The Membership examination of the Royal College of General Practitioners
has evolved and matured as a seal and a test on completion of vocational
training. More than 1000 candidates are taking the examination each year
and an increasing majority are trainees who have completed their three-
year training period. The whole concept and philosophy of the MRCGP has
been questioned by critical cynics who refuse to accept general practice
as a field of medical practice worthy of recognition as a specialty with
its own core of know- ledge, skills and expertise and with its own
special epidemiology, pathology, clinical presentations and management.
These cynical critics are being answered by the growth of the
examination and its recognition within the profession as an important
and necessary goal to be achieved. The MRCGP exam has arrived, it is
here to stay and it will continue to grow and evolve. The exam is no
easy obstacle to negotiate. It has a regular failure rate of I in 3 and
it requires special preparation and study of its examinees if they are
to understand its aims, contents and methods. It must not be assumed
that even the brightest trainee can walk off the street, enter the
examin- ation hall and be confident of passing. It requires a few months
of careful and guided preparation.