FRCR 2A Exam Day: Candidate Instructions, Study Leave, Hotels and What to Expect

FRCR 2A comprises two three-hour papers, each with 120 single-best-answer questions. The exact dates, reporting time and venue are on your individual candidate timetable. Do not rely on another candidate's booking or timings from a previous sitting.

The RCR treats the 240 questions as one overall assessment. A difficult first paper does not tell you whether you have passed, so avoid spending the evening reconstructing uncertain answers. Protect your attention for the second paper.

Apply for study leave as soon as your exam dates and venue are confirmed. Policies vary between employers, training regions and lead employers, so check both the leave process and the expenses process rather than assuming one approval covers the other.

Your request may need to include both examination days, travel, accommodation, rail or mileage costs, parking and any locally approved preparation leave.

A hotel can be sensible where an early journey, unfamiliar city or unreliable transport would compromise sleep. Choose for function: a predictable route, quiet room, reliable check-in and familiar food matter more than luxury. Check approval and any spending limit before booking.

Do not wait for the timetable to request an adjustment. The RCR requires applications and supporting evidence by the relevant examination deadline so practical arrangements can be considered. Check that any agreed adjustment appears correctly in your final arrangements and raise discrepancies before the examination wherever possible.

• Confirm the venue, both examination dates and your reporting time.
• Check that your photographic identification matches the name used for the examination booking.
• Confirm transport, accommodation and a sensible backup plan.
• Review any road closures, engineering works or airport/train disruption.
• Familiarise yourself with the Speedwell examination interface and your official candidate instructions.
• Check that any agreed reasonable adjustment is recorded correctly.

The objective is to reduce uncertainty, not learn the whole curriculum in one evening. Travel early enough to absorb a reasonable delay, locate the venue, prepare your ID and timetable, set more than one alarm and stop revision at a predetermined time.

Light review of personal error notes, common pathways or easily confused diagnoses can help. Starting a completely new subspecialty topic late in the evening rarely does.

• Your candidate timetable and the photographic identification specified in your official instructions.
• Essential medication and glasses or contact-lens supplies where needed.
• Food and water for before or after the paper.
• A layer of clothing for an examination room that may be warmer or colder than expected.

Electronic devices must be switched off and stored exactly as directed by invigilators. Do not bring notes or attempt to copy, record or transmit examination material.

Aim to reach the venue with enough contingency for a delayed train, traffic, parking, security procedures or finding an unfamiliar building. Your official reporting time remains the instruction to follow.

Once in the examination process, follow invigilator instructions, do not communicate with other candidates and do not access electronic devices. During the paper, answer straightforward items efficiently, flag genuine uncertainties, reserve time to revisit them and enter an answer for every question: there is no negative marking.

Raise your hand and tell an invigilator immediately. This applies to a frozen workstation, login problem, answer-saving concern, loss of time, incorrect adjustment or a major disturbance. Do not wait in the hope that it resolves itself.

Note the approximate time, what happened, how long it lasted, what action was taken and whether it affected completion. Ask about the venue's incident-reporting process while the problem is being managed.

After Paper 1, leave the post-mortem behind. Eat, hydrate, take a short walk, prepare for the next morning and sleep. Other candidates' confidence does not establish the answer, and speculative scoring will not help Paper 2.

After Paper 2, retain any receipts required for expenses, submit any incident report within the official window and do not distribute recalled examination questions or reconstructed papers. Check the RCR Exam Hub for results and current follow-up guidance.

• FRCR Part 2A examination page
• RCR guidance notes for candidates
• RCR SBA-format guidance