The ACEM Fellowship Written exam: the SAQ and SCQ papers
The Fellowship Written has two papers that test different things. Strong candidates prepare for both deliberately.
The structure
The Fellowship Written exam is one Short Answer Question (SAQ) paper and one Select Choice Question (SCQ) paper, each 180 minutes, so six hours in total. ACEM allows it to be taken during Training Stage 3, and allows up to three attempts.
The SAQ paper
A short-answer paper asks you to produce an organised answer from memory, in the time given. It rewards judgement as much as knowledge: deciding what matters, putting it in a sensible order, and writing it concisely.
The most common loss is not missing content. It is writing a long answer to the wrong question, or spending too long on one question and rushing the rest. Read what the question actually asks, and give each question the time its marks deserve.
The SCQ paper
The SCQ paper is multiple choice. At this level the options are often all plausible, so the question is which is best in the scenario given. Practise reading the stem for what it is really asking before you look at the options.
Preparing for both
Practise the two formats separately, because they build different skills, and then together, because you sit them back to back. Write SAQ answers by hand or on a screen at exam pace, and then compare them with a model answer. Look at what you missed and at what you wrote that earned nothing.
Use ACEM’s published past papers and examiner reports where they are available to trainees. They show the standard the examiners expect better than any commercial question does.
Deciding when to sit
With three attempts at the Written, and a fee and a block of preparation for each, it is worth knowing how likely you are to pass before you commit. Results across several timed papers are better evidence than how you feel.
Where to check the official details
Format, eligibility, sitting dates and attempt limits are on ACEM’s examinations page. ClintixPro is independent of ACEM and is not endorsed by it.
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