Promoting and maintaining the quality and standards of Australian general practice on behalf of the profession and the Australian community is The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' central activity. An important part of this process is assessment of doctors wishing to attain Fellowship of the RACGP. For general practice registrars, the summative assessment process is the college examination. This article presents details of the assessment process, outlines changes in the RACGP Examination, and publishes its outcomes. This is the first in a series of three articles focussing on changes in the RACGP Examination, its candidature, analysis of results, and plans for future development.