Candidates
Call us with issues as early as possible
Call the Exams Helpdesk on 1300 697 227 (Australia) as soon as possible with issues before you arrive at your sitting hospital. For example, ring us if you’re in quarantine or your hospital cannot release you for the exam due to COVID-19 clinical commitments.
Set up multi-factor authentication before exam day
You must set up multi-factor authentication before the day to participate in the exam.
To start this process, login to MyRACP and contact us with questions.
Arrive at the hospital
When you arrive at the hospital, before starting your exam, you must:
Your invigilator is your point of contact.
Access the video conference
Individual video conference meeting invitations won't be sent out for the Long Cases. Generic meetings will be set up for each case/patient. These links will be on the Physical Examination Findings Forms (PEFFs).
Log in to Teams using your MyRACP account to access the meetings as a ‘host’.
There are 2 ways to log in:
- web browser | Teams is supported in recent versions of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge*, or
- Teams desktop app | if it’s already installed on your computer
* Only these 2 browsers can be used.
Admit the patient
You receive a printed Physical Examination Findings Form (PEFF) for each patient. The PEFF includes a link to the video conference for that patient.
They wait in a virtual lobby and cannot join the video conference without your permission. A pop-up window notifies you when they are trying to join. Click Admit to allow them in.
Once the patient joins, check their identity using their first name and Patient ID in the PEFF.
Video conference issues
For video conference issues, you or your invigilator can call us on 1300 697 227 (Australia). Also learn more about the process and key steps for managing video conference issues (PDF).
It’s important for you to be able to see the patient. If you can’t establish a video connection within the first 40 minutes, the exam will be cancelled and rescheduled for another date.
If you can’t connect to the video conference, the patient is late, you’re having password issues or there are audio quality issues, open the door and notify the invigilator. They can:
- assist you with video conference troubleshooting
- ring the hosting site to find out if the patient is delayed or experiencing difficulties
- source another computer or tablet including, as a last resort, your own mobile phone
- ring the Exams Helpdesk
If there is background noise from the patient’s call you feel is affecting your interview, ask them to resolve it quickly.
If you can connect with the patient via video conference but there are network or audio issues, turn the video off in Teams. Turn it back on a few minutes later to see if the audio improves.
We recommended you view the child as soon as possible in your exam in case video connection issues arise later on.
Backup teleconference number
A teleconference number and passcode is provided at the bottom of the PEFF as an audio backup. There are printed teleconference instructions in the Quick Reference Guide provided in your exam room.
This is only to be used after you establish a video connection first and then have a video or audio issue. The entire patient interview cannot take place via audio only.
Your discussion with the examiners can go ahead with just teleconference if there are issues with the video.
Incidents
Notify the examiners of any issues experienced when you meet with them.
Major incidents are recorded in an Incident Form by the invigilator or examiner. This may result in a special consideration, to be reviewed by the Exam Committee, and your exam may be rescheduled.
Major incidents include any Long Case where you did not get at least 15 minutes video with the guardian/carer or where the child does not appear for a large part of this.
Minor incidents are also logged for consideration by the Committee.
Any patient video conference issues should be identified earlier by the examiner as they will meet with the patient first. They may move to the reserve patient if the issues cannot be resolved.
Delays
The hosting site Local Exam Organisers (LEOs), together with the National Examining Panel member (NEP), have discretion to manage any delays on your exam day to enable examinations to continue where at all possible. There is flexibility in the day to absorb delays of up to 40 minutes. Any delays of over 40 minutes in starting, or during, the examiner/patient, candidate/patient or candidate/examiner interview will result in your examination being cancelled and rescheduled.
The following principles apply throughout the exam:
- If you are running late for your exam, the start time will not be delayed. If you arrive within 20 minutes of your start time, you can still sit the exam, but you will not receive additional time for the candidate/patient interview.
- If there are delays of under 10 minutes during your candidate/patient interview, the time can be absorbed in the interview and continue on the existing timelines as planned. This is in line with what has occurred in previous year’s exams.
- If there are delays of over 10 minutes and up to 40 minutes during your candidate/patient interview, the time can be extended in the interview accordingly, up to a maximum of 30 minutes.
- You will always get the full 10-minute preparation time between your patient and examiner interviews.
- You will always get the full 25 minutes for the examiner interview.
- You should get at least a 20-minute break between your Long Cases.
- If an issue is experienced in your first Long Case in the morning, it will be explored whether the examiners and patient are willing to meet with you later in the day (for example, if the candidate/patient interview is unable to take place at 8.50am it could be rescheduled to 3pm hosting site time, with your candidate/examiner interview rescheduled to 4.10pm). In this instance you would then proceed with your second Long Case in the morning as planned.
