Professional Registers FAQs

For all of our registers* you need to be an RSB member. For RSciTech, RSci and Plant Health, you need to be at least an affiliate member. For Chartered registers and Qualified Person you need to be a member (MRSB) or Fellow. For the Biorisk Professional Registration Scheme, you need to be an associate or full member, depending on the register grade.

You can find more information on applying for RSB membership, or take this quiz to work out which membership grade is right for you. If you still have questions, please send a copy of your CV to membership@rsb.org.uk who will be able to advise you. 

*excluding UKRT and Fetal Morphologists

We recommend exploring the individual registers and their qualification and membership requirements. Our detailed guidance documents provide more information to help you determine if you will be able to meet the requirements with your current experience and role.

If you have read the advice available online, and are still not sure, please email a copy of your CV to registers@rsb.org.uk.

CSci is a Science Council register, offered by many other professional bodies across the sciences. By contrast, the CBiol register is exclusive to the RSB, and is recognised as a gold standard to demonstrate professionalism and achievement specifically in the biosciences.

The choice of CSci or CBiol is a personal one, and whether you would prefer a more pan-science registration or one more specific to biology. Many RSB members hold both CSci and CBiol simultaneously. As the competencies differ slightly between the two, achieving one does not guarantee success in achieving the other, but the basic requirements (years of experience, level of study) are the same.

Both Chartered Scientist (CSci) and Chartered Biologist (CBiol) are available to members and Fellows of the RSB. 

For the majority of our registers*, the application is mainly based upon your ability to address competencies rather than the number of years of experience in a role. It is up to you to read the competency guidance for the register you intend to apply to and decide whether you can meet this with the experience you have gained, whether it was through paid employment, study, research, or volunteer work.

For our chartered registers, it is likely that you will require at least one to two years of experience in addition to a PhD to answer the competencies successfully.

Register applications are assessed on an individual basis — if you are unsure please email the team at registers@rsb.org.uk.

*If you are applying to the UK Register of Toxicologists (UKRT), a PhD will count towards one of the five years of experience required. This guidance is explained further on the UKRT webpage.

Your referee should be able to verify that the information you provide in the application is a true reflection of your skills and experience, so it should be someone who knows you well in a professional capacity. Usually, this would be your line manager, academic supervisor, or a member of senior management in your workplace.

Your referee will automatically receive a copy of your application and a request to provide a reference when you submit your application. The RSB advises that you inform your reference when you submit, so they know to keep an eye out for the email and can reply promptly.

This varies from person to person. We advise that you prepare your competency answers offline first, and then when you are ready to apply you can simply copy and paste everything into the online application.

For most of the competencies you are advised to provide 300-400 words - this will vary between competences however, so should be used as a rough guide.

Once we receive your reference, applications are reviewed in four to six weeks. If the RSB is receiving a high volume of applications at once, this can be longer. All our assessors are volunteers, so assessment timelines can vary with their availability.

First, check whether your referees have responded to the reference request. This commonly causes delays in application processing as, without a reference, your application can't go to reviewers. If your referee cannot find the email, ask them to check their junk or spam folders. If your referee has not received an email, or they have already submitted their reply, get in contact with the RSB team at registers@rsb.org.uk.

Applications are assessed by the register's panel of assessors. Each assessor will be a member of a register themselves. You will not be assessed by an assessor who works at the same organisation as you or who has identified that they know you personally. All applications are kept anonymous and personal details are removed prior to sending applications to assessors.

* Due to the nature of the application process, applications to BPRS, UKRT, and IRFM are not anonymous.

There is no set deadline to resubmit. However, you should aim to do this within one to two months so that the remainder of your application is still up to date. If you do not resubmit in six months, then you may be asked to update the rest of your application as well.

If your application requires minor revisions, you will be provided with feedback by email, and information about how to resubmit your application for a second review.

If the assessors feel that you need to gain significantly more experience, your application may be rejected, and you will be informed of how to address gaps in your skills and competences, with a suggested time frame to reapply. For example, you may need to gain some further professional experience, or seek experience or training in a particular competency area.

The CPD scheme is broad and there are many different activities that can count as CPD — you can find CPD-approved events on our Events webpage. RSB members are frequently invited to relevant events which can contribute to your CPD. Attending training, conferences, or updating your knowledge will also count towards the CPD scheme. Most activities you record are worth two CPD points per hour, so 50 points is roughly the equivalent of 25 hours. 

If you have a specific reason why you will be unable to make 50 CPD points in a year, please contact the Registers team at registers@rsb.org.uk as soon as possible and explain your situation. Usually the team can allow a CPD exemption for one year, or longer depending on your circumstances.

A selection of upcoming events are showcased in our members' newsletter, which is sent at the start of each month. RSB members can subscribe via myRSB, or by emailing training@rsb.org.uk. Alternatively you can view our Events webpage.

Please email registers@rsb.org.uk and the team will be happy to help you with your enquiry.