One of the earliest tasks of professional development in a career in paediatrics is to pass some exams. The FRACP—Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians—is entered by paediatric registrars here at a comparable stage to their UK counterparts. FRACP is harder than MRCPCH; well that is what my FRACP colleagues tell me, and who am I to doubt them? To compare the two:

There is no equivalent to MRCPCH part I. Access to the exam is limited by a requirement to have completed 3 years of approved training, with permission from the college, granted by the Director of Physician Training. This honorary (but high maintenance) college position held at each tertiary teaching centre acts as an effective filter to entry.

The written paper in March is multiple choice. A two hour morning paper covers medical sciences; the three hour …