- If an issue is experienced in your first Long Case and it cannot be rescheduled to later in the day, leading to the first Long Case being cancelled, the second Long Case will also be cancelled, and you will be rescheduled to another exam date.
- If you completed the first Long Case but your second was cancelled, the relevant exams committee will consider whether one or both of your Long Cases will need to be rescheduled.
Rescheduling
Long Cases will be rescheduled at the end of your exam window or earlier if a hospital has capacity. We'll liaise with you about your date.
Examiners and hospitals
Multi-factor authentication and Exams Helpdesk
All examiners must set up multi-factor authentication before the day to participate in the exam and access the new Digital Score Sheet. To start this process, login to MyRACP and contact us with questions.
Call the Exams Helpdesk on 1300 697 227 (Australia) for any issues before or on exam day.
Log in to Teams
Individual video conference meeting invitations won't be sent out for the Long Cases. Generic meetings will be set up for each case/patient. These links will be on the Physical Examination Findings Forms (PEFFs).
Log in to Teams using your MyRACP account to access the meetings as a ‘host’.
There are 2 ways to log in:
- web browser | Teams is supported in recent versions of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge*, or
- Teams desktop app | if it’s already installed on your computer
* Only these 2 browsers can be used.
Log in issues
If you're at the hosting hospital, the Local Exam Organisers (LEO) can help you log in. You may have an exam assistant in the room with you but this is not guaranteed.
Examiners should practice logging in before the exam starts.
Timekeeping
To allow flexibility for minor delays, bells will not be used for timekeeping.
Examiners are responsible for keeping the time in all discussions. This includes giving timing cues to candidates such as ‘We have 5 minutes remaining.’.
You will only receive a knock if the session runs more than 3 minutes over time.
Using the PEFF
National Examining Panel members (NEPs) receive PEFFs by email for each patient the day before the exam. Local examiners may get these via email or a printed copy on the day.
As per usual protocols, examiners should not:
- read the PEFF or medication list until taking patient history on exam day
- look at the problem list until after taking the history, discussing the case and formulating the issues list
Join the video conference
You receive a printed or electronic PEFF for each patient. Use the video conference link on the PEFF for that patient.
Do not use this meeting link for the post-patient interview discussion or Case Summary meeting. You will use the Meet Now function for this meeting. See more information about this below.
First, you will join the 'Examiner Meet and Greet' with all examiners. Use this time to discuss:
- who will be the time-keeper
- who will lead each session
- how you will communicate when you wish to interject, ask additional questions or move the candidate along
Admit the patient from the virtual lobby
Remain in the meeting and admit the patient from the virtual lobby when it's time to start the examiner/patient interview. A pop-up window notifies you when they're trying to join. Click the 'Admit' button to allow them in when you're ready. Patients cannot join without your permission.
Once the patient has joined, check their identity using their first name and Patient ID in the PEFF.
Within the Teams meeting, there is a list of participants in that video conference.
Leave the Teams meeting when the patient interview is complete.
Use the same meeting link on the PEFF to join the candidate interview at the appropriate time. At the start of the candidate interview, be sure to ask them if they had any issues in their patient interview and note any incidents reported.
Create a Meet Now meeting with your co-examiners
After the patient interview, create a Meet Now meeting with your co-examiners:
- navigate to the Teams Calendar
- select 'Meet Now' in the top right corner
- select 'Start meeting'
- search for your co-examiners by name and invite them to join
Detailed instructions are available in the Quick Reference Guide (PDF).
MOQdigital will call all examiners before exam day and walk you through this process.
Chief Examiner role
We’ll provide details of your Chief Examiner before exam day.
The Chief Examiner model is different to previous years. They will be a member of the National Examining Panel (NEP) who will be on call for all hosting and sitting sites. It’s their responsibility to make any important decisions on the day regarding, for example:
- trainee, examiner or patient misadventure
- changes to the schedule that may affect the examination at the hospital
The LEO and Regional Examiner should discuss any concerns on examination day with the NEP Examiner. The NEP should then alert the Chief Examiner of any decisions or outcomes agreed upon.
Timetables
See example timetables in the Quick Reference Guide. These are examples only.
Your final time will be in your Exam Schedule, provided in the week before the exam. Additional time has been built in to minimise the impact of any issues.
Digital Score Sheet
Access candidate scoresheets through the Digital Score Sheet (DSS). Log in using the red Microsoft button in the big blue box on the login screen. Do not use the login details above it.
Your individual examiner schedules appear in the DSS 1-2 days before the exam.
To complete the DSS, you:
- need an internet connection
- use your own device where practical or request access to a hospital computer
- do not need a camera or microphone
The DSS runs only on recent versions the following web browsers. Check one of these is installed:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Apple Safari (Mac only)
Note: If you use older versions of the browsers, or any version of Internet Explorer, the Microsoft button will not appear and you won’t be able to log in.
