The Royal Australasian College of Physicians is reviewing its clinical examination for paediatric trainees after candidates complained it was plagued by racial bias.

In a statement, the college says it has acted after receiving a seven-page anonymous letter from a group of New Zealand registrars and fellows calling for a review to deal with “pervasive systemic issues with the exam”.

Pointing out that more than 90% of examiners were Caucasian, the letter authors claimed that data from the past five years showed that the overall chance of a non-Caucasian candidate passing on the first attempt was 40% compared with 93% for Caucasian candidates.

“We believe that the vast discrepancy of pass rates reflects the existing racial bias and discrimination and that this is in breach of the New Zealand Human Rights Act,” the doctors wrote.