Core Revision
The DCSRH Online Theory Assessment: format, attempts and how to pass
David5 min read
Written October 2026
The DCSRH Online Theory Assessment (OTA) is 50 single-best-answer questions in one hour, online and open book, with a 60% pass mark. You get three attempts as standard: the first comes with your enrolment fee and each resit costs £93. Here is where it sits, how to book it, the resit rules and how we would prepare. Checked against cosrh.org and the CoSRH help centre on 16 October 2026.
Where the OTA sits in the diploma
The OTA is one of four assessments in the DCSRH (formerly the DFSRH), the diploma of the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH). The College was formerly the FSRH. The other three are an Independent Learning Portfolio of 23 formative activities, five Summative Clinical Assessments and the Assessment Half Day. You complete all four within two years of approval and your College Registered Trainer signs them off.
The OTA replaced the eKA, the College’s previous theory assessment. CoSRH says the theory test is no longer an entry requirement: you pass it as part of the programme.
The format at a glance
| Questions | 50 single-best-answer questions |
|---|---|
| Time | One hour, plus 15 minutes with an approved reasonable adjustment |
| Where | Online, on the CoSRH Training Hub |
| Open book | Yes |
| Pass mark | 60%, which is 30 out of 50 |
| Attempts | Three as standard; the first is included in your enrolment fee |
| Resit fee | £93 per attempt |
| Practice test | On the Training Hub |
When you can sit it
The OTA has no fixed place in the order. Once you have completed the Welcome & Introduction section on the Training Hub, all four assessment areas open and you can agree the order with your trainer. The one fixed rule is that all five clinical assessments come before the Assessment Half Day.
CoSRH does recommend doing your first Summative Clinical Assessment before the OTA, because its content may come up.
Sitting the DCSRH? Try ten questions free.
The DCSRH Question Bank has 650 OTA-style questions on contraception, UKMEC 2025, prescribing and STI management, with a UKMEC eligibility trainer and an AHD station simulator. It is £49.99 for 12 months. Try ten questions first, free and with no sign-up.
How you book it
The help centre’s step-by-step guide gives the route:
- Log in at cosrh.org and select MyCoSRH.
- Select the Training Hub button, then Browse courses.
- Open the Diploma tile and select Online Theory Assessment.
- Choose an attempt. The link opens once payment is complete and any reasonable adjustment has been applied.
The clock starts as soon as you select “Attempt quiz now”. Before that, CoSRH suggests checking your internet connection, getting any refreshments and having your reference materials ready.
Extra time. If you need it, apply for a reasonable adjustment before you book; review typically takes up to three working days. Then use the additional time attempt link, not the first one you see. CoSRH will not refund a wrong choice.
Attempts and resits
CoSRH allows three attempts as standard. The first is included in your enrolment fee; a second or third costs £93 each.
The help centre says a fourth attempt needs a wait of at least six months. You have to ask the support team for access to pay for it. If your job role means you cannot wait, CoSRH asks you to contact support@cosrh.org.
Six months is a quarter of your two-year window. In our view the first attempt deserves proper preparation, not a trial run.
How an OTA pass counts towards a Letter of Competence
An OTA passed within the Diploma in the last five years also counts towards the LoC IUT (intrauterine techniques) or the LoC SDI (subdermal implants). Contact CoSRH support and they will help with your application.
It works the other way too. If you passed the OTA for a Letter of Competence in the last five years, you do not resit it for the Diploma. A standalone eKA or OTA stays valid for two years; one passed as part of another qualification lasts five. Outside those limits you sit the OTA again in full.
How we would prepare
CoSRH’s help centre points to its own resources for the OTA, including the eSRH online learning and its standards and guidance. The rest of this section is our view.
Open book still needs pace. Fifty questions in 60 minutes is 72 seconds a question. Look up every answer and you will run out of time. Answer what you know and save the look-ups for the questions that need them.
Know where things are. Learn the layout of the UKMEC and the CoSRH guidance you use most, so a check takes seconds rather than minutes. Have them open before you start the clock.
Sit the practice test first. CoSRH recommends it. The first time you see the screen should not be an attempt that counts.
Rehearse the full hour. Do at least one timed set of 50 questions with your references open. You will soon see whether your look-ups are fast enough.
How this fits the platform
The DCSRH question bank has 650 questions in the style of the Online Theory Assessment across 12 modules. Timed mock theory assessments run at the real pace: 50 questions in 60 minutes. The DCSRH hub also has the ten-chapter revision guide and the Station Simulator for timed Assessment Half Day stations. Full access is £49.99 for 12 months. Five interactive decoders, including one for the UKMEC, are free with any account. So are the Core 10 daily questions. We do not run courses or offer clinical training, so the clinical side stays with your trainer. You can try ten questions free with no sign-up, no timer and nothing saved.
Quick answers
Is the DCSRH Online Theory Assessment open book?
Yes. CoSRH describes it as open book. You still have 50 questions to answer in one hour.
What is the pass mark for the DCSRH OTA?
The pass mark is 60%, which is 30 out of 50 single-best-answer questions.
How many attempts do you get at the DCSRH OTA?
Three as standard. The first is included in your enrolment fee; a second or third costs £93 each. A fourth is possible after at least six months.
Does the OTA count towards a Letter of Competence?
Yes, if you passed it within the Diploma in the last five years and go on to the LoC IUT or LoC SDI.
Is the DFSRH exam the same as the DCSRH OTA?
The DCSRH was formerly the DFSRH. Its theory test is the Online Theory Assessment, which replaced the eKA.
Core Revision is independent and not affiliated with the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.
