The Membership examination of the Royal College of General Practitioners has evolved and matured as a seal and a test on completion of vocational training. More than 1000 candidates are taking the examination each year and an increasing majority are trainees who have completed their three­ year training period. The whole concept and philosophy of the MRCGP has been questioned by critical cynics who refuse to accept general practice as a field of medical practice worthy of recognition as a specialty with its own core of know­ ledge, skills and expertise and with its own special epidemiology, pathology, clinical presentations and management. These cynical critics are being answered by the growth of the examination and its recognition within the profession as an important and necessary goal to be achieved. The MRCGP exam has arrived, it is here to stay and it will continue to grow and evolve. The exam is no easy obstacle to negotiate. It has a regular failure rate of I in 3 and it requires special preparation and study of its examinees if they are to understand its aims, contents and methods. It must not be assumed that even the brightest trainee can walk off the street, enter the examin­ ation hall and be confident of passing. It requires a few months of careful and guided preparation.