First BM Parts I and II

First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine

• 1. The First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine shall be under the supervision of the Medical Sciences Board.

• 2. No candidate shall be admitted to the First Examination unless they have been through the standard selection procedures for the standard medical course (including sitting the prescribed admissions test), has met the published entry requirements for admission to the standard medical course, and their name has been entered on the University Register of Medical Students.

  3. A candidate shall be deemed to have passed the First Examination for the degree of Bachelor of Medicine if they have satisfied the examiners in all the subjects of Parts I and II.

• 4. The subjectsexaminers may award a Distinction to candidates of special merit in the First BM overall, provided that all assessment units for Part I and Part II have been offered in their entirety and passed in one sitting at the first scheduled opportunity for each Part which shall be the candidate’s first attempt, except in one of the following exceptional circumstances: 
  •  • The candidate has been given permission by the Education Committee of Council to split the assessment over more than one examination session.
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  • • The candidate has been excused by the Proctors from taking one or more assessment units at the first scheduled opportunity, in accordance with Part 14 of the Regulations for the Conduct of University Examinations.
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Part I of the First Examination

1. The assessment units of Part I of the First Examination shall be:

• 32. The syllabus of each subject shall be as prescribed from time to time by the Medical Sciences Board by regulation.

• 4. Subjects 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 shall each be examined in three Parts: A, B, and C. In each of these subjects, a candidate must offer Parts A, B, and C at one examination, provided that a candidate who has failed at his or her first attempt to satisfy the examiners in one Part only of a subject may offer that Part alone at a subsequent examination. In each of these subjects, a candidate must pass all three Parts, or have accumulated passes in all three Parts, in order to pass in that subject. When a candidate who at the first attempt passed only one or two Part(s) of a subject subsequently passes the remaining Part(s) of that subject, the examiners shall publish his or her name as having passed in that subject.

• 5. A candidate must offer all fourseven subjectsassessment units in Part I atin one sitting, unless they have been given permission by the Proctors or the Education Committee of Council to split the assessment over more than one examination, provided that a candidate who has failed at his or her first attempt in any subject or subjects may offer subject 4 or any Part or Parts of subjects 1, 2, or 3 at a subsequent examination (in accordance with clause 4 above)session, and provided that the Medical Sciences Board may dispense candidates who have already passed a First Public Examination in any subject from the requirement to offer all fourseven subjectsassessment units at one examination. In Part I, theThe examiners may publishrequest the name ofthat a candidate as having passed one, two, three, or four subjects, and the examiners may in addition publish the name of a candidate as having passedattend one or twomore Part(s)oral onlyexaminations.

  4. ofAssessment any of the subjectsunits 1, 2, orand 3. In(Organisation Partof IIthe Body, aPhysiology candidateand mustPharmacology, offerand allBiochemistry fourand subjectsMedical atGenetics).

  There will be one examination, providedfor each assessment unit.

  5. Assessment unit 4 (Population Health 1: Medical Sociology).

  This assessment unit is a take-home assignment.

  6. Assessment unit 5 (Learning from Patients 1).

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy will provide the Examination Board with evidence to certify that each candidate has participated satisfactorily in the Learning from Patients 1 course.

  7. Assessment unit 6 (Practical Work)

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy will provide the Examination Board with evidence to certify that each candidate has a satisfactory record of attendance for practical classes where attendance is compulsory, as specified in the course handbook.

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy may request practical notebooks from any candidate in order to determine the extent to which each candidate has a satisfactory record of practical work. 

  8. Assessment unit 7 (Medical Statistics)

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy will provide the Examination Board with evidence to certify that each candidate has engaged fully, has a satisfactory record of attendance at compulsory teaching sessions, and has reached the required standard in Medical Statistics. 

  Outcomes of Part I of the First Examination 

  1. The outcomes of Part I of the First Examination are as follows:

  • a) A candidate who has failedsatisfied atthe his or her first attemptExaminers in anyall subjectseven orassessment subjectsunits may offer subject 8 or any Part or Parts of subjects 5, 6, or 7 at a subsequent examination (in accordance with clause 4 above). In Part II, the examiners may publish the name of a candidate as having passed one, two, three, or four subjects, and the examiners may in addition publish the name of a candidate as having passed one or two Part(s) only of any of the subjects 5, 6, or 7.

