Applied knowledge test (AKT)
- Applied knowledge test (AKT)
- Clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSA)
- Supporting medical schools
The applied knowledge test (AKT) is a written assessment of applied clinical knowledge. It's one of the two components of the MLA, alongside the clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSA).
The medical school AKT (MS AKT) is now being delivered for all students graduating from UK medical schools. It’s constructed centrally - by medical schools collaborating through the Medical Schools Council (MSC) - and delivered locally.
The MS AKT is regulated by us and has a common format, test standard, delivery method and policy framework. We oversee its central design and development for quality, consistency, and fairness; and quality assure the exam against a set of published AKT requirements.
Further detail can be found in medical schools proposal document, which was coordinated and submitted by the MSC in May 2021 - and approved by our Council - in June 2021.
AKT requirements
The AKT requirements, available below, were published as an annex to the MLA framework and circulated to you in March 2021. They specify the requirements that an AKT must meet for it to count towards a student's MLA.
The requirements were developed in collaboration with stakeholders and with the advice of independent assessment experts.
Compliance reports for each UK medical school are now published. Each document records our review of, and decision on, whether an assessment provider is compliant by meeting the requirements annexed to the framework.
