On Tuesday 23 September a number of candidates sitting Part 1 FRCPath examinations experienced a range of technical difficulties, including 44 candidates who were unable to start one or both of their papers. Although fixes were put in place, some candidates continued to experience difficulties on Wednesday and to a lesser extent on Thursday.

Despite thorough testing of the examination system with our new online examination provider, an unforeseeable technical problem occurred at the start of Tuesday. Although this was resolved, it had a knock-on effect on onboarding to the examinations for the rest of the day. Once candidates were able to enter the exam there were further issues with the system which included – but were not limited to – frozen screens, disconnection from the exam and early removal from the exam.

These issues continued through the examinations which took place on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 September but not to the same extent. We are currently reviewing options for all affected candidates and have liaised with the GMC and other organisations.

We have written to all affected candidates to apologise and outline our next steps. There were a range of candidate experiences. We are keen to ensure that our next steps capture these and that we take time to make considered decisions rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach.

The College team remained focussed on making sure that FRCPath Part 1 examinations ran as smoothly as possible during the week. They will be supporting the delivery of the in-person FRCPath Part 2, Certificate and Diploma examinations from Monday 29 September until the end of October.

Professor Nicki Cohen, Clinical Director of Examinations:

"The College is committed to providing exam candidates the best possible service in the delivery of FRCPath, Diploma and Certificate exams. We fully acknowledge that the experience of some candidates sitting their exams between 23 and 25 September fell far short of our usual standards. For this we sincerely apologise.

We are committed to undertaking a thorough review of what took place, and encourage all affected candidates to contact us with their experiences through our dedicated email channel. We are working closely with our online examination provider who are also investigating the issues. This will help us to try and ensure this type of incident does not occur again."

The College has published a series of frequently asked questions regarding the technical issues experienced by candidates.