MSRA Scoring and Results 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How are the two MSRA papers (Professional Dilemmas and Clinical Problem Solving) weighted in the overall score?
- They are weighted equally (Correct answer)
- Professional Dilemmas counts double
- Clinical Problem Solving counts double
- Weighting varies by specialty
Correct answer: They are weighted equally
Both the Professional Dilemmas and Clinical Problem Solving papers contribute equally to the overall MSRA score.
Question 2: What happens to a candidate's MSRA score if they sit the exam in multiple recruitment cycles?
- Only the most recent score is used
- The highest score across attempts is used
- Scores are averaged across attempts
- Each score applies only to that cycle's application (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Each score applies only to that cycle's application
Each MSRA sitting produces a score that applies only to the recruitment cycle in which it was taken; scores are not carried forward.
Question 3: Which organisation is responsible for setting the pass mark and score thresholds for the MSRA?
- NHS England
- The test administrator (Pearson VUE)
- The relevant Royal Colleges in conjunction with Health Education England (Correct answer)
- The individual Specialty Training programmes
Correct answer: The relevant Royal Colleges in conjunction with Health Education England
Specialty Training programmes, working with Health Education England and relevant Royal Colleges, set the score thresholds used for shortlisting.
Question 4: A candidate scores in the 70th percentile on the MSRA. What does this indicate?
- They answered 70% of questions correctly
- They scored higher than 70% of candidates in that sitting (Correct answer)
- They achieved a score of 70 out of 100
- They are ranked 70th nationally
Correct answer: They scored higher than 70% of candidates in that sitting
A percentile rank indicates the proportion of candidates who scored at or below that candidate's score.
Question 5: For which purpose are MSRA raw scores transformed before being reported?
- To penalise guessing
- To adjust for difficulty variation between sittings using equating (Correct answer)
- To convert marks into letter grades
- To weight clinical questions more heavily
Correct answer: To adjust for difficulty variation between sittings using equating
Equating is applied to MSRA scores to ensure fairness when different versions of the exam have slightly different difficulty levels.
Question 6: What is the typical timeline between sitting the MSRA and receiving results?
- Immediate — results are given at the test centre
- Within 24 hours via email
- Several weeks after the sitting
- Results are only released after all candidates have sat the exam (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Results are only released after all candidates have sat the exam
MSRA results are released collectively after all candidates in the recruitment round have completed the exam to preserve fairness.
Question 7: In the context of MSRA shortlisting, what does 'longlisting' refer to?
- A preliminary filter based on eligibility criteria before MSRA scores are considered (Correct answer)
- A list of all candidates who achieved a passing score
- The ranked order of all MSRA sitters
- Candidates invited to interview after scoring above the threshold
Correct answer: A preliminary filter based on eligibility criteria before MSRA scores are considered
Longlisting filters candidates on eligibility (e.g., GMC registration, qualifications) before MSRA scores are used for shortlisting to interview.
MSRA Scoring and Results 2
How are the two MSRA papers (Professional Dilemmas and Clinical Problem Solving) weighted in the overall score?