Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK

MRCP(UK) and Specialty Certificate Examinations

Pass Rates by Gender and Ethnicity – 2011

Information about all the MRCP(UK) and Specialty Certificate Examination pass rates are updated on our
website (www.mrcpuk.org) shortly after each exam has taken place. This sets out data about the proportions of
key groups of candidates (UK graduates etc) who are passing our exams, and is published with the intention of
giving candidates important feedback, and in the interests of openness and transparency. The MRCP(UK)
Management Board agreed in 2011 that an annual report setting out the pass rates for candidates of all our
exams according to their gender and ethnicity should be publicly available.

The MRCP(UK) Management Board has closely monitored ethnicity and gender rates for a number of years, and
contributed data to a systematic review and meta-analysis of ethnicity and academic performance in UK-
trained doctors and medical students published in March 2011. This was co-authored by Professor Chris
McManus, an Educational Advisor to the MRCP(UK), and is available at
http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d901. The paper concludes that UK trained doctors and medical
students from minority ethnic groups tend to underperform academically compared with their white
counterparts, but that it is not clear why this might be. The paper demonstrates that the differences in
performance are consistent across medical schools, exam types, and undergraduate and postgraduate
assessments, and has persisted for at least the past three decades.

The MRCP(UK) has previously published its own paper analysing examination pass rates by the ethnicity and
gender of UK graduates in 2003-2004, (which is available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/5/8)
and the same reporting categories has been used for this 2011 report to maintain consistency.

The graphs on the following pages show the percentage of passing candidates by gender and ethnicity for UK
and International graduates for all three parts of the MRCP (UK) and the Specialty Certificate Examinations
during 2011.

Please note: The gender and ethnicity data provided and displayed in these graphs is self-declared by
candidates.

In addition to the percentage pass rates, the graphs also display the total number of candidates
making up each group. For example, in the first graph 1038 female UK graduates passed the
MRCP(UK) Part 1 examination in 2011.

1
A) The percentage of male and female UK graduates passing the MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, PACES and the
Specialty Certificate Examinations:

Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the 2011 MRCP(UK)

Part 1 Examination by Gender
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70 737
1038
60
50
664 Female
40 386
Male
30
20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the 2011 MRCP(UK)

Part 2 Examination by Gender
100
90 647
848
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70
60
50
Female
40
Male
30
20 175
99
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

2
 Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the 2011 MRCP(UK)
PACES Examination by Gender
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%) 70
624
482
60
50
Female
40 262
296 Male
30
20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the Specialty

Certificate Examinations by Gender in 2011
100
192
90 241

80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70
60
50
Female
40
Male
30
20 41
18
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

3
B) The percentage of male and female International graduates passing the MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, PACES
and the Specialty Certificate Examinations:

Percentage of International Graduates Passing the 2011

MRCP(UK) Part 1 Examination by Gender
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70
60
1078 1535
1013 1422
50
Female
40
Male
30
20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of International Graduates Passing the 2011

MRCP(UK) Part 2 Examination by Gender
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70 588 1002
60
50
Female
40 297 552
Male
30
20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

4
 Percentage of International Graduates Passing the 2011
MRCP(UK) PACES Examination by Gender
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%) 70 1018

60 347
50 293
Female
40 518
Male
30
20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of International Graduates Passing the

Specialty Certificate Examinations by Gender in 2011
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70 81
262
60
50
183 Female
40 46
Male
30
20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

5
C) The percentage of UK graduates passing the MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, PACES and the Specialty
Certificate Examinations by ethnicity (defined as White [inclusive of white-British, white-Irish and white-
other] and Non-White).

Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the 2011 MRCP(UK)

Part 1 Examination by Ethnicity
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70 1096
508 171
60
50 White
331 108
40 611 Non-White

30 Undeclared

20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the 2011 MRCP(UK)

Part 2 Examination by Ethnicity
100
934
90
141
80 420
Percentage of candidates (%)

70
60
50 White
40 Non-White

30 140 Undeclared
35
20
99
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

6
 Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the 2011 MRCP(UK)
PACES Examination by Ethnicity
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%)
688
70 107
60 311

50 239 White
65 Non-White
40
30 255 Undeclared

20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of UK Graduates Passing the Specialty

Certificate Examinations by Ethnicity in 2011
100 269
51
90
113
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70
60
50 White
40 Non-White

30 Undeclared
27
20
26 6
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

7
D) The percentage of International graduates passing the MRCP(UK) Part 1, Part 2, PACES and the Specialty
Certificate Examinations by ethnicity (defined as White [inclusive of white-British, white-Irish and white-
other] and Non-White).

Percentage of International Graduates Passing the 2011

MRCP(UK) Part 1 Examination by Ethnicity
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70
60 165 2075
398
140 1899 374
50 White
40 Non-White

30 Undeclared

20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of International Graduates Passing the 2011

MRCP(UK) Part 2 Examination by Ethnicity
100
90
80 131
Percentage of candidates (%)

70 1253 207
60
50 White
40 697 104 Non-White

30 48 Undeclared

20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

8
 Percentage of International Graduates Passing the 2011
MRCP(UK) PACES Examination by Ethnicity
100
90
80
Percentage of candidates (%) 70 1104 168
60 93

50 72 White
633 106
40 Non-White

30 Undeclared

20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail

Percentage of International Graduates Passing the

Specialty Certificate Examinations by Ethnicity in 2011
100
90
32
80
Percentage of candidates (%)

70
278 33
60
50 White
198 22
40 Non-White

30 Undeclared
9
20
10
0
Pass Fail
Pass/Fail