FAQs about our exam diet in Doha

A key priority for the College is tackling inequity and focusing on improving the mental health care of marginalised groups. We are concerned about the oppression that LGBTQ+ people face in many parts of the world, and all its mental health consequences. Through our strategic and evidence-based approaches, the College can educate and promote equitable care for all.  

We have taken the decision to support psychiatrists, even if they live and work in regimes that have different values to ours, the aim always being to improve the healthcare provided to people with mental illness no matter who they are or where they are in the world. We are minded of the need for equitable representation of our membership in all our decision making. 

We will not back away from situations where we have the opportunity to make a difference to mental healthcare. 

Within our membership of 22,200, there are a range of views. A letter of concern was widely circulated across our membership, 150 (less than 1%) of whom chose to be signatories to this letter. We also received feedback from a significant proportion of members who support the decision to hold an exam sitting in Qatar. 

We understand the concerns, and have extensively, openly, and transparently engaged with these members, and all our membership, through numerous correspondence and meetings. Most recently we held an open meeting inviting those who have raised concerns to attend, along with our Council members. The 150 signatories of the letter of concern were specifically invited to attend this meeting.  

Following the meeting we have worked collaboratively with a number of the signatories and our equity leads and they have helped shape the advice provided to examiners and candidates to ensure the exam in Doha is inclusive and safe for all attending.  

 It is important to be aware the College is not opening an exam centre in Doha but is running a diet of its clinical exam there. This follows the successful application of psychiatrists in Doha to help support the CASC. We will be using the Hamad Medical Corporation’s facilities where they work, to hold one of three parts of the MRCPsych exam. We also run the clinical exam in Sheffield and Singapore. This exam will be conducted over four days (in one block) annually. 

The MRCPsych qualification has three components; Paper A and Paper B, delivered at Pearson Vue centres all over the world, and the final clinical exam is the CASC held in person - as per feedback from examiners, candidates, and the membership.  

The exam content is produced by the CASC panel members, with occasional contributions from the wider membership on specific issues, and the final exam running order is checked by the Chief Examiner and approved by the Examinations Committee. It remains the same for all countries where the exam is sat.

The College is committed to keeping the MRCPsych accessible to international candidates. 

Demand for the MRCPsych has increased significantly within the UK and beyond, with candidates from countries across Asia, Africa, Australasia, and the Middle East wishing to take this qualification. Since 2015 the College has offered Paper A and B exams internationally, today this includes 44 different countries, which has increased accessibility and contributed to meeting the growth in global demand. Following the return to face-to-face CASC in 2023, the RCPsych has delivered the CASC clinical exam in Sheffield and in Singapore. 

To meet the demand, and to support candidates from across Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Sub-Continent, in February 2023, review of our assessment strategy was undertaken. The members’ recommendations included introducing three additional international CASC sittings; one in Southeast Asia, for which we now have the Singapore exam sitting; one in the Middle East; which is the exam sitting in Doha, and one in South Asia, which is yet to be developed. 

Many of the other medical Royal Colleges also currently offer their clinical exams in the region, including the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Surgeons, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Royal College of Pathologists and Royal College of Ophthalmologists. 

We are expanding capacity to meet demand and are also looking at the potential for another clinical exam in South Asia. 

Those interested in hosting the CASC exam in the Middle East completed a structured application form, setting out how they would meet the requirements of hosting the CASC exam. 

Applicants were required to set out how they would meet 12 distinct requirements to host the CASC exam, including the suitability of the venue, administrative support, experience of organising and delivering a clinical exam, access to local examiners, ability to hire professional role players and proximity to travel terminus and accommodation. 

Applicants were also required to confirm their commitment to the College values.   

Seven applications were received, and these were scored against set criteria agreed by the Education and Training Committee and Council by the members of the scoring committee. The scoring committee included the Chief Examiner, Chair of the CASC Panel, Director of Professional Standards, Head of Examinations and the International Manager. The committee was chaired by the Dean and was supported by the Presidential Lead for Global Mental Health Strategy. 

Following a thorough application process, the scoring committee unanimously agreed that Hamad Medical Corporation which is based in Doha, Qatar, was best placed to meet the needs of exam candidates. 

