Why the SCE pass rate is falling, and the topics that catch people out

Recent Dermatology SCE pass rates, the 2024 pass mark, and the high-yield areas, including vasculitis, immunobullous disease and dermatopathology, that most often trip candidates up.

The Dermatology SCE has a reputation for being hard, and the numbers bear that out. Here is what the recent data tells us and, more usefully, where candidates tend to lose marks.

The pass rate, in numbers

typical annual pass rate

50-60%

2024 pass mark (73.5%)

147 / 200

maximum attempts

5

In most years between half and two-thirds of candidates pass. The official 2024 results set the pass mark at 443, which worked out at 73.5%, or 147 of 200 questions. Reporting from the colleges notes that pass rates among UK trainees have slipped over recent years and still sit below where they were before the pandemic. (For exactly how that pass mark is set, see our article on the exam format.)

The topics that catch people out

Examiner feedback and trainee surveys keep pointing at the same shortlist of high-yield, high-difficulty areas. If one of these feels shaky, treat that as a signal rather than something to skim.

• Vasculitis. The overlapping classifications, systemic associations and the small versus medium vessel split trip a lot of people up.
• Immunobullous disease. Pemphigus versus pemphigoid, the target antigens and the direct immunofluorescence patterns reward careful, structured revision.
• Dermatopathology. Histology recognition and clinicopathological correlation are heavily tested and easy to under-prepare.
• Pharmacology and immunotherapy. Biologics, monitoring, drug interactions and safety in pregnancy come up repeatedly.
• Genodermatoses and basic science. Inheritance patterns and gene associations are free marks if you have drilled them and guesswork if you have not.

Turning the hard topics into marks

• Give these areas more time than feels comfortable. That is where the next mark is cheapest to win.
• Boil each one down to a single page, with tables for the classifications and drug monitoring.
• Drill them with questions first, then read around the answers, because recognition under timed conditions is the skill being tested.
• Revisit them visually, pairing each condition with its classic clinical and histology images.

Sources & further reading

• SCE Dermatology 2024 Results Report (Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians)
• The Dermatology SCE - British Dermatology Education Group (BDEG)
• Specialty Certificate Exam in Dermatology: What You Need To Know - StudyPRN

For educational use only. Check current official guidance.