The Common Item Bank Final Review Group will be responsible for supporting the development and quality assurance of all new items and for the post-exam review of items used in the Common Item Bank on an ongoing basis.
The Group will aim to ensure that the MSC Assessment Alliance Common Item Bank is fit for purpose and has breadth and depth of items. This will include reviewing the existing pool of non-AKT items, identifying and advising on areas where new items will be needed, commissioning the development of these items from staff attending the item review events, reviewing items flagged by performance data and making periodic review of questions to ensure they are up to date.
Applicants should be of senior trainee (ST5 and above), Consultant, General Practitioner (or equivalent senior academic status) or equivalent Staff and Associate Specialist (SAS) grade and should come from clinical specialties involved in the delivery of undergraduate medical education and assessment.
Applicants must have an honorary or substantive contract with a UK university that has a medical school and be actively engaged in the teaching and/or training of medical students within the last two years.
Applicants should have a current licence to practise. However, those who have recently demitted practice will be considered where they can demonstrate they continue to have the relevant skills and experience.
Applicants should have considerable understanding of the knowledge, skills, duties, responsibilities and competencies expected of a doctor in a first appointment within the UK Foundation Programme.
Applicants will have expertise in medical education and assessment and will have local and/or national experience of writing SBAs at finals-level or similar. They will be expected to engage in constructive discussions of item content and work collaboratively with other members of the group to reach a consensus. Familiarity with MSC’s Exam-Write platform where the questions are banked and edited is desirable.
Applicants must have an understanding of and a commitment to addressing equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusivity, with a non-discriminatory approach to cultural differences and all other protected characteristics and an appreciation of the issues faced by newly qualified doctors.
Applicants should be up to date as appropriate with CPD requirements and relevant national guidelines, including EDI training.
Initially it is anticipated that events will be held twice a year, one 1.5 day in-person event and one 1 day virtual event. For the 1.5 day in-person event, the first 1 day will be for the first stage of review, and the remaining 0.5 days will be for the Final Review Group members to complete the review process. The 1 day virtual event will be a morning session with the initial review group followed by an afternoon session with the Final Review Groups. The venues for in-person events will vary but are likely to include London, Coventry and a location in the north of England. Members of the Final Review Group will be required to attend a minimum of one meeting each year.
Appointments will be for a 3-year term after which there will be an option to reapply along with any new candidates who want to put themselves forward. Members who fail to attend the required number of meetings or to meet the required standard of work could be demitted.
Job descriptions and terms of reference can be accessed below.
Job description Terms of Reference
Applications are managed through Sparksform and can be accessed using the link. The deadline for applications for the Common Item Bank Final Review Group is midnight on Tuesday 30th June 2026.