Checked on 1 October 2026. The official site is authoritative and dates change; confirm every date with your medical school or foundation school.
The facts
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A pass/fail online assessment of the skills, judgement and supporting knowledge related to prescribing medicines in the NHS, based on the GMC's Outcomes for graduates. Delivered by MSC Assessment and the British Pharmacological Society. | prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk |
| Who sits it | Final-year medical students, registered through their medical school. It is also a national requirement for completion of Foundation Year 1: every F1 doctor must hold a pass by the end of the year. | prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk; UK Foundation Programme |
| Length | 60 items in 2 hours. | UK Foundation Programme |
| Sections and marks | Eight sections, 200 marks in total; the split is in the table below. | PSA Item Writing Manual (PDF) |
| Prescribing items | 10 marks each: 5 for the choice of drug and 5 for the dose, route and frequency. Timing and signature fields are filled by the system and carry no marks. | prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk |
| BNF during the assessment | The content of the BNF is available inside the assessment interface, and scoring is based on the online BNF and BNFc current at the time. Paper copies of the BNF and BNFc can be allowed but may not contain the most up-to-date advice; no notes may be made in them. | UK Foundation Programme |
| Reasonable adjustments | Requested from the medical school or foundation school using its advertised process. | UK Foundation Programme |
| Practice papers | Registered candidates get access to practice papers in the official platform; the UKFP states at least three before the main event, with individual scoring and feedback. | prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk; UK Foundation Programme |
| Pass standard | The official site does not publish a fixed pass mark. The standard is set for each paper by a modified Angoff procedure, as described in the published evaluation of the assessment. | Maxwell et al. 2017 |
| Results | Individual candidates see their performance by logging into the PSA interface. Candidates cannot appeal against the score; the test is marked automatically. | UK Foundation Programme |
| Validity of a pass | A pass obtained more than two years before starting foundation training must be retaken before completion of the F1 year. | UK Foundation Programme; Scotland Deanery |
Marks by section
From the PSA Item Writing Manual. Prescribing alone is 80 of the 200 marks.
| Section | Items | Marks each | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescribing | 8 | 10 | 80 |
| Prescription review | 8 | 4 | 32 |
| Planning management | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Communicating information | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Calculation skills | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Adverse drug reactions | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Drug monitoring | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Data interpretation | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Total | 60 | 200 |
Source: PSA Item Writing Manual (PDF). Each section has its own guide: the PSA exam guide.
Sitting dates
The UK Foundation Programme publishes the F1 sittings. For the training year starting in August 2026 the dates are:
- Thursday 24 September 2026
- Thursday 18 March 2027
- Thursday 15 April 2027
All F1 sittings start at 1pm and are invigilated in person; the foundation school gives the location. Source: UK Foundation Programme.
Sittings for final-year medical students are arranged by each medical school and listed under forthcoming events on the official site after you have activated your PSA account. This page does not restate them: confirm your date with your school. Source: prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk.
If you fail
“Foundation doctors who have not passed the PSA before commencing the programme will be offered a support package and will be required to sit or re-sit the assessment.”
“There are three opportunities for doctors in the Foundation Programme to sit the PSA during each training year (one sitting in each four-month placement).”
“It is important to note that failure to pass the assessment prior to the commencement of the Foundation Programme will not impact employment. Individuals will commence their allocated programme as scheduled and will be required to undertake the appropriate remediation package.”
Whether the PSA is a progression requirement within the medical degree is decided by each university; passing it remains an exit requirement for Foundation Year 1 (prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk). Your own school's resit arrangements are its own: ask them.
Questions people ask
How many questions are in the PSA and how long is it?
60 items in 2 hours, across eight sections worth 200 marks in total (UK Foundation Programme; PSA Item Writing Manual).
Can I use the BNF in the PSA?
Yes. The BNF's content is available inside the assessment interface and scoring follows the online BNF and BNFc current at the time. The UKFP says paper copies can be allowed but may be out of date, and that notes may not be made in them.
What is the PSA pass mark?
The official site does not publish a fixed pass mark. The standard is set per paper by a modified Angoff method, so it varies between papers (Maxwell et al. 2017). Third-party figures you see online are not official.
When are the PSA sittings?
F1 sittings for the training year starting August 2026 are 24 September 2026, 18 March 2027 and 15 April 2027, all at 1pm (UKFP). Medical-school sittings are arranged by each school and shown in the official platform once your account is active.
What happens if I fail the PSA?
Medical schools set their own arrangements. In the Foundation Programme, the UKFP states that doctors who have not passed will be offered a support package and must sit or re-sit, with three opportunities in each training year, and that failing before the programme starts does not affect employment.
How long is a PSA pass valid for?
If the PSA was passed more than two years before starting foundation training it must be retaken before completion of the F1 year (UKFP; Scotland Deanery).
Practise in the exam's own formats
Every question is free. 1,200+ PSA questions and 11 full mock papers at the real pace, marked like the assessment.
PSA exam guide · How to revise for the PSA · BNF speed guide