Exam diets and dates
We will now be providing four sittings of the AKT, in January, April, July and October each year. You will have the ability to reserve your place up to 12 months in advance of your intended sitting, and will book and pay eight weeks ahead of your examination date.
Reservations and bookings
With our new reservation system, you can now reserve a spot on the AKT up to 12 months in advance of your planned examination date. You can also view the spaces available on a diet in real-time and look at the overview of examination diets in the year, enabling you to plan to sit the examination at a time which suits you. You can cancel and adjust your reservation date at any time up to eight weeks prior to your examination date.
Please note that a reservation does not constitute a booking. This process must be done separately, and you must reserve to be eligible to book.
Reserve your place on the AKT examination diet on your trainee portfolio
All trainees will see the option to reserve an AKT examination from the trainee portfolio. Trainees in ST1 will have the option to reserve an AKT examination and are reminded to ensure you will be eligible for your chosen AKT diet when reserving a space.
When you click on the link from the portfolio, you will be taken to the exam reservations page where you can reserve your place. An availability indicator will display whether availability for each diet is good, limited, last few or full.
The examinations team will monitor bookings and trainee demand for each diet and will always seek to support trainees who need to sit the AKT in order to complete their training and progress in their journey to join the General Medical Council's (GMC) GP Register.
Those who have reserved a place will be sent a unique booking link about nine weeks in advance of the examination date by email. From here you will be required to complete your booking information and pay the examination fee.
You are reminded to read the pre-application information and take appropriate action before the booking period, as you may not be able to complete a booking if your training records do not meet the criteria for eligibility.
Once you have paid you will be notified that your booking has been confirmed and your place on the AKT will be secured. You will be able to book a place in a Pearson VUE Test Centre to sit your AKT.
Important information for trainees re-sitting the AKT
A limited number of places within each AKT examination will be held for trainees who have been unsuccessful in previous sittings and are unable to secure a reservation for a resit examination prior to their planned completion date.
If you are in this position please contact the examinations team. Please ensure you include your GMC date, planned completion date and any other pertinent information relevant to your situation e.g. pregnancy.
Requests for these places must be received by the examinations team by midday the Monday before each booking window, to allow allocation of places and communication to trainees before the booking window opens. It may not be possible to accommodate requests received after midday the Monday before the booking period opens.
Allocation of these places will be based on the planned completion date within your trainee portfolio.
Important information about test centre availability
Non-mainland UK candidates: please contact the examinations department as soon as possible before a booking window to discuss test centre options.
Please note that on limited occasions a facilities issue at a Pearson VUE test centre may result in candidate relocation. Notice of any changes would be provided by Pearson VUE via email at the earliest opportunity.
Information from each diet is actively reviewed by the examinations team and Pearson VUE to inform capacity requirements locally and across the Pearson VUE network for each AKT diet.
Fees
The examination fee for the AKT is £470.
Disabilities and reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments can be made to the AKT procedures where necessary to meet the needs of individuals who are disabled as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
Read our webpage on equality and diversity to find out more.