Background: Since 2015 the Diplomate exam team has been supported by an independent
Educational Consultant. Recent analysis by this educationalist from the last six exam cycles has
revealed a significant issue with cross-compensation between Sections IIA and IIB, such that a small
but important proportion of candidates have compensated very poor performance in one or other of
IIA or IIB by a very high score in the other section. This means that we cannot be confident as a
specialty that we are ‘graduating’ trainees to the next stage of training with both critical appraisal
and data analysis skills.
Decision: various different options were considered by the Diplomate Exam Development
Committee (DEDC) to resolve this issue. After discussion at both DEDC and the Faculty’s Education
Committee, it has been decided to adopt a modification of the approach used in Paper I involving
passing a minimum number of questions, but also ensuring questions passed are spread between
the two papers (IIA and IIB).
From March 2023 onwards, candidates will be expected to pass 5 out of 9 questions across Paper IIA
and IIB with at least two passes in each paper. This is to prevent strategic revision and varied
performance/capability. These criteria will be in addition to passing the overall pass mark, as is
currently expected.
As part of this change, Paper II examiners will also be expected to agree pass/fail decisions at an
individual question level across Paper II, as is currently expected in Paper I. As a result, candidates’
marks will (from March 2023) be provided by question in both Paper I and Paper 2 alongside the
pass marks for each question, within candidates’ results letters. This will therefore have the positive
impact of providing better information on performance to each candidate.
Modelling of this change in rules suggests that it will only affect a small numbers of candidates. Had
such a rule been in place over the previous sits this would have affected between two and four
candidates (i.e. up to approximately 5%).
This decision has been ratified by FPH Education Committee and has also been shared with the FPH
Specialty Registrars’ Committee already.
Prof. Richard Holland (Chair, Diplomate Exam Development Committee, FPH
