PACES pass rates (2025) and the skills candidates most often fail
Official 2025 PACES pass rates for UK resident doctors and other candidates, first-attempt results, and what the data says about the skills and stations that cost marks.
The short answer
- 7,485 candidates sat PACES in 2025. The pass rate was 54.2% for UK resident doctors and 44.1% for other candidates.
- At the first attempt, 56.6% of UK resident doctors and 43.0% of other candidates passed.
- Skill B (identifying physical signs) had the lowest pass rate of the seven skills, and the neurology encounter showed the largest gap between candidates’ average score and the maximum.
- Most failures come from a handful of fixable habits: reporting signs that aren’t there, unstructured presentations, and leaving patients’ concerns until the end.
PACES pass rates in 2025
These figures come from the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians' PACES 2025 Annual Performance Report.
| Group | Candidates | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK resident doctors | 2,786 | 1,510 | 54.2% |
| Other candidates | 4,699 | 2,074 | 44.1% |
By attempt
| Attempt | UK resident doctors | Other candidates |
|---|---|---|
| First attempt | 56.6% (901 of 1,591) | 43.0% (1,066 of 2,481) |
| Attempts 2–6 | 51.1% (606 of 1,187) | 45.5% (992 of 2,179) |
In other words, roughly half of candidates do not pass at any given sitting, including many experienced doctors. PACES is not a test of how much medicine you know; it is a test of how reliably you perform the seven skills under time pressure, in front of two examiners.
Where candidates lose marks
- Skill B, identifying physical signs, had the lowest pass rate of the seven skills in 2025. Skill G, patient welfare, had the highest.
- Neurology showed the largest gap between candidates' average score and the maximum of any encounter. The communication encounters showed the smallest.
- In a trainee's account published by the Federation, they failed several times by narrow margins, the last by a single mark, because of two skills: differential diagnosis (D) and identifying physical signs (B). What changed their result was far more bedside practice with colleagues and examiners.
The most common reasons for failing
- Reporting signs that are not there. The Federation's advice to candidates is explicit: report what you find, not what would fit your presumed diagnosis. Inventing a murmur or a sign costs marks in B and usually D.
- Hesitant or incomplete examination technique. Skill A rewards a fluent routine. If you are still working out the order of your examination on the day, you lose time and marks.
- Unstructured presentations. The discussion starts with your summary. A rambling list of findings without a conclusion makes D and E harder to score.
- Leaving concerns until the end. In communication and consultation encounters, concerns should be addressed as soon as they are raised. Saving them for the last minute costs marks in F.
- Running out of time in consultations. Spending ten minutes on the history leaves no time to examine, explain and agree a plan, so whole skills go untested and count as Unsatisfactory.
- Nerves. The Federation's advice is to treat each encounter as a fresh start and not dwell on the last one. Familiarity is the best antidote: rehearse the format until it feels routine.
How to shift the odds in your favour
- Target Skill B with volume. See as many real patients with signs as you can, and between bedside sessions train your eye and ear with clinical images and heart and breath sound recordings.
- Make neurology a priority. Learn a localisation-first approach and practise it until it is automatic (see our neurology station guide).
- Practise presenting out loud every day. Saying "the most likely diagnosis is… because…" followed by sensible differentials is a skill you can drill alone (see how to present a case).
- Rehearse under real timings. 6 minutes to examine, 10 for communication, 15 for consultations.
- Get honest feedback skill by skill, so you know whether to spend your next session on technique, signs, differentials or communication.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the PACES pass rate?
In 2025, 54.2% of UK resident doctors and 44.1% of other candidates passed PACES. At the first attempt the figures were 56.6% and 43.0% respectively.
Which PACES skill do most candidates fail?
In 2025, Skill B (identifying physical signs) had the lowest pass rate of the seven skills, while Skill G (maintaining patient welfare) had the highest.
Which PACES station is the hardest?
In the 2025 data, the neurology encounter showed the largest gap between candidates’ average score and the maximum score of any encounter, while the communication encounters showed the smallest.
How many attempts do you get at PACES?
MRCP(UK) allows a maximum of six attempts at any part of the examination, including PACES.
Why do people fail PACES?
Common reasons include reporting signs that are not present, hesitant examination technique, unstructured presentations, leaving patients’ concerns until the end and running out of time in consultations.
Written by The Ace PACES team. Exam facts are taken from the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians’ published PACES guidance, linked in the sources above. This guide supports exam preparation and is not a clinical guideline.
Related guides
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