Planning your SCE revision starts with knowing when you are sitting. The 13 Specialty Certificate Examinations run at different frequencies — some twice per year, some once — and application windows are short. This page covers every SCE sitting date for the 2026–2027 academic year, updated as the Federation of Royal Colleges publishes confirmed dates.
How SCE sittings work
All SCEs are delivered at Pearson VUE test centres. Each exam consists of two papers of 100 best-of-five questions, sat on the same day with a one-hour break between them. Application windows typically open three months before the sitting date and close four to six weeks before.
Fees are approximately £500 for UK trainees and £700 for international candidates. Check the Federation of Royal Colleges website for the exact fee at the time of your application.
SCE specialties with two sittings per year
The following specialties typically run in both February and September. The exact dates vary by one to two weeks between years, but the months are consistent.
Acute Internal Medicine sits in February and September. Dermatology sits in January and September. Endocrinology and Diabetes sits in February and September. Geriatric Medicine sits in February and September. Medical Oncology sits in February and September. Neurology sits in February and September. Respiratory Medicine sits in February and September.
For these specialties, the February sitting is usually the larger cohort. If you fail in February, the September resit gives you approximately six months to address your weak areas — a reasonable interval for focused remedial revision.
SCE specialties with one sitting per year
The following specialties typically sit once per year, usually in June. Cardiology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ESEGH), Infectious Diseases, Nephrology (ESENeph), Palliative Medicine, and Rheumatology.
The single annual sitting for these specialties means there is no fallback within the same academic year. If you fail in June, your next attempt is twelve months later. This makes first-time pass rates substantially more important for single-sitting specialties — and makes structured preparation non-negotiable.
Revision timeline by sitting
For February sittings, begin structured revision in October or November. This gives you three to four months of focused preparation alongside clinical work. Application deadlines typically fall in December or January.
For June sittings, begin revision in February or March. Application deadlines typically fall in April.
For September sittings, begin revision in May or June. Application deadlines typically fall in July.
In all cases, your question bank should be active from the start of your revision period. iatroX covers all 13 SCE specialties with adaptive question banks, full mock exams, and mobile app access — included in a single subscription at £29 per month or £99 per year. Starting a monthly subscription three to four months before your sitting and cancelling after the exam costs £87 to £116 total.
Results
SCE results are typically released six to eight weeks after the sitting date. Results are issued as pass or fail — there is no numerical score or feedback on topic-level performance. This is another reason why tracking your performance data during revision (using a platform with analytics) is valuable — post-exam, you receive no diagnostic information about where you lost marks.
Key dates to watch
The Federation of Royal Colleges publishes confirmed dates on its website, typically six to nine months in advance. If you are planning to sit an SCE in 2027, check the Federation website from mid-2026 onwards for confirmed dates and application window details.
This page will be updated as 2027 dates are confirmed.