Answers to frequently asked questions about Assessment of Training, required for entry into the Part 3 MRCOG exam.
All candidates must apply to have their training assessed to confirm their eligibility before registering for the Part 3 MRCOG exam.
Candidates can apply to have their training assessed any time after passing the Part 1 MRCOG exam.
Applications must be emailed to aot@rcog.org.uk, with the required supporting documentation.
To request an Assessment of Training application form, please go the main AoT page.
You must be logged in to the RCOG website to download the form.
Emailed applications will receive an acknowledgement message. Please allow up to 4 weeks for your application to be processed. Applications are processed in order of date received.
If we have a question about your application, or require any additional information, we will email you directly.
Candidates who have had their AOT approved before July 2019 do not need to apply again.
No. Candidates no longer need to have their training assessed to apply for the Part 2 MRCOG exam. Any candidate that has passed Part 1 MRCOG is eligible to apply for the Part 2 exam.
There is no fee for the application for Assessment of Training.
You will be informed of the Part 3 examination fee, once assessment of your training has been successfully completed.
There are 2 routes to approval of training for entry into the Part 2 MRCOG exam:
Route A
This route is for trainees in a recognised UK specialist training programme. Route A trainees must be in intermediate training, at ST3 level or above, to be eligible to sit the Part 3 MRCOG exam.
Route B
This route is for trainees NOT in a recognised UK specialist training programme. Route B candidates should demonstrate that they have spent a minimum of 4 years in obstetrics and gynaecology full-time (or equivalent) post-registration posts in the UK or overseas. This must include at least 2 years (full-time or equivalent) in the specialty within the 4 years preceding a candidate’s initial assessment of training application.
Please submit your completed application form via email to aot@rcog.org.uk.
You must attach either original copies or an attested photocopy of your experience certificates.
There are many online free-to-use PDF merge tools that combine multiple files into one document.
Please do not email separate documents to the Examinations Department.
You should combine all your necessary AoT files into one document, and then attach it to your email.
No. Trainees entered onto a UK specialist training programme are not required to submit supporting documents. It is sufficient to provide a completed Assessment of Training application form with Route A selected and a National Training Number (NTN).
Yes. Certificates must be issued by the hospital on official hospital letter-headed paper.
Your certificates must be clearly dated and include details of the position held, the hospital you are/were working for and the exact dates (at least month and year) that you started and completed the appointments; and be signed by your consultant-in-charge. Contracts or appointment letters are not accepted.
You will need to submit a verified translation of your experience certificate together with a copy of the original document.
An attested copy is a document that has been verified as a true copy of the original document by one of our approved individuals/institutions (see below). Experience certificates must be attested with an ink signature. Plain photocopies of certificates will not be accepted.
Certificates can be attested by:
- A Fellow or Member of this College
- The university or hospital issuing the certificate
- The British Council
- Your embassy
- A solicitor
If attested by your hospital, the individual attesting the certificate should be the Consultant-in-Charge under whom you worked, Hospital HR Manager or the Head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department.
To attest your experience certificates:
- Photocopy your original experience certificates.
- Take the photocopies and the original experience certificates to one of the following acceptable signatories:
British Embassy, British High Commission, British Consulate, British Council, the university or hospital issuing the experience certificate, your own Embassy, a solicitor/notary, a Fellow or Member of the RCOG - Ask the signatory to sign/stamp the photocopy to confirm that it is a true copy of the original document. They should include the date, a printed name, their occupation and telephone number. The signature/stamp must be clearly legible and in English and if they are a member or fellow of the RCOG they must include their membership number.
- Send the signed/stamped photocopy, with the signature/stamp in ink, with your application form and fee to the College address. NB – photocopied signatures/stamps are not valid and will not be accepted.
All overseas hospital-based posts in obstetrics and/or gynaecology are recognised.
If we require additional experience certificates, these documents must be submitted within 3 weeks after the Assessment of Training closing date.
After this period, incomplete applications will be destroyed and candidates will subsequently be required to submit a new application, if they wish to re-apply.
There is no need to have your training assessed again, once it has been approved by the College.
Pre- and post-registration refers to the period before and after registration as a doctor with your national medical council. It does not refer to registration with the RCOG. Any training undertaken before registration as a doctor with your medical council will not be considered in your Assessment of Training application.