In Outcomes for Graduates, the GMC has defined the prescribing competencies required of new medical school graduates.

The Prescribing Safety Assessment allows candidates to demonstrate their competencies in relation to the safe and effective use of medicines.

You will sit a national Prescribing Safety Assessment in Year 5. It is a standardised external online examination taken by every medical student in the UK. The MBChB Programme delivers this on behalf of the UKFPO. This assessment will prepare you for work as a Foundation Year 1 doctor.

As of academic year 2025-2026 onwards, passing the PSA is now a mandatory part of the Manchester MBChB degree requirements i.e. the PSA must be passed to allow graduation.

You will be supported throughout Year 3-Year 5 to prepare for the PSA with dedicated prescribing and medicines safety-related teaching and PSA specific formative assessments.

We will provide two sitting of the PSA in Year 5 – the second sitting will be for students who were unsuccessful / unable to attend the first sitting.

Please note that the PSA nationally follows a ‘fit to sit’ policy. As such submission of Mitigating Circumstances for this exam does not apply. We do however allow students to have up to four attempts of the PSA (no more than 2 sittings in an academic year).

Please note that if you are repeating Year 5, you do not need to re-take the PSA if you have successfully passed this within the last academic year.

More information about the examination is available externally  here and  internally on 1Med.