COVID-19: Examination FAQs
 

We regret to inform you that RANZCOG has made the difficult decision to cancel the October 2020 FRANZCOG Oral Examination, which was to be conducted on Sunday, 18 October 2020.  The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unpredictability and uncertainty for future RANZCOG events, and the health, safety, and wellbeing of our candidates, examiners and staff members are paramount.  Planning an examination that requires travel to Melbourne in October is no longer a viable option. This decision was made after much consideration and deliberation with relevant RANZCOG stakeholders.

Alternative options are currently being considered, by the RANZCOG Board, and Committees, to run a replacement examination in early December 2020.  Further information will be provided to you in due course.  RANZCOG will continue to provide a minimum of three months’ notice before any examination date is announced.
 

As at 17 July 2020

Upon confirmation of an alternative date for the FRANZCOG Oral Examination, online application forms will be made available on the Examination Applications page of the RANZCOG Website to all trainees who wish to apply.  It is also recommended that you regularly review the Examination FAQs page to ensure that you receive the most updated information pertaining to the FRANZCOG Oral Examination.
 
We encourage you to contact the Examinations & Assessments Team at [email protected] for further clarification or concerns in relation to this change. As you may be aware, all RANZCOG College staff across Australia and New Zealand continue to work remotely but are contactable during regular College business hours.

All candidates who have registered or expressed interest in sitting an examination will be contacted when registration re-opens. Information will also be regularly updated on the website and in the FAQs.

As at 17 July 2020

To be eligible to sit examinations SIMG candidates need to be in a position prospectively approved by the College.

UPDATE: The changes to the situation regarding COVID-19 in Victoria has not affected the plan for examinations in October. RANZCOG will continue to work with our examination delivery partners and monitor the changing situation with COVID-19. 

The CWH, CWH Upgrade to DRANZCOG and DRANZCOG Written Examinations will be held on Tuesday 6 October 2020. The examinations will be held at Clifton’s Centres in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
 
The registration period for the CWH, CWH Upgrade to DRANZCOG and DRANZCOG Written Examinations has closed. No late applications will be accepted. Eligibility for the examination will be confirmed approximately four weeks following closure of the registration period.
 
The FRANZCOG Written Examination will be held on Friday 23 October 2020. The examination will be held at Clifton’s Centres in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wellington.
 
The registration period for the FRANZCOG Written Examination closes at 5:00pm, 20 July 2020. Eligibility for the examination will be confirmed approximately four weeks following closure of the registration period.
 
As the date and examination conditions must consider COVID-19 adjustments and to ensure registration information is accurate every candidate will need to register in the new form even if they have already registered. If you have already registered and paid for the FRANZCOG examination, please contact the team at [email protected] for a voucher code to use on the new registration form.

If you have any questions regarding the RANZCOG Written Examination please email [email protected] or call +61 (3) 9417 1699.

Yes. We are working to identify the best contingency plan for delivery of all written examinations in 2020. Venues in Hobart and Darwin have been negotiated for the 6 October CWH, CWH Upgrade to DRANZCOG and DRANZCOG Written Examinations and the 23 October FRANZCOG Written Examination.

The DRANZCOG Advanced Oral examination scheduled on 30 August 2020 will be run in an on-line format for a limited number of candidates.

Due to the ongoing situation with COVID 19 a proposal is currently with the RANZCOG board to cancel the face to face examination on November 1st 2020, as July 31st  2020. Online registrations for this examination have been postponed and information regarding the next DRANZCOG Advanced Oral Examination will be provided as soon as possible.
 

UPDATE: The changes to the situation regarding COVID-19 in Victoria has not affected the plan for examinations in September and October.

In accordance with the Government restrictions enforced in Victoria travel to the RANZCOG Office is possible as per the following outline:
There is once again only be 4 reasons to leave home:

• Shopping for food and supplies
• Medical care and caregiving
• Exercise and recreation
• Study and work – if you can’t do it from home

Ref: https://www.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions-victoria 

The decision has been made that the subspecialty written examinations will be held in the RANZCOG state and territory and New Zealand offices/locations as required. All examinations will be paper based.

The Certificate Written Examination in Urogynaecology (CU) will be held on Thursday 24 September 2020.

The Certificate Written Examinations in Gynaecological Oncology (CGO), Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM), Obstetrical and Gynaecological Ultrasound (COGU) and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (CREI) will be held on Thursday 1 October 2020.

Th registration period for these written examinations has now closed.

At this stage there are no changes to RANZCOG examinations that are scheduled in November 2020. The Subspecialty Oral Examinations remain scheduled for 22 November 2020.
 
Due to the uncertainty that COVID-19 has created, on-line registration will be made available again to all candidates for the Subspecialty Oral Examinations, after the RANZCOG Board meets at the end of July and in line with Government restrictions in place at that time.
 
The College has made a commitment to provide at least three months’ notice to candidates prior to any examination.
 

All trainees interested in examination updates should continue to monitor RANZCOG website for up to date information.  

The RANZCOG home page will provide the most current information for key activities of the College. Information will be updated on a regular basis through the following communications. A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will address concerns for the different members of the College.
 
The examinations, selection and training pages for each training program will provide updated information and contact details for more specific questions. The College newsletter Connect, our Facebook page and Twitter will also be channels where we will aim to provide up to date information for our members.

The circumstances relating to employment vary greatly for each trainee. The College asks any trainee who may have employment matters relating to deferred examinations to provide us with details of your circumstances. This information is being compiled to inform contingency planning options moving forward. Contact details are as follows:

• FRANZCOG trainees – [email protected]
• DRANZCOG/DRANZCOG Advanced trainees – [email protected]
• Subspecialties - [email protected]

All registration payments received for  examinations scheduled between March and August have been rolled over to the next examination.
 
If you do not plan to sit an examination at the next opportunity and you would like a refund  please contact Assessment Services at [email protected].

Once a date is confirmed for the next examination all candidates who have registered an expression of interest will be contacted to confirm their intent to continue with registration. At this point candidates will be able to continue or decline the opportunity to register for the examination. Candidates who have already paid registration and for whatever reason choose not to continue to sit the next examination will be given a full refund.