For more information, including troubleshooting tips if you have difficulty logging in, see the DSS resources on the DCE Exam Resource Site.
Backup Scoring Booklet
Each team will have a paper Backup Scoring Booklet. You must complete the scores in both the DSS and the Booklet as a back-up (double entry). You do not need to copy all your notes unless you have an issue with the DSS.
If you have problems submitting the candidate results in the DSS, you can either try to enter the details into the DSS later in the day or scan or photograph the relevant pages of the Booklet and email them to DCE@racp.edu.au at the end of the day.
Issues during the exam
Our priority is to proceed with the candidate’s exam wherever a viable and fair resolution can be enacted.
If you can't connect to the VC, the patient is running late or there is an issue with audio quality, contact the LEO to find out more. Also learn more about the process and key steps for managing VC issues (PDF).
Troubleshooting
- If you can connect with video but have network or audio issues
- turn the video off to see if audio improves
- wait a few minutes and turn it back on
- headsets may work better than just the computer speakers
- If there is an issue with the hospital network
- use an alternative computer or your own tablet or mobile phone
- If you cannot establish a video connection with the patient
- the hosting site should move to a reserve patient or cancel the exam
Backup teleconference number
A separate teleconference (TC) number is provided as an audio backup but is only to be used if a video connection has first been established and then video or audio issues are experienced.
The entire patient interview cannot take place via audio only. This same principle applies to the candidate/patient interviews because it is important examiners and candidates are able to see the patient.
Examiner-to-examiner interactions and examiner-to-candidate discussions can continue using just TC if a video link is unable to be established.
The TC number and host passcode are provided at the bottom of the PEFF.
Guidance on how to use the TC is available in the Examiner Quick Reference Guide.
Incidents
If you experience major issues during a patient or candidate VC or TC, inform the relevant contacts at the hosting or sitting site and complete an Incident Form in the DSS or a paper copy.
Candidates will inform you of issues experienced during their patient interview. Log them in the Incident Form. They may result in a special consideration, to be reviewed by the Exam Committee, and their exam may be rescheduled.
For example, major incidents include any Long Case where the candidate did not get at least 15 minutes video with the guardian/carer or where the child does not appear for a large part of this.
Note anything for consideration such as 'Candidate #3 reported patient was 4 minutes late.'. Candidates should have reported major issues to their invigilator.
Delays
The hosting site LEOs, together with the NEP, have discretion to manage any delays on exam day to enable examinations to continue where at all possible. There is flexibility in the day to absorb delays of up to 40 minutes. Any delays of over 40 minutes in starting, or during the examiner/patient, candidate/patient or candidate/examiner interview will result in the candidate’s examination being cancelled and rescheduled.
The following principles apply throughout the exam:
- LEOs will liaise with sitting sites, candidates, and examiners to advise them directly of any delays. Permission is not required from the Chief Examiner.
- If a candidate is running late for their exam, the start time will not be delayed. If they arrive within 20 minutes of their start time, they can still sit the exam, but they will not receive additional time for the candidate/patient interview.
- If there are delays of under 10 minutes during a candidate/patient interview, the time can be absorbed in the interview and continue on the existing timelines as planned. This is in line with what has occurred in previous year’s exams.
- If there are delays of over 10 minutes and up to 40 minutes during a candidate/patient interview, the time can be extended in the interview accordingly, up to a maximum of 30 minutes.
- A candidate always gets the full 10-minute preparation time between the patient and examiner interviews.
- A candidate always gets the full 25 minutes for the examiner interview.
- A candidate should get at least a 20-minute break between their Long Cases.
- If an issue is experienced in a candidate’s first Long Case in the morning, it should be explored whether the examiners and patient are willing to meet with the candidate later in the day (for example, if the candidate/patient interview is unable to take place at 8:50am it could be rescheduled to 3pm hosting site time, with the candidate/examiner interview rescheduled to 4:10pm). In this instance they would then proceed with their second Long Case in the morning as planned.
- If an issue is experienced in a candidate’s first Long Case and it cannot be rescheduled to later in the day, leading to the first Long Case being cancelled, the second Long Case will also be cancelled, and the candidate will be rescheduled to another exam date.
- If a candidate completed the first Long Case but their second was cancelled, the relevant exams committee will consider whether one or both of their Long Cases will need to be rescheduled.
End of session
Ensure all PEFFs and Patient Summaries are disposed of securely.
Examiner feedback
After each exam, NEPs must complete an examiner feedback form for each examiner involved. This helps us provide valuable feedback to examiners and continue to improve the exam experience.