TL;DR. The MRCEM OSCE has 16 stations. Each station runs for 8 minutes, with 1 minute of reading time before you step in. Two of the 16 are rest stations, so you actively perform in 14. Total candidate time on the circuit is about 2 hours 42 minutes. The exam is blueprinted across eight Specialty Learning Outcomes covering resus, complex stable patients, injured patients, paediatric emergency medicine, procedures, communication, and supervising or teaching.
You are weeks out from the MRCEM OSCE, building a revision timetable, and you want to know exactly what is going to be in front of you on the day. This page strips it down to the numbers and the station types, with every claim cross-checked against the current RCEM Regulations and Information Pack so you can plan with confidence.
How many stations are in the MRCEM OSCE?
There are 16 stations in the MRCEM OSCE. That number includes 2 rest stations, which means you are actively assessed in 14 of them. The format has been stable since the 2021 curriculum rollout and is set out in the RCEM MRCEM OSCE Regulations and Information Pack.
Both terms you will hear in WhatsApp groups and on Reddit refer to the same exam. Part C is the legacy name (used pre-2016). Membership OSCE and MRCEM OSCE are the current names. The structure is identical wherever you sit it: London, Kuala Lumpur, Chennai, or Hyderabad.
How long is each station and what about reading time?
Every station is 8 minutes long, with an additional 1 minute of reading time outside the station before you go in. The reading minute is yours alone — you stand at the door, read the candidate brief on the wall, and structure your opening before the bell.
That single minute is more useful than people realise. Most candidates who run out of time on the day were running out of time in the reading minute too — they tried to read every word instead of scanning for the task, the patient demographic, and any explicit instruction (“do not examine,” “actor will not speak English,” “explain the diagnosis”).
What is the total duration of the MRCEM OSCE on the day?
Total candidate time on the circuit is roughly 2 hours 42 minutes. The maths is straightforward: 16 stations × 8 minutes performance + 16 × 1 minute reading = 144 minutes performance + 16 minutes reading = 160 minutes core circuit time, with the 2 rest stations absorbed inside the 16-station rotation rather than added on top.
Add registration, ID check, briefing, and any holding-room time, and most candidates report a full morning or afternoon at the exam venue — usually 4 to 5 hours door-to-door. Bring water and snacks; the rest stations are short.
What are the rest stations actually for?
The two rest stations are built into the rotation so every candidate gets two 9-minute breaks at predictable points in the circuit. You sit down, drink water, and reset. There is no examiner, no task, no actor.
Practically, use them to dump the previous station from your head. Whatever just happened — strong, weak, or weird — let it go before the next reading-minute bell. Candidates who chew over a bad station for the next two stations almost always damage two more.
How are the 16 stations split by station type?
The MRCEM OSCE is blueprinted against the Emergency Medicine 2021 curriculum, mapped to eight Specialty Learning Outcomes (SLOs). The published station distribution is fixed for every diet:
| Station type | SLO | Number of stations | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complex stable patient | SLO1 | 3 | History, focused examination, working diagnosis and plan in a non-critical adult |
| Answer questions | SLO2 | 2 | Explaining a diagnosis, test result, or management plan to a patient or relative |
| Resuscitation | SLO3 | 2 | ALS, peri-arrest, shock — you lead the resus with a mannequin and team |
| Injured patient | SLO4 | 2 | ATLS primary and secondary survey, trauma decision-making |
| Paediatric emergency medicine (PEM) | SLO5 | 1 | Sick or injured child — often febrile child, paediatric resus, or safeguarding |
| Procedural skills | SLO6 | 2 | Suturing, joint reduction, regional block, chest drain, LP — verbalised throughout |
| Complex challenging situations | SLO7 | 2 | Breaking bad news, angry relative, mental health presentation, capacity |
| Supervise and teach | SLO9 | 2 | Teaching a junior a skill, giving feedback, supervising an investigation |
| Total assessed | — | 16 | Plus 2 rest stations slotted into the rotation |
The figure of 16 stations always includes the 2 rest stations in some marketing material and excludes them in others. RCEM counts them within the 16. Either way, you are scored on 14.
Will I definitely get a paediatric and a mental health station?
Yes — at least one of each. See our deep-dive on why MRCEM OSCE psych and paeds stations are guaranteed. The blueprint guarantees one PEM (SLO5) station, and SLO7 “complex challenging situations” almost always includes a mental health or psychiatric presentation. A widely-cited Reddit thread on r/doctorsUK puts it bluntly: “You are guaranteed to face at least 1 psych and 1 paeds stations in your MRCEM OSCE.” That matches what the regulations say and what candidates report in feedback after every diet.
For revision, that means paeds and mental health are non-negotiable. Plan dedicated practice for febrile child, paediatric anaphylaxis or DKA, a self-harm presentation, and a Mental Capacity Act / Mental Health Act scenario. Skipping either category is the most common avoidable failure pattern.
How is each station marked?
Since September 2022 the MRCEM OSCE has used domain-based marking rather than the old checklist approach. Examiners score you across several domains per station (typically including clinical skills, communication, professionalism, and overall judgement) on a graded scale. The cut score is set using the borderline regression method, with one standard error of measurement (1 SEM) added on top to produce the published pass mark.
The practical implication: you cannot “tick-box” your way to a pass any more. Saying the right words in the right order without engaging the patient gets you a borderline-fail on communication, and that pulls the whole station down. Examiners are rewarding judgement and presence as well as content.
