The Dermatology SCE: format, dates, fees and pass mark

Last checked 2 November 2026.

The Specialty Certificate Examination (SCE) in Dermatology is the knowledge exam UK dermatology registrars sit during higher specialty training. The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians runs it once a year. This page sets out what the official pages say about the exam, with a link to each source, so you can plan your revision around the real format and the real numbers.

StudyDerm is unofficial. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Federation or MRCP(UK). Always check the official Dermatology SCE page before you apply, because dates and fees can change.

Exam format

• Two papers, each 3 hours long, with a one-hour break between them.
• 100 questions in each paper, 200 in total.
• Every question is best of five: five options, one correct answer and four alternatives.
• The exam is computer-based, at a test centre. From June 2026 every UK and international SCE is delivered in a centre rather than by remote online proctoring.

Three hours for 100 questions is 108 seconds a question. That pace is the thing most worth practising before the day.

Sources: SCE format, SCE FAQs, how to apply.

2027 dates

The application window is four weeks. Put the opening date in your calendar now. For comparison, the 2026 exam was on 8 October 2026.

Source: Dermatology SCE page.

Fees

The fee depends on where you sit the exam; the Federation lists one fee table on its SCE dates and fees page. If you transfer from a UK centre to an international one you pay the £175 difference.

Source: SCE dates and fees.

Who can sit it

The Dermatology page states there are no entry requirements for the SCE in Dermatology. The SCE FAQs add that you do not need to have sat any MRCP(UK) exam, but you must hold an MD or MBBS degree before attempting an SCE. Trainees in UK training posts normally sit it in the penultimate year of higher specialty training. The regulations allow a maximum of six attempts at an SCE; an absence counts as an attempt and a withdrawal does not. For these and the other rules on applications, withdrawals and resits, see the SCE regulations (section 3.3 for attempts).

Sources: Dermatology SCE page, SCE FAQs.

The 2025 results

The Federation's report on the October 2025 exam gives these figures:

• 427 candidates sat it, of whom 136 were self-declared UK resident doctors.
• The pass mark was 443, which is 73.2%, or 145 out of 198 (the report expresses it as 145/198). 443 is an equated score: the Federation has kept it since the standards were last reviewed in 2022, until the exam board next reviews them, and the percentage it represents varies with each paper.
• The pass rate was 55.9% for UK resident doctors and 38.6% for all candidates.
• UK resident doctors scored highest in Dermoscopy (88.6%) and lowest in Skin biology and research (59.7%).
• Other candidates scored highest in Skin of colour (77.5%) and lowest in Skin biology and research (53.5%).

Put plainly: in 2025 more than two in five UK resident candidates (44%) did not pass, and the pass mark was close to three quarters of the marks.

Source: 2025 SCE Dermatology report (PDF).

What the exam covers: the blueprint

The Federation's 2023 blueprint gives an indicative number of questions for each area, out of 200. The blueprint says these are an indication only and the actual number may vary.

General dermatology and paediatrics together make up close to two fifths of the paper. Skin biology and research is only about 14 questions in the blueprint (15 in 2025), but in 2025 it was the weakest area for both UK and other candidates.

Source: SCE Dermatology blueprint, updated 2023 (PDF).

How to prepare

1. Start from the blueprint. Weight your time by the question counts above, and do not skip the small areas: four dermoscopy questions are four marks.
2. Answer questions, don't just reread. Retrieval practice beats rereading. Read the explanation for every answer, including the ones you got right.
3. Bring back what you miss. A question you got wrong once is the one most worth seeing again in a few days.
4. Practise at exam pace. Sit timed blocks at 108 seconds a question, with no feedback until the end, well before October.
5. Try the official sample questions. The Federation publishes Dermatology sample questions. Use them to get used to the style.

StudyDerm is built around those steps: 1,957 original questions in 34 units on a roadmap, an explanation and a source link for every answer, missed questions brought back on a spaced schedule, and timed mocks at 108 seconds a question. The first two units are free, with no card needed. If you are comparing options, see Dermatology SCE question banks compared.