CASC Panel, Director of Professional Standards, Head of Examinations and the International Manager. The committee was chaired by the Dean and was supported by the Presidential Lead for Global Mental Health Strategy. Early last year, Council members and trustees provided additional scrutiny of the process, including a review of the values-based assessment.

After a year-long process and a successful site visit in March last year, Hamad Medical Corporation was the highest scored application amongst the seven very reputable candidates.

Summary timeline

· July 2020 - first International Strategy approved by the Board of Trustees, which includes expanding CASC capacity in the Middle East and South Asia.

· November 2022 - Recognising concerns over the ethical considerations of some countries/regimes which may conflict with College values, a values assessment toolkit was developed to decide on engagement partners.

· January 2023 – Council approved the Assessment Strategy Review, which included introduction of additional international diets in the Middle East.

· May 2023 – Project brief for international CASC expansion in the Middle East discussed at Examinations Committee.

· October 2023 – Education and Training Committee approved the tender process for selection of a CASC examination host in the Middle East.

· October 2023 – Council approved the tender process for selection of a CASC examination host in the Middle East.

· October 2023 – Board of Trustees reviewed the tender process and stipulate that a values assessment be completed before approval can be given.

· November – December 2023 – tender process took place.

· January 2024 – Recommendation to appoint Hamad Medical Corporation to host the CASC exam in the Middle East was discussed at Council.

· February 2024 – Recommendation to appoint Hamad Medical Corporation to host the CASC exam in the Middle East is approved by the Board of Trustees, subject to a successful site visit.

· March 2024 – site visit to Hamad Medical Corporation undertaken by the Chief Examiner and Head of Examinations.

· April 2024 – Report, following successful site visit, presented to Council and the Board of Trustees.

· July 2024 – EDI leaders from different groups across the College and members who had expressed concerns at Council invited to a meeting to discuss the matter further with the Dean.

· April 2024 – February 2025 – Contract discussions.

· February 2025 – Announcement of new CASC diet in Doha on college website and in Member newsletter.

· August 2025 – CASC diet in Doha open for applications