The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, which runs the exam and is facing fierce criticism for its handling of the debacle, announced on Tuesday that it had received an agreement from Pearson Vue to refund doctors the exam fee of $1800. “Last week, the RACP requested an explanation from Pearson Vue detailing the cause of the exam computer shut down,” the statement said. Loading “Pearson Vue’s preliminary view was that it related to human error in the quality assurance phase of the exam set up." The college is also exploring whether it can reimburse exam candidates for their travel and accommodation expenses.

“This is something we are still discussing with our insurers, but the intention is that no candidate who sat the cancelled exam will be financially disadvantaged,” said a statement on its website. The college has promised that a “full and transparent” investigation will be conducted into an exam error by an independent party, following revelations registrars raised concerns about whether Pearson Vue could be trusted with the exam, months before the botched test. A new exam, this time on paper, has been rescheduled for Friday. If participants are not available this week, trainees in Australia and New Zealand can sit the test again on March 23. Pearson Vue, which has a well-documented history of stuff ups in the United States, has been ditched as the exam provider. The company issued a formal apology on Tuesday evening, more than a week after the incident.

“To the RACP trainees, we let you down,” the statement said. “We know the RACP exam is a highly stressful and emotional endeavour, and we have the utmost respect and appreciation for the dedication, years of hard work, and sacrifice you put into preparation for the exam. “We are extremely sorry for this unfortunate and rare occurrence and apologise to the RACP organization [sic] for the breach in confidence and surrounding issues this has caused. “We are committed to continue working in partnership with the RACP in the care and handling of this incident.”

A Sydney-based company specialising in pen and paper exams, Language and Testing Consultants, which has previously run the college exams, has been brought in for the new test. The embarrassing episode has garnered intense criticism from the medical community and their families, with many taking to social media to complain. “This was the most important exam of my life to date,” wrote Victoria Johnson on Twitter. “I had studied hard, put my life on hold, fought through nerves and anxiety only to be left distraught and upset. And your first communication to us was via Facebook! “I’m so disappointed.”

But Tuesday’s announcement appeared to have been welcomed. “Seems like the RACP is finally getting their act together,” said another doctor on Twitter. “At least trainees who have to travel again might now end up not further out of pocket. I hope all colleges learn from this.” The college's president, Dr Catherine Yelland, said it was focused on finding the best ways to support trainees in the lead up to the new exam. “We have been speaking directly with trainees, the directors of physician education and health administrators to support trainees as they prepare for the new exam,” Dr Yelland said.

“Our focus now is on getting trainees through the paper-based exam this Friday.” All the questions from the failed exam have been publicly released, and a new exam has been formulated for Friday.