Objective To explore the optimization of the test group setting of the third station of clinical physician qualification examination and improve the quality of the examination.Methods Take note of the time consuming of the third station basic operation exam of 2 456 candidates in a certain examination area of 2020, calculate the average time for each question; Combine operation items according to the relationship between the 24 basic operations.Combine test questions into different modules, calculate the total time for each module; Combine the modules into 3-7 test groups according to the principle that each group takes roughly the same time; Calculate the number of equipment and consumables required according to test group setting.Results In 2021, the test group setting plan has been applied in national practical skills test bases.Different test bases choose different test group setting methods according to actual conditions. Among the three selected examination bases, the number of examination equipment was reduced from 25 to 5. When the number of examiners has increased, the total examination time of each base is reduced by 0.5 hours per day.Conclusions Applying the test group setting strategy in the organization and implementation of the practical skill test can effectively save test resources, reduce exam costs, Improve test efficiency and test quality.