Table 1 Characteristics of PasTest revision candidates sitting PACES examination.
| Number of candidates | All candidates | UK graduates | Overseas graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total (%) | 483 | 227 (47.0) | 256 (53.0) |
| June | 237 | 119 | 118 |
| October | 246 | 108 | 138 |
| Male (%) | 278 (57.6) | 92 (40.5)* | 186 (72.7)* |
| Female (%) | 205 (42.4) | 135 (59.5)* | 70 (27.3)* |
| Passed (%) | 219 (45.3) | 152 (67.0)* | 67 (26.2)* |
| English first language (%) | 262 (54.2) | 202 (90.0)* | 60 (23.4)* |
| Previous BSc degree (%) | 158 (32.7) | 119 (52.4)* | 39 (15.2)* |
| Previous PACES course (%) | 206 (42.7) | 105 (46.3) | 101 (39.4) |
| Age (years) mean (SD) | 30.6 (4.8) | 28.1 (2.8) | 32.8 (5.2) |
| Year qualification (SD) | 1996 (4.1) | 1998 (1.2) | 1994 (4.7) |
| Ethnicity (%) | |||
| White | 193 (40.0) | 148 (65.2) | 45 (17.5) |
| African | 33 (6.8) | 1 (0.5) | 32 (12.5) |
| Afro‐Caribbean | 5 (1.0) | 4 (1.8) | 1 (0.4) |
| Asian | 161 (33.3) | 53 (23.3) | 108 (42.2) |
| Oriental | 54 (11.2) | 16 (7.0) | 38 (14.8) |
| Other | 37 (7.7) | 5 (2.2) | 32 (12.5) |
| Previous experience | Months of experience: mean (SD) | ||
| UK teaching hospital | 6.9 (9.9) | 10.7 (10.8) | 3.6 (7.7) |
| UK district hospital | 10.2 (11.3) | 13.7 (11.3) | 7.2 (10.4) |
| Overseas | 18.0 (37.0) | 1.1 (3.9) | 32.9 (45.8) |
| Total | 35.2 (33.2) | 25.5 (9.6) | 43.7 (43.0) |
*Significant difference between UK and overseas graduates (p<0.05). p Values not shown for differences in ethnic origin or overseas experience, as these were clearly different between UK and overseas candidates.