Marking, results and feedback

Marking

Using marking guidance, the examiner grades each competency A-E, with A being excellent, B being good, C being adequate, D being just below adequate and E being poor. These grades are recorded on tablet devices and are later converted into numerical scores which are combined to produce an overall exam score and an average for each of the five competency areas.

A candidate awarded a C for each competency at all six stations would indicate a pass overall. However, the marks for each competency are averaged, so it is possible to do less well on, say, two stations, and yet still pass overall by getting marks higher than a C at other stations. The other requirement for a pass is that each competency area must be marked at C or above at half or more of the stations.

In collating final marks, a borderline adjustment process is also used to enable all stations to have equal weighting. This means for example that if a station’s raw scores were lower compared to other stations at the same sitting, then all the scores for that station would be multiplied by an adjustment factor. The higher of the raw and weighted score is used in the final mark. Please see the Final Membership Examination marking algorithm (image below) for a summary of how results are determined.

Weightings and marking thresholds for the Final Membership Examination are not published to examiners or candidates. See Publishing Weightings and Marking Thresholds for more information.

The overall marks are shared with the Chief Officer and after independent review by an external educationalist, ratified at the Examination Board.

Results and Feedback

Results will be sent by email within ten working days of the examination. There are two possible outcomes of the examination: Pass or Fail. No part or question of the OSPHE can be banked. Candidates are also given feedback in the form of average scores for each competency.

If a candidate has passed the examination, their name is passed to the Membership Department of the Faculty. They will be asked to become a Member of the Faculty, which is one of the requirements for the award of a CCT and inclusion on the GMC’s Specialist Register or UKPHR’s Specialist Register. If the OSPHE is passed prior to or while on a break from the training scheme it will only be considered valid for CCT if the candidate enters/re-enters the training programme within the following seven years.

Results from recent sittings

Sitting	Number of candidates	Pass rate
February 2019	23	87%
April 2019	24	63%
June 2019	24	96%
September 2019	22	100%
December 2019	22	95%
February 2020	23	87%
November 2020	23	91%
December 2020	17	100%
February 2021	16	100%
April 2021	22	86%
June 2021	20	100%
September 2021	20	90%
December 2021	23	96%
February 2022	21	81%
April 2022	20	85%
September 2022	20	95%
November 2022	22	95%
February 2023	22	100%
June 2023	19	100%
September 2023	19	89%
November 2023	21	95%
February 2024	22	96%

Resitting the exam

Candidates will not normally be permitted more than six attempts at the OSPHE without providing evidence of additional educational experience. If attempts are undertaken more than seven years after passing the diplomate exam, the candidate may additionally need to resit the diplomate exam.