Once Hamad Medical Corporation was identified as the top scoring institution, the College carried out a “risk and values assessment” against each of the College values, including courage and respect. The assessment confirmed that Hamad Medical Corporation would uphold our values and allow us to further our mission of promoting excellence and quality improvement in psychiatry 

Hamad Medical Corporation has purpose-built facilities, experience in delivering similar exams, including the Royal College of Physicians UK’s Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills (PACES), as well as being able to support the recruitment of local examiners. 

In addition to their facilities, contacts and experience, Hamad Medical Corporation were able to demonstrate an ability to access skilled and professional actors from a variety of backgrounds to act as role players. 

The location of Hamad Medical Corporation will allow easy access for exam candidates from the Middle East and beyond, with regular flights into Hamad International Airport (DOH) available from countries where CASC exam candidates are well represented. Citizens of many countries are eligible to visit without needing a visa, and many others are eligible to obtain a visa on arrival. 

The local infrastructure means that Hamad Medical Corporation is easily accessible via public transport, and there are a variety of hotels and restaurants available to candidates and examiners.

The thinking and governance that led to the decision to go to the Middle East took over five years, adhering to the governance procedures of the College, including Council meetings, membership communications, presentations and lengthy discussions. 

Applications were scored against set criteria agreed by the Education and Training Committee, Council and by the members of the scoring committee, including the Chief Examiner, Chair of the CASC Panel, Director of Professional Standards, Head of Examinations and the International Manager. The committee was chaired by the Dean and was supported by the Presidential Lead for Global Mental Health Strategy. Early last year, Council members and trustees provided additional scrutiny of the process, including a review of the values-based assessment. 

Because of its scale, such an exam requires engagement with our members in the region and partnership with a local institution to assist with practical support and to ensure the exam is of the same quality and standard. The content and delivery of the exam in Doha will meet the exact same standards, values, and scrutiny as our exams held in the UK and Singapore. This explicitly includes clinical scenarios that assess candidates’ competence in addressing mental health problems in patients from a wide variety of social and cultural backgrounds (including LGBTQ+ patients) who may be experiencing discrimination. 

After a year-long process and a successful site visit in March last year, Hamad Medical Corporation was the highest scored application amongst the seven very reputable candidates.  

The Hamad Medical Corporation was selected from seven applications from the Middle East, through a competitive tendering process as the location of this exam sitting because it best met the range of requirements needed for the exam to be held. This was not a decision taken lightly.  

When considering new international initiatives, we assess whether we can work in ways that are respectful of diverse cultures and communities and allow us to promote excellence in mental health services and the training of outstanding psychiatrists so they can deliver much needed care to people with mental illness. We recognise the complexities of working in countries with human rights challenges, but we believe that meaningful progress requires engagement and this requires courage.  

The College continues to monitor and review its international activities through its governance structures and international strategy, ensuring that its values are upheld and that its presence contributes positively to the mental health landscape. 

The first exam to be held in Doha will take place in November 2025. It is fully subscribed having received over 180 applications (for 128 places), from doctors across the world including Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the UAE, and the UK. 

Applications to sit any of the College’s exams can be made via the College’s examination pages. Please check the website for up-to-date information on application windows and examination dates. 

The RCPsych is committed to keeping the costs of the exams as low as possible. The exams are not designed to be an income-generating activity. The exam fee covers the direct costs of delivering the exam (i.e. examiner travel, staff time, venue hire, role player and invigilator costs, equipment hires etc.) as well as overheads. The College is committed to ensuring that any surplus from examinations remains at less than 10% each year. If additional surplus is made, this is assigned to the RCPsych Resident Doctors Training Committee.

Recruitment for 2025 has already taken place. If you’d like to be notified about future recruitment, please email us at examinations@rcpsych.ac.uk. 

All examiners for international diets are appointed against the eligibility requirements for international examiners. Shortlisted applicants undergo the same training and assessment process, including known and unknown bias training, as UK-based examiners. Applicants must demonstrate acceptable correlation scores in the assessment to be appointed as an examiner. 

