Almost 20% of registrars who sat a September 2023 exam were given the wrong results — mostly passes when they should have failed — after a data error only recognised this week by the UK college of physicians.

The Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK said on Wednesday that an audit had identified 222 candidates who were wrongly told they had passed and 61 candidates who were wrongly told they had failed.

The Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK (MRCPUK) exam was to determine progress into subspecialty training, such as cardiology, respiratory or intensive care. 

“UK resident doctors who are likely to have taken this examination are at an early level of practice and are under the supervision of consultant physicians and therefore no new risk to patient safety,” the federation said in a statement.