How do I register for the national examinations?

The OSCE exams are held at RCP North, Liverpool. Candidates may be allocated to any of the advertised dates during the assessment period they apply for. Allocated OSCE dates will be allocated to candidates as soon as possible once eligibility is confirmed by universities.

Requests for withdrawal from an assessment should be made in writing to [email protected]

No, exam registration cannot be deferred to a later date, and  payment cannot be carried over to a future exam. Candidates unable to take the exam will need to request a withdrawal from the exam, and then re-apply for the desired sitting of the exam when the appropriate application period opens. Refunds will be provided upon receipt of the appropriate medical evidence to support a candidate’s withdrawal request.

The KBA is a 200-question, single best answer, assessment, taken online. It is split into two papers, each 2 hours long and each containing 100 questions. There is a break between each paper.

Assessment schedules are based around UK time. Whilst you are welcome to take the KBA from a non-UK location, please be aware that this may mean your KBA takes place outside of traditional time slots. 

The assessment is delivered by our online partner, Orzone. They have many years of delivering online assessments, specifically for medical assessments. They have a dedicated website detailing how their online assessments, including the PANE KBA, run.

You need to have a device that is running either Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) or later, or Mac 10.14 or later. You must ensure that you have permission to download the software to the device you are using. If you are using a work computer, please check with your IT department.

Your device must also have a functioning, internal web cam (external web cams are not recommended).

The computer you install the software on and undertake the face recognition process on must be the same computer you use on the day of the KBA.

You should ensure that you device has a stable internet connection, either wired or via Wi-Fi. The speed required is similar to that used during general browsing of the internet. We recommend you have access to a back-up connection, a hotspot via your mobile phone, for example, to ensure your KBA is not interrupted.

You must be connected to the internet to begin each paper. However, the Orzone software is designed to allow you to continue with your KBA if you temporarily lose internet connection during a paper, and your results will automatically be synced with the server once your connection is restored. Be aware that images within questions cannot be displayed unless you are connected to the internet, these questions should be bookmarked to return to when your internet connection is restored. 

You will need to take the assessment somewhere quiet that you can work undisturbed. This could be at your own home, place of work, or a library but you must ensure that the room is prepared properly. 

Unique download links and booking codes are sent out via email at least two weeks before the date of your KBA. These may end up in your junk and spam folder, please email the RCP Assessment Unit if you have not received your download link by this time.

Please follow the download and installation carefully and if you have any problems, please submit a support ticket to the Orzone team. Remember, whichever computer you download and install the software onto must be the same one you use on the day of the KBA.

Be aware of the deadline for installation that is provided in your download email, as once this has passed you will not be able to download the software and will not be able to take the KBA.

The Orzone software is regularly updated to provide the best possible experience for candidates. If you have previously taken the KBA online with us via Orzone you will need to uninstall any previous versions of the software and download the latest version. 

If you are experiencing technical issues before or during the assessment, then please submit a support ticket with Orzone, or click the ‘help’ button within your Orzone app. Please do not contact the RCP Assessment Unit as we are unable to provide technical support. 

No. If you wish to block out noise then traditional earplugs are acceptable. 

Yes – but the clock on the assessment will continue. A flag will be raised with the invigilator each time you step away from your device to visit the toilet. 

No, the software will pick this up as a potential infringement of the regulations and this will be investigated. 

Yes, and we may ask you to show us that they are blank before you begin your KBA. You should have no more than 6 pieces of plain A4 paper, and these must be destroyed at the end of the KBA. We may ask you to hold them up and confirm this to the invigilator at the end of each paper.

Yes. All images can be enlarged by clicking on them. All have a scale indicated where appropriate, either as part of the question or in the image’s caption. 

If you feel you have completed a paper then you are permitted to end early, but by doing so you will not be able to re-enter the paper to amend answers or complete any questions without responses. 

Yes. Please ensure you do this with a common-sense approach in terms of what you are eating or drinking. Remember that the artificial intelligence will identify abnormal behaviour (which may include eating/drinking). Bottles must be clear, with no labels. 

There are sample resources available which provide an insight into how questions are structured. We also offer the RCP Revise Question Bank for Physician Associates.

The OSCE contains 16 stations. 14 stations are clinical scenarios, with two rest stations also included. Each of the 16 cycles consists of two-minutes reading time and eight minutes inside each station. There is a one-minute remaining announcement during each cycle to allow you to manage your time whilst in each station. 

We run all our OSCEs at our purpose-built assessment centre at the Spine in Liverpool. 

We aim to provide you with your allocated OSCE date at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the OSCE assessment period. Please note however that you will not receive notification of your allocated OSCE date until your eligibility has been confirmed by your university.

No. Once allocations have been made these cannot be changed. If you are unable to attend on the date you have been allocated, you will instead need to withdraw your application.

