# PSA format and marking Source: PassthePSA, PSA revision notes URL: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/format-and-marking/ Updated: 2026-10-01 Topic: UK Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) revision Short answer: The PSA is an online, open-book assessment of 60 items across 8 sections, worth 200 marks in 120 minutes. That is 2 minutes per item on average, or 36 seconds per mark. Prescribing is the largest section at 80 marks. Prescribing items score the drug and the written details separately, and the pass mark is set per paper by the provider. ## What is the format of the PSA? The PSA is a single online paper of 60 items and 200 marks, sat in 120 minutes. It has 8 sections, each testing a different prescribing skill, and the online BNF and BNF for Children are available throughout. - 60 items, 200 marks, 120 minutes. - Eight sections, using four answer formats. - Open-book for the BNF and BNF for Children. - Run in the UK by the British Pharmacological Society and MSC Assessment. Items are not all worth the same. A prescribing item is worth far more than a single-best-answer item, which is why time and effort should follow the marks. Each section tests a distinct skill. Prescribing is writing a safe prescription; prescription review is finding the culprit drug on a chart; planning management is choosing the next treatment step; communicating information is choosing the most important safety advice to give a patient; calculation skills is working out a dose or rate; adverse drug reactions is recognising and responding to harm from a drug; drug monitoring is knowing which tests a drug needs and when; and data interpretation is acting on results. ## How many items and marks are in each section? The eight sections add up to 60 items and 200 marks, and prescribing alone accounts for 80 of those marks. The table shows the items, marks per item and total for each. Section | Items | Marks per item | Section total --- | --- | --- | --- 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 Prescribing and prescription review together make up 112 of the 200 marks. Revision time should reflect that weighting without neglecting the 2-mark sections, which make up the rest. ## What are the item styles? Four answer formats are used across the eight sections. Knowing the style in advance removes surprises on the day. Style | Sections --- | --- Free-text prescription on the exam chart | Prescribing Tick one or two prescriptions on a medication list | Prescription review Single best answer from five | Planning management, communicating information, adverse drug reactions, drug monitoring, data interpretation Type a number in the stated unit | Calculation skills In single-best-answer items more than one option may be reasonable, so choose the best one for the patient described, using the details given. ## How does time work in the PSA? The exam allows 36 seconds per mark, because 120 minutes is 7,200 seconds and the paper carries 200 marks. Use the marks on each item as a guide to how long to spend. Item worth | Time at exam pace --- | --- 2 marks | About 72 seconds 4 marks | About 2 minutes 24 seconds 10 marks | About 6 minutes - Practise at this pace so that it feels normal on the day. - Do not spend 5 minutes on a 2-mark item. - Flag a difficult item, move on and return if time remains. Prescribing items are worth 10 marks each, so the 8 of them take roughly 48 minutes of the 120 at exam pace. The remaining time covers the other 52 items. ## How are prescribing items marked? Prescribing items are marked in two parts that score separately: the choice of drug, and the written details such as dose, route and frequency. You can score on one part and not the other. - Choosing the right drug earns marks even if the written details are flawed. - A correct drug with a flawed written prescription still earns the drug marks, but loses some or all of the written-prescription marks. - Partial credit exists, so write a complete answer rather than leaving it blank. - Writing two drugs in one answer rather than committing to one risks losing the marks. Prescription review items are different: they ask you to tick the prescription or prescriptions responsible for a described problem, so the marks follow the ticks, not the written detail. Read whether the item wants one tick or two. The detail of a mark scheme is set by the provider for each item, so read the instruction line carefully. It tells you which chart section the marks are on, and whether a duration or other detail is required. Note: Check the official PSA information for the current rules on marking and on resources, which the provider can update. ## What is the pass mark? The pass mark is set for each paper by the provider and is not a fixed number, so there is no single score to aim for. Aim to maximise your marks across all sections. Because papers can vary in difficulty, a fixed target taken from someone else's experience is unreliable. Check the official PSA information for how results are reported. ## Check yourself - How many items, marks and minutes does the paper have? - Which section carries the most marks, and how many? - How many seconds per mark are allowed? - How many minutes does a 10-mark prescribing item get at exam pace? - What are the two separately scored parts of a prescribing item? - Who sets the pass mark, and is it fixed? ## Questions people ask Q: How many questions are in the PSA? A: There are 60 items across 8 sections, worth 200 marks in total, to be completed in 120 minutes. Q: Which PSA section is worth the most marks? A: Prescribing, with 8 items at 10 marks each, so 80 of the 200 marks. Prescription review is next at 32 marks. Q: Is there negative marking in the PSA? A: Check the official PSA information for the current marking rules. Check the official PSA information for the current marking rules. Leaving an item blank scores nothing, so give your best answer to every item. Q: What is the PSA pass mark? A: It is set for each paper by the provider and is not a fixed figure, so check the official PSA information for how it is determined. ## Related notes - How to revise for the PSA: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/how-to-revise/ - PSA study plan for 2, 4 and 8 weeks: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/study-plan/ - How to write a safe prescription: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/prescribing-safely/ - Common PSA mistakes that cost marks: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/common-mistakes/ Sources: British Pharmacological Society and MSC Assessment PSA information; BNF. Exam-revision notes, not patient-specific advice; the BNF is the authority. More: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/ (all notes), https://passthepsa.com/psa/ (exam guide), https://passthepsa.com/ (practice questions).