Where is the MRCEM OSCE held and does the format change?
The MRCEM OSCE runs in London (UK), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Chennai, and Hyderabad (India). The format — 16 stations, 8 minutes each, 1 minute reading, 2 rest stations, domain-based marking, borderline regression — is identical at every centre. The clinical material is the same blueprint.
Centre-to-centre differences are operational rather than structural: the holding-room layout, exact start time, kit available at procedural stations, and accent of the simulated patients. The exam itself is the same exam.
How many attempts do I get?
You are permitted a maximum of six attempts at the MRCEM OSCE, counting all attempts from August 2016 onward. MRCEM Part C attempts before August 2016 do not count. In exceptional circumstances candidates can apply to the Dean for an additional attempt; this is decided case-by-case.
Most candidates pass on the first or second sit. If you are heading into a third or fourth attempt, the pattern is almost always the same: under-rehearsed paeds, under-rehearsed mental health, or pacing collapsing in the procedural stations. Targeted practice on the failure category beats another full circuit attempt.
What kit, mannequins, and actors should I expect?
Procedural stations supply the equipment — sutures, manikin arms, knee models for aspiration, ultrasound for regional block, ALS manikins for resus. Actors (simulated patients) staff the communication, history, and complex-challenging-situations stations. PEM stations use either a paediatric manikin or an actor playing a parent, depending on the scenario.
You do not bring your own kit. You do bring your stethoscope, ID, and a watch without a second hand that beeps audibly (most candidates use the wall clock and the bell instead).
How should the structure shape my revision timetable?
Reverse-engineer your timetable from the blueprint. Allocate study and practice time in proportion to the station count: roughly 20% on complex stable patients (3 stations), 25% on resus + injured patient (4 stations combined), 15% on procedures (2 stations), 15% on communication and answer-questions (2 + 2 stations), 10% on PEM (1 station — high-yield because guaranteed), 10% on SLO7 challenging situations including mental health, and 5% on supervise/teach.
Run timed circuits with a peer or study group. The single most reliable predictor of passing is whether you have done at least 30-40 full 8-minute timed stations under simulated conditions before exam day. Reading textbooks doesn’t fix pacing — only stopwatch reps do.
Frequently asked questions
Is the MRCEM OSCE the same as the FRCEM OSCE?
No. The MRCEM OSCE (Membership) tests readiness for higher training. The FRCEM OSCE (Fellowship) is a separate, later exam taken near the end of training — read our side-by-side comparison of FRCEM OSCE vs MRCEM OSCE differences. Both use 16-station OSCE format with domain-based marking, but the FRCEM blueprint and level of expected performance are different.
Is MRCEM OSCE the same as MRCEM Part C?
Yes — the names refer to the same exam. “Part C” was the pre-2016 naming. RCEM now calls it the MRCEM OSCE. Any pass at MRCEM Part C after 1 August 2012 counts as a pass at the current MRCEM OSCE.
How long does each station last?
Eight minutes inside the station, plus one minute of reading time outside the door before you enter.
What is the pass mark?
There is no fixed percentage pass mark. The cut score is set per diet using the borderline regression method, with 1 standard error of measurement added on top. The widely-quoted “~65–70%” figure is an approximation based on historical sits, not an official threshold.
Can I retake just the failed stations?
No. If you fail the overall exam, you re-sit the full 16-station circuit at your next attempt. There is no station-by-station carry-over.
How many of the 16 stations do I need to pass?
You need to clear the overall cut score, set by borderline regression + 1 SEM. There is no fixed “pass N of 16” rule, but a strong performance in 11-12 stations usually clears it; failing 5 or more is almost always a fail.
Are there any stations without an actor or examiner?
Only the rest stations. Every assessed station has an examiner; most also have an actor or a manikin. The supervise-and-teach stations involve an actor playing a junior colleague.
How long is the whole exam day?
Core circuit time is about 2 hours 42 minutes. Including registration, ID check, candidate briefing, and any waiting-room time, most candidates spend 4-5 hours at the venue.
What happens if a station goes badly?
Domain-based marking means one weak station does not automatically sink you, provided the rest are clear passes. The bigger risk is letting one bad station infect the next two. Use the reading minute to mentally reset before each new station.
Is there a specific dress code?
You are expected to dress as you would for a clinical shift in the ED — smart, professional, bare-below-the-elbows for examination and procedural stations. No long sleeves, no wristwatches you cannot remove, no jewellery that interferes with handwashing.
What is the difference between the rest station and the reading minute?
The reading minute happens between every station, every time. The two rest stations are entire 9-minute blocks (8 minutes + 1 minute reading) with no task — they are slotted into the rotation as your scheduled breaks.
Do all candidates sit the stations in the same order?
No. The circuit rotates candidates through the same 16 stations in different orders. Two candidates from the same diet will discuss completely different running orders afterwards — that is normal and does not affect scoring.
Facts last verified against the RCEM MRCEM OSCE Regulations and Information Pack and the RCEM MRCEM Exams page.
Next step: Build your station-by-station revision plan with the curriculum-mapped courses, practice circuits, and mock OSCE banks at emfinalexams.com.
Ready to build your plan? EMF Premium gives you all 40,000 questions and 20 mocks for £59 — one payment, six months' access.