  • 6. A candidate shallwill be deemed to have passed Part I of the First Examination if he or she has satisfied the examiners in all the subjects of Parts I and II as specified in clause 2 above.

  • b) A candidate who has failed more than one but fewer than seven of the assessment units will be deemed to have achieved a partial pass. They will be permitted one further attempt at the unit(s) they have failed. This resit attempt shall normally be taken at the next opportunity, but may be deferred once, i.e. it must be taken at one of the next two opportunities. 
    ]

  2. For assessment units 5-7, the resit attempt will consist of candidates being required to repeat a section of the course or to complete remedial work by a specified deadline. Details of what is required will be decided by and communicated to candidates by the Director of Pre-clinical Studies.

  3. A candidate who has passed Part I of the First Examination for the degree of Bachelor of Medicine shall be deemed to have passed the First Public Examination.

  4. No candidate may offer any assessment unit for Part I of the First Examination on more than two occasions, save in exceptional circumstances. A further exceptional opportunity to offer any assessment unit for Part I of the First Examination shall require application to and approval on behalf of the Education Committee of Council, in accordance with the General Regulations for the First and Second Public Examinations. [For students starting from MT 2019: If granted, this exceptional resit attempt shall normally be taken at the next opportunity, but may be deferred once, i.e. it must be taken at one of the next two opportunities.]

  5. The examiners may award a Pass with Merit to candidates of special merit in any of the individual assessment units 1, 2, or 3. The award of Pass with Merit shall be confined to candidates who have offered all seven assessment units of Part in one sitting which shall be the first scheduled opportunity and the candidate’s first attempt, except in one of the following exceptional circumstances:

  • • The candidate has been given permission by the Education Committee of Council to split the assessment over more than one examination session.
  • • The candidate has been excused by the Proctors from taking one of more assessment units at the first scheduled opportunity in accordance with Part 14 of the Regulations for Conduct of University Examinations.

  86. In line with the General Regulations for the First Public Examination, a person admitted for Part I of the first examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine within three terms of the term in which they were originally due to be examined for Part I of the first examination, shall be entitled to be examined in accordance with the regulations pertaining to the original examination, if they so wish.

  In line with the General Regulations for the First Public Examination, a person admitted for Part I of the first examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine four or more terms after the term in which they were originally due to be examined for Part I of the first examination shall normally be examined in accordance with the current regulations.

  Part II of the First Examination

  1. No candidate shall be admitted to the examination for Part II of the First Examination without first having passed all the subjectsassessment units of Part I, save in exceptional circumstances. atThis shall require application to and approval on behalf of the discretionEducational Policy and Standards Committee of the Medical Sciences Board.

  2. followingThe applicationassessment units of Part II of the First Examination shall be:

  • 1. Applied Physiology and Pharmacology

  • 2. The Nervous System

  • 3. Principles of Pathology

  • 4. Psychology for Medicine

  • 5. Synoptic questions
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  • 6. Learning from Patients 2 
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  • 7. Practical work 
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  • 8. Medical Statistics 

  3. The syllabus of each subject shall be as prescribed from time to time by the Medical Sciences Board.

  4. A candidate's societymust offer all eight assessments in Part II in one sitting, unless they have been given permission by the Proctors or the Education Committee of Council to split the assessment over more than one examination session. The examiners may request that a candidate attend one or more oral examinations.

  5. Assessment units 1-3 and 5 (Applied Physiology and Pharmacology, The Nervous System, Principles of Pathology and Synoptic Questions) 

  There will be one examination for each assessment unit.

  6. Assessment unit 4 (Psychology for Medicine)  

  This assessment is a take-home assignment. 

  7. Assessment unit 6 (Learning from Patients 2)

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy will provide the Examination Board with evidence to certify that each candidate has participated satisfactorily in the Learning from Patients 2 course.

