The SCE Endocrinology and Diabetes covers an unusually broad curriculum — from insulin pump technology and CGM interpretation through to pituitary macroadenoma management, adrenal incidentaloma investigation, and metabolic bone disease. The exam sits twice per year, typically February and September. StudyPRN lists 888 questions for this specialty, making it one of their larger banks, which reflects the sheer breadth of the curriculum.
Topic weighting
Type 2 diabetes pharmacotherapy dominates at roughly 15 to 18 per cent of questions. The exam tests sequencing of glucose-lowering agents with particular focus on cardiovascular and renal outcome data — which patients benefit from SGLT2 inhibitors versus GLP-1 receptor agonists, and why. NICE NG28 and the ADA/EASD consensus report are both relevant, with the SCE generally following international consensus rather than NICE alone.
Type 1 diabetes accounts for 8 to 10 per cent, covering insulin regimens, carbohydrate counting, technology (insulin pumps, hybrid closed-loop systems, CGM), and the transition from paediatric to adult services. Diabetic emergencies — DKA, HHS, and severe hypoglycaemia — account for another 6 per cent and are high-yield because the management algorithms are precise and testable.
Thyroid disorders account for 10 to 12 per cent, spanning Graves' disease management (antithyroid drugs, radioiodine, surgery), hypothyroidism, thyroid nodule investigation (Thy classification), thyroid cancer, and thyroid disease in pregnancy. Pituitary disorders account for 10 per cent, covering acromegaly, prolactinoma, non-functioning pituitary adenoma, hypopituitarism, and cranial diabetes insipidus. Adrenal disorders account for another 10 per cent — Cushing's syndrome investigation, Addison's disease, phaeochromocytoma, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and adrenal incidentaloma management.
Calcium and bone metabolism (osteoporosis, hyperparathyroidism, Paget's disease, vitamin D) accounts for 10 per cent. Reproductive endocrinology (PCOS, male and female hypogonadism, Turner syndrome, transgender endocrinology) accounts for 8 per cent. Lipid disorders, obesity pharmacotherapy, neuroendocrine tumours, and endocrine hypertension make up the remainder.
Dynamic function tests
The SCE Endocrinology tests interpretation of dynamic function tests more heavily than any other SCE specialty. You must be able to interpret a short Synacthen test, insulin tolerance test, oral glucose tolerance test (both for diabetes and for acromegaly), dexamethasone suppression test (overnight and formal low-dose/high-dose), water deprivation test, and glucagon stimulation test. Each test has specific interpretation criteria — the cut-off values, the clinical context in which each is appropriate, and the pitfalls of each.
If you cannot interpret these tests fluently, you will lose marks across multiple questions. Dedicate specific revision sessions to dynamic function test interpretation before moving to clinical management topics.
Guideline priorities
The guideline landscape for endocrinology is split between the Endocrine Society (international clinical practice guidelines for most endocrine conditions), NICE (UK-specific diabetes management, osteoporosis, thyroid disease), ADA/EASD consensus (diabetes pharmacotherapy), BNF (drug dosing and interactions), FRAX/NOGG (osteoporosis risk assessment and treatment thresholds), and the Society for Endocrinology (UK-specific emergency protocols and dynamic function testing).
The essential reading list covers NICE NG28 (Type 2 diabetes), NICE NG17 (Type 1 diabetes), Endocrine Society guidelines for acromegaly, Cushing's, prolactinoma, adrenal incidentaloma, and hypogonadism, NICE CG146 (osteoporosis), and the SfE emergency endocrine guidance.
Revision strategy
Three to four months of structured revision. Spend the first month on diabetes (Types 1 and 2, emergencies, technology) because it accounts for roughly a quarter of the exam. Spend the second month on thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal disorders — the classic endocrine triad. Spend the third month on bone metabolism, reproductive endocrinology, and the remaining topics. Dedicate specific sessions to dynamic function test interpretation throughout.
iatroX's SCE Endocrinology bank contains over 1,500 questions aligned to the JRCPTB curriculum, Endocrine Society guidelines, and NICE. Dynamic function test interpretation questions are tagged for focused practice. The adaptive algorithm prioritises your weakest endocrine domains. Full mock exams and mobile app access are included at £29 per month or £99 per year.