The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) membership exams consist of two parts, Part A and Part B, both of which must be passed to progress with training.
Part A
Part A is intended to test candidate's knowledge and understanding of the scientific basis of public health. Currently the FPH recommends that trainees sit the exam within 18 months (or part time equivalent) of the start of training, though our school supports registrars in deciding the most appropriate time for them to sit the exam. Exam sittings are twice a year, in January and in June. More details of the exams, including dates, application and past papers can be found here. HEYH have agreed that registrars may attempt the Part A exam a maximum of 3 times within the training programme.
Our school provides a comprehensive Part A revision programme to assist preparation for the exam. This programme is delivered through the School of Health and Related Research (SCHARR) at the University of Sheffield with assistance from trainees who have already completed the exam and regional consultants. It consists of a day a week of focused revision teaching and exam question practice over a 10 week period. Currently the programme is run every 12 months. Details of the programme are circulated to participating registrars before each course.
Our school also supports dedicated revision time before the Part A exams of one day a week 6 months before the exam and 2 days a week during the 3 months leading up to the exam.
Part B/OSPHE
The Part B exam (also known as Objective Structured Public Health Examination or OSPHE) is designed to assess registrars’ ability to apply relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes to the practice of public health. The exam is a series of scenario based stations delivered through role play to test skills such as presenting, listening and comprehending communication skills, handling uncertainty and challenges, and analytical skills. More details of the exam, including dates, application process, a mini OSPHE preparation pack, and sample scenarios, can be found here.
Revision with other registrars also taking the exam is encouraged by the school. A part B mock examination is also run by the school, using trainers and registrars as examiners and actors, to familiarise registrars with the style of the exam. We aim to make the mock exam as close to the real part B exam as possible.