  8. Assessment unit 7 (Practical Work)

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy will provide the Examination Board with evidence to certify that each candidate has a satisfactory record of attendance for practical classes where attendance is compulsory, as specified in the course handbook. 

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy may request practical notebooks from any candidate in order to determine the extent to which each candidate has a satisfactory record of practical work.

  9. Assessment unit 8 (Medical Statistics) 

  The Director of Preclinical Studies or their deputy will provide the Examination Board with evidence to certify that each candidate has engaged fully, has a satisfactory record of attendance at compulsory teaching sessions, and has reached the required standard in Medical Statistics. 

  Outcomes of Part II of the First Examination

  1. The outcomes of Part II of the First Examination are as follows:

  • a) A candidate who has satisfied the Examiners in all eight assessment units will be deemed to have passed Part II of the First Examination.

  • 9b) A candidate who has satisfied the Examiners in more than one but fewer than eight assessment units will be deemed to have achieved a partial pass. They will be permitted one further attempt at the unit(s) they have failed[For students starting before MT 2018: ][For students starting from MT 2018: . This resit attempt shall normally be taken at the next opportunity, but may be deferred once, i.e. it must be taken at one of the next two opportunities]. 

  2. For assessment units 6-8, the resit attempt will consist of candidates being required to repeat a section of the course or to complete remedial work by a specified deadline. Details of what is required will be decided by and communicated to candidates by the Director of Pre-clinical Studies. 

  3. No candidate may offer any subjectassessment orunit for Part of a subject in Parts I and II of the First Examination on more than two occasions, save in exceptional circumstances. A further exceptional opportunity to offer any subjectassessment or Part of a subject for Part I of the First Examination shall require application to and approval on behalf of the Education Committee of the University, in accordance with the General Regulations for the First and Second Public Examinations. A further exceptional opportunity to offer any subject or Part of a subjectunit for Part II of the First Examination shall require application to and approval on behalf of the Educational Policy and Standards Committee of the Medical Sciences Board, according to the procedure set out in the handbook for medical students in Years 1–-3.

• 10.[For students starting from MT 2018: TheIf examinersgranted, this exceptional resit attempt shall normally be taken at the next opportunity, but may awardbe adeferred Distinctiononce, toi.e. candidatesit ofmust specialbe merittaken inat either Part I or Part IIone of the examination,next providedtwo that all examinations for all four subjects specified for that Part in clause 2 above have been offered in their entirety and passed at one examination at the first scheduled opportunity which shall be the candidate’s first attempt, except in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Board of Examiners following application from the candidate’s societyopportunities.]

• 114. The examiners may award a Pass with Merit to candidates of special merit in any of the individual subjectsassessment units 1, 2, -3, 5, 6, or 7, provided that all four subjects of Part I or of Part II of the examination have been offered in their entirety at one examination5. The award of Pass with Merit shall be based on performance in Part B of a subject and shall be confined to candidates who have passedoffered Partsall Aeight andassessment Cunits of thatPart subjectII atof the sameexamination in one sitting, which shall be the first scheduled opportunity and the candidate’s first attempt, except in one of the following exceptional circumstances:

  • • The candidate has been given permission by theEducation Committee of Council to split the assessment over more than one examination session.
  • • The candidate has been excused by the Proctors from taking one or more assessment units at the discretionfirst scheduled opportunity in accordance with Part 14 of the Board of Examiners following application from the candidate’s society.

  • 12. No candidate shall be admitted to the First Examination unless he or she has been through the standard selection proceduresRegulations for the standardCounduct medical course (including sitting the Biomedical Admissions Test—BMAT), has met the published entry requirements for admission to the standard medical course, and his or her name has been entered on theof University Register of Medical StudentsExaminations.

