MEDIA RELEASE
9 October 2020
General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA) is very disappointed to learn that the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Key Feature Problem (KFP) exam was cancelled this afternoon due to a technical outage at their external exam provider.
“GPRA recognise that RACGP college staff have been working extremely hard throughout the day to restore the online exam system as quickly as possible. However, it is very frustrating that there has been a lack of communication with candidates and examiners, who have been left with virtually no information and lengthy waiting periods in the hope of being able to complete their exam today,” says GPRA President Dr Sama Balasubramanian.
“Candidates will have put in many, many long hours of preparation to give themselves the best opportunity for success today. They have sacrificed this time, at the expense of family and loved ones, in order to prepare for this assessment. The anxiety that comes with preparing for these high-stakes Fellowship exams has been further exacerbated by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on their training and employment, the uncertainty in delays with the scheduling of College exam dates, and the rapid pivot to remote online delivery of these exams,” says Dr Balasubramanian.
“The unfortunate events of today will cause much heartache and despair for candidates, at a time when they are all under extreme stress. We encourage all candidates to seek out their supports at this distressing time,” says Dr Balasubramanian.
“GPRA calls on the RACGP to communicate clearly and openly with all candidates. Uncertainty can only be managed with transparency and all candidates must be treated with care and compassion in resolving this very regrettable situation as quickly as possible. GPRA will advocate for candidates to the RACGP to make sure this happens and ensure that GP trainee concerns are heard,” says Dr Balasubramanian.
ENDS
UPDATE 6:30PM, 9 October 2020
GPRA has just been advised by the RACGP that the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 10 October, has also been cancelled. This will no doubt add to the disappointment felt by all candidates. With this evening’s announcement of the cancellation of both the KFP and AKT, GPRA again calls upon the RACGP to treat trainees with care and compassion, and to create a resolution and certainty as soon as possible. GPRA understands how devastating and distressing these events are for candidates—we are here to advocate for you and encourage you to seek support.
ENDS
GPRA
enquiries@gpra.org.au or 03 9629 8878