The RCVS OSCE: what to expect at the practical stage of the SME

Updated 20 October 2026

The OSCE is the practical stage of the SME. It is a circuit of timed stations that test what you can do, not only what you know. Everyone is assessed on identical scenarios, asked the same questions and scored in a standard way.

The format

A multi-station circuit of clinical and professional scenarios, held usually in the autumn.
Stations normally last 15 or 20 minutes, with the time stated in the instructions.
There are separate circuits for companion animal, production animal and equine, in places such as a clinical skills lab, an equine centre and a farm or production setting.
Every station has several tasks. If you cannot do one, you can usually move on to the next.
Some stations use an actor as the client. Others use live animals, models or cadavers, and some are outdoors, in a barn, field or stable.

What is assessed

The scenarios reflect common general practice work at Day One Competence level: clinical examination, history taking, diagnostic procedures, treatment planning, practical skills and communication with the client.

Passing

You must pass each area, and you can resit individual areas. The RCVS says the pass mark is set using a recognised standard-setting method.

How to prepare

Practise the skills with real kit: gowning and gloving, suturing, bandaging, injections, the anaesthetic machine check, laboratory skills.
Use a checklist and tick every step honestly. Red items that endanger an animal or person are automatic fails in most OSCE marking schemes.
Say what you are doing out loud so the examiner can credit it.
Time yourself to 15 minutes per station.
Run full mock circuits with a friend as examiner.
Drill the viva questions and calculations ten minutes a day.

Frequently asked questions

How long are the RCVS OSCE stations?

Normally 15 or 20 minutes, according to the RCVS guidance.

Does the RCVS OSCE use actors?

Yes. Stations that assess communication may include an actor playing the client.

Can I resit part of the OSCE?

Yes. You must pass every area, but you can resit individual areas.