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  • Regulations5. A person admitted for Part C of subjects 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7

  • For each subject, the Director of Pre-Clinical Studies or his or her deputy may request practical notebooks from any candidate in order to subsequently make available to the examiners evidence (in the form of a list of names, signed by the Director or his or her deputy) showing the extent to which each candidate has a satisfactory attendance record at practical classes in that subject and the extent to which each candidate has a satisfactory record of practical work in that subject. The examiners may also request practical notebooks from any candidate; such candidates will be named in a list posted in the foyer of the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre one week before the dayII of the first examination paper. Each notebook submitted shall be accompanied by a statement signed byfor the candidate indicating that the notebook is the candidate’s own work.

  • The practical course for subject 2 includes the course in elementary statistics defined in the Composite Syllabus for Part I.

  • Candidates whose attendance record and/or recordDegree of practicalBachelor workof isMedicine unsatisfactorywithin willthree normally be required by the examiners to submit to further examination. Failure to satisfy the examiners that the candidate has a satisfactory knowledge and understandingterms of the practical course shall result in the candidate being failed in Part C of the relevant subject of the examination.

  • Evidence of satisfactory practical work and of attendance at a practical course is normally admissible by the examiners for a period extending no longer than to the end of the academic year following the yearterm in which thethey coursewere wasoriginally pursued.

  • Candidatesdue mayto be required to undergo oral examination.

  • Regulations for the Patient and Doctor Course

  • The Director of Pre-Clinical Studies or his or her deputy will make available to the examiners evidence (in the form of a list of names, signed by the Director or his or her deputy) to certify that each candidate has participated satisfactorily in the Patient and Doctor Course.

  Part I

  Part I

  • 1. Organisation of the Body

  • 2. Physiology and Pharmacology

  • 3. Biochemistry and Medical Genetics

  • 4. Population Health 1: Medical Sociology

  • A Composite Syllabus (Core plus Extension) for Part I will be published annually at the start of Michaelmas Term by the Medical Sciences Board. The syllabus will make appropriate reference to related issues of clinical significance. In each subject, candidates will be expected to have a general understanding of the components specified in the syllabus, including methods of study and quantitative analysis of experimental results.

  • In subjects 1, 2, and 3 two papers will be set, Paper A and Paper B. Paper A shall be no longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes in duration, and shall be a computer-based assessment of breadth of knowledge and understanding of the Core Syllabus. Paper B shall be set to examine deeper knowledge and understanding of a choice of topics included in or closely relating to the Composite Syllabus. For Subjects 1, 2, and 3, Paper B shall be two hours in duration.

  • In subject 4, one one-and-a-half-hour paper will be set, assessing knowledge and understanding of the Composite Syllabus.

  Part II

  Part II

  • 5. Applied Physiology and Pharmacology

  • 6. The Nervous System

  • 7. Principles of Pathology

  • 8. Psychology for Medicine

  • A Composite Syllabus (Core plus Extension)examined for Part II willof the first examination, shall be publishedentitled annuallyto atbe examined in accordance with the startregulations ofpertaining Michaelmas Term byto the Medicaloriginal Sciences Board. The syllabus will make appropriate reference to related issues of clinical significance. In each subjectexamination, candidatesif willthey beso expectedwish.

    A toperson haveadmitted afor generalPart understandingII of the componentsfirst specifiedexamination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine four or more terms after the term in thewhich syllabus,they includingwere methodsoriginally ofdue study and quantitative analysis of experimental results.

  • In subjects 5, 6, and 7 two papers willto be set,examined Paperfor APart and Paper B. Paper A shall be no longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes in duration, and shall be a computer-based assessment of breadth of knowledge and understandingII of the Corefirst Syllabus. Paper Bexamination shall normally be set to examine deeper knowledge and understanding of a choice of topics includedexamined in oraccordance closely relating towith the Compositecurrent Syllabus. For Subjects 5, 6, and 7, Paper B shall be three hours in durationregulations.

  • In subject 8, one one-and-a-half hour paper will be set. The paper shall consist of two sections: (1) multiple-choice questions (45 minutes), assessing breadth of knowledge and understanding of the Core Syllabus; (2) essay questions (45 minutes), examining deeper knowledge and understanding of a choice of topics included in or closely related to the Composite Syllabus.