The Triple Qualification examination of the Scottish medical and surgical colleges, 1884-1993

The Triple Qualification (TQ) examination of the three Scottish medical colleges was founded in 1884 in the aftermath of the Medical Act of 1858, to offer a medical qualification that would have equal status with that of the universities and other medical schools. Continued efforts to amend the Act had threatened that the universities might dominate basic medical education to the exclusion of the colleges, which opposed this perceived threat to their viability. The TQ proved surprisingly durable and catered for a changing constituency of candidates over the century of its existence, offering a route to medical qualification for individuals from Great Britain and Ireland, the dominions and such diverse groups as exiled Jews from Europe and Rhodesians following independence. This article examines the origins and structure of the examination and assesses the changing candidate profile over the century of its existence.