Passing the ARCP as an EM trainee

The Annual Review of Competence Progression is the one assessment that genuinely controls your training. The FRCEM exams matter, but a passed exam with a half-built portfolio still produces an adverse outcome, while a well-built portfolio with a deferred exam usually produces an outcome 1 with a flag rather than an outcome 3. This article walks through what the panel actually does, what each outcome code means in practice, how much workplace-based assessment volume is realistic at each year of EM training, the curriculum v1.5 changes that came in on 6 August 2025, and what to do if your outcome is not the one you wanted. It is written for trainees on the 2021 curriculum (now v1.5), in ACCS-EM, the ST3 transition year, and higher EM training from ST4 onwards.

flowchart LR
    Q1[Quarter 1
MSF + PDP
Set learning goals] --> Q2[Quarter 2
WPBAs + procedures
Half-year review]
    Q2 --> Q3[Quarter 3
QIP + teaching evidence
Audit upload]
    Q3 --> Q4[Quarter 4
e-portfolio polish
ESR meeting]
    Q4 --> ARCP([ARCP panel])

What does the ARCP panel actually look for?

The ARCP panel reviews only what is on your e-portfolio on the published cut-off date. They do not see your character, your reputation in the department, or anything held by the deanery. They check your evidence against a regional checklist derived from the COPMeD Gold Guide 10th edition and the RCEM Higher Training ARCP Requirement Guide. The decision is evidence-led. Missing evidence is treated as failure to demonstrate the competence, not as a presumption that you can do the thing but did not write it down.

The panel is checking that you have evidence across all twelve SLOs at the entrustment level expected for your year, that mandatory courses and revalidation paperwork are current, that there is no unresolved concern from your educational supervisor structured report (the ESR or equivalent), and that there are no gaps that need additional training time. The educational supervisor report is the single most important document in the portfolio, because the panel relies on it to interpret everything else.

What are the ARCP outcome codes and what do they mean?

The Gold Guide defines a fixed set of outcome codes. The table below is the working reference for the EM-relevant ones. The full definitions are in the COPMeD Gold Guide 10th edition.

The single most important practical point is that outcome 5 is not a failure outcome. It is a deferral while you upload the things you forgot. Treat any outcome 5 as a 24-hour priority because the window is short.

How much WBA volume do I actually need?

The RCEM does not publish absolute numbers in the way that some other royal colleges do. The Higher Training ARCP Requirement Guide is explicit that quality of evidence matters more than absolute count, and individual trainees receive a bespoke programme negotiated with their educational supervisor. That said, every ARCP panel works from a regional checklist that does have effective minimum numbers, and the published RCEM guidance plus the higher training requirement guide gives a workable target.

The Higher Training ARCP Requirement Guide also references a minimum of 36 WPBAs across higher training in the form of DOPS (12), mini-CEX (12) and CBDs (12) for CESR/Portfolio Pathway applicants, which gives a useful sense of the floor expected over the ST4 to ST6 window. The ESLE expectation in higher training is six in the last three years, of which three must be within the last 12 months, with the first ESLE in any new post done with the educational or clinical supervisor within three months of starting.

What changed in the RCEM curriculum 2025 v1.5?

The GMC formally approved an updated version of the RCEM 2021 curriculum that took effect on 6 August 2025. The clinical syllabus and the overall structure of twelve SLOs are unchanged. The v1.5 update is a set of corrections, rebalancing and clarifications. The changes most likely to affect your ARCP evidence are:

• SLO 5 (Care for children of all ages in the ED). Key capabilities and descriptors were brought into line with SLO 3 (Adult Resuscitation) so that the resuscitation and severely-unwell-child content is consistent across the curriculum.
• SLO 6 (Procedural skills). Assessment of sedation was moved from ACCS LO7 (Anaesthetic Care) into the ACCS procedural skills domain so it can be assessed in any of the four ACCS placements, with final entrustment awarded at the end of the two-year ACCS period.
• SLO 8 (Lead the ED shift). Adolescent care and the specific issues that arise in that group were explicitly added across relevant SLOs without altering the clinical syllabus.
• SLO 11 (Participate in and promote activity to improve the quality and safety of patient care). A separate guidance document was issued to strengthen and clarify how SLO 11 should be evidenced, including signposting to QI educational resources and tools.
• SLO 12. Now styled as Lead and manage in the RCEM curriculum portal and the v1.5 wording, with the three mandatory higher-training projects (critical incident investigation, rota management/recruitment/induction, and interspecialty meeting) reinforced, plus at least one leadership/management activity per year of intermediate and higher training.

If your portfolio still uses the v1.4 language for SLO 11 or 12, that is not a problem in itself, but your ESR should reference the v1.5 update for any evidence dated after 6 August 2025.

Does failing FRCEM SBA mean an Outcome 3?

Not automatically. The Gold Guide treats exam failure as one input among several. A single failed attempt at FRCEM Final SBA with the rest of the portfolio intact, a clear remediation plan, and time remaining in the indicative training period typically attracts an Outcome 2, with a flag and an action plan, rather than an Outcome 3. Repeated failure, or failure that has consumed the indicative training time so that additional time is now required to attempt the exam again, is the situation that produces Outcome 3.

The practical implication is that the portfolio matters most when the exam has not gone well. If you sit and fail the SBA in your ST5 year, the panel will look at whether the rest of your evidence is on track. A clean portfolio with a single exam fail looks completely different from a thin portfolio with a single exam fail, even though the exam result is the same. For specifics on what to do after a difficult result, see our piece on appealing an RCEM exam result.

What is the year-round evidence-gathering plan?

The single biggest predictor of an outcome 1 is starting early. Most outcome 5s are not lazy trainees; they are trainees who left too much for the last month. Use the following month-by-month plan as a default and adjust to your local ARCP window.

What are the common panel pitfalls?

The recurring patterns that cost trainees an outcome 1 are predictable. The published RCEMLearning piece Passing the ARC