Please arrive as close as possible to the report time stated on your admission document, as there is limited space available at the Spine in which to wait prior to this.

Please make sure you have planned your journey to the Spine carefully, as if you arrive late, you will not be permitted entry to the OSCE.

Yes, we provide you with a clipboard, plain A4 paper and a pencil which is yours to makes notes on for the duration of the OSCE. Notes can be taken into each station to refer to, should you wish.

All the equipment you require, including stethoscopes, is provided in the relevant station(s) during your OSCE. You can however bring your own stethoscope if you wish. A fob watch can also be worn, but stopwatches are not permitted.

Please do not bring large items of luggage to the Spine. These should be left at home, or in your hotel.

The OSCEs are conducted in strict accordance with national hygiene and infection control procedures. You must wear a short-sleeved shirt or smart top with no necktie, and have short and clean fingernails, with no false nails, wristwatch, or wrist jewellery (a plain wedding ring is acceptable.

Three sample scenarios are available which show how candidate instructions are displayed during the OSCE, as well as giving a general insight into how examiners assess you via their marksheet during a station.

Sample scenario 1

Sample scenario 2

Sample scenario 3

The PANE is open to anybody who has completed the requirements of the Competence and Curriculum Framework for the Physician Assistant within a UK university postgraduate programme in Physician Associate Studies (either as a postgraduate diploma or a master’s course) and had their completion of this course signed off by their relevant university exam board. 

The link to apply will be available on the national examination area of our website during each application period, and you can find the dates for forthcoming application periods on the ‘timeline’ tab. Applications must be made online via the ‘Ortrac’ application system, and you will need to create an ‘Ortrac’ account as part of this process, if you have not done so previously.

We strongly advise you use a personal email address to register, as you may not have access to your university email address by the time results are released.

Payment is required during your application and can only be made via credit or debit card. Payment is taken via PayPal, but you do not need a registered PayPal account to complete this process.

Payment cannot be made once the application period has closed, and requests for extended payment deadlines will not be considered.

We do not offer the facility to pay your fee in instalments. Please ensure you have the required funds to make your payment in full before beginning your application.

We understand the financial pressures placed on PA students during their journey to qualification. To help alleviate those additional pressures, the FPA have launched a pre-payment scheme to students paying for the PANE. 

Please contact us via email before you apply, and we can provide further information on how to complete your registration.

No, there is no time limit in place to have completed the PANE following completion of your university course.

You must however pass both the PANE KBA and PANE OSCE within 18 months of each other.

There is a dedicated section of the online application where you can upload a completed reasonable adjustment request form, as well as your supporting document(s). Please ensure you upload both a completed request form and your evidence during your initial application, as failure to do so may delay the provision of any requested adjustments.  

If your university inform us that you are not currently eligible for the PANE, we will automatically withdraw your application and provide a full refund of your fee.

No. If you are unable to take an assessment you will need to follow our standard withdrawal process and then apply again during a future application period.

If you wish to withdraw from an assessment, please email us detailing why you wish to withdraw. If you also wish to request a 90% refund as part of your withdrawal you will need to submit supporting documentation, for example a medical note.

You can withdraw at any point before you begin a KBA or OSCE, including on the day of an assessment itself. Please note that once you begin an assessment it will count as an attempt.

Once your application, including payment, is complete, your eligibility will be checked with your university. Once confirmation of this is received your application will be approved, and you will receive an email to confirm this.

Results release dates are shown on the ‘timeline’ tab of the FPA website. Results are released via email; they will not be given out over the phone.

At present the information contained within your results letter is all the feedback we can provide without potential disclosing confidential and sensitive assessment content, particularly when KBA questions and OSCE stations may be used again in future assessments. We are working to address this in the future to provide more in-depth feedback where possible.

We do not offer the option to have your scores reassessed.

All the answers you provide for your KBA, and the marks you receive from examiners for your OSCE, are collected and analysed automatically by our electronic marking systems, with results and pass marks then reviewed by the RCP Assessment Unit and ratified by the PANE Examination Board to ensure they are a fair and accurate reflection of your performance on the day of your assessment.

Appeals should be sent via email as soon as possible after your assessment. Do not wait until you have received your results.

You are permitted four attempts at the KBA and four attempts at the OSCE. If you reach this limit no further attempts at either assessment will be permitted.

If you have passed one component this pass is now valid for 18 months. For example, if you passed the KBA on 1 January 2023, but failed the OSCE, you would have until 1 July 2024 to pass the OSCE. If you failed to do so, you would have to retake the KBA again, alongside the OSCE.

Congratulations! You will receive your certificate in the post within 8 weeks of receiving your results.

Details on how you can now apply to join the PAMVR can be found here.