The safety and security of our candidates, examiners, and staff is of paramount importance. A thorough risk assessment has been carried out with an external security company and detailed briefings, following input from our members and external agencies, have been provided. 

Examiners at the CASC in Doha will be Members from the UK and Middle East. A detailed briefing will be provided to all examiners, candidates and staffa, including FCDO travel advice, local customs, and laws. 

Just as many more doctors in the UK are taking the MRCPsych, the global demand for the MRCPsych has increased significantly with candidates in Asian, Australasian, African and Middle Eastern countries wishing to take this exam. CASC candidate numbers have grown by over 120% since 2019, with approximately 40% of candidates based outside the UK and Ireland. CASC diets in Singapore continue to be oversubscribed, UK diet capacity is stretched, and many candidates face challenges obtaining UK visas, which prevents them from travelling. 

The CASC exam is delivered in the same way, regardless of location. The blueprint specification and standards set out in the CASC syllabus  are universally applied, with the same level of standardisation, scrutiny, and quality assurance at all stages of the exam process. 

We continuously monitor all MRCPsych exam activities. As this is a new CASC diet location and partnership, we will gather feedback from all stakeholders to support continuous improvement and any changes that might be necessary. A report will be provided to the Examinations Committee and Education and Training Committee. 

• July 2020 - first International Strategy approved by the Board of Trustees and Council, which includes expanding CASC capacity in the Middle East and South Asia. 
• November 2022 - Recognising concerns over the ethical considerations of some countries/regimes which may conflict with College values, a values assessment toolkit was developed to decide on engagement partners. 
• January 2023 – Council approved the Assessment Strategy Review, which included introduction of additional international diets in the Middle East. 
• May 2023 – Project brief for international CASC expansion in the Middle East discussed at Examinations Committee. 
• October 2023 – Education and Training Committee approved the tender process for selection of a CASC examination host in the Middle East. 
• October 2023 – Council approved the tender process for selection of a CASC examination host in the Middle East. 
• October 2023 – Board of Trustees reviewed the tender process and stipulate that a values assessment be completed before approval can be given. 
• November – December 2023 – tender process took place. 
• January 2024 – Recommendation to appoint Hamad Medical Corporation to host the CASC exam in the Middle East was discussed at Council. 
• February 2024 – Recommendation to appoint Hamad Medical Corporation to host the CASC exam in the Middle East is approved by the Board of Trustees, subject to a successful site visit. 
• March 2024 – site visit to Hamad Medical Corporation undertaken by the Chief Examiner and Head of Examinations. 
• April 2024 – Report, following successful site visit, presented to Council and the Board of Trustees. 
• July 2024 – EDI land Human Rights leaders from different groups across the College and members who had expressed concerns at Council invited to a meeting to discuss the matter further with the Dean. The group agrees to the exam going ahead. 
• April 2024 – February 2025 – Contract discussions. 
• February 2025 – Announcement of new CASC diet in Doha on College website and in Member newsletter. 
• August 2025 – CASC diet in Doha open for applications 

Advancing psychiatry internationally, and wider mental health services, is a priority for the College. Our second  International Strategy  includes a commitment to nurturing and supporting psychiatrists globally including developing CASC diets outside of the UK to maintain and improve access to international exam candidates. 

Because of the respected status of doctors in many countries, often viewed as leaders within their communities, their training holds the potential to shape not only medical standards but also broader societal values, attitudes, and behaviours. Only through collective efforts can we build a more caring and inclusive world, where mental illness is destigmatised and mental health is prioritised and supported on a global scale. 

Our focus will remain on enhancing patient care worldwide, which means advancing our international strategy and working with national legal frameworks that may have differing social policies to the UK's. The College's role is not to comment on the politics or social policies of a nation. Our work will always be about supporting psychiatrists to secure the best outcomes for people with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders by training outstanding psychiatrists, promoting quality and research, setting standards and being the voice of our members and the profession, promoting excellent mental health services, and supporting the prevention of mental illness 

Our work will always be person-centred and will respect the needs of patients, over and above any national social policies that are different from those in the UK.