In operation since 1985, the Norwegian five-year postgraduate educational programme for general practitioners is based on one year's hospital training and four years of training in general practice. One of its main components is a two-year group-based educational programme. Since there was little previous experience to rely on when setting these groups to work, there has been some concern as to whether the system would work--and how. This paper summarizes the practical experience of the first 45 groups established, based on a questionnaire filled in by the group leaders during their third one-week trainer course. There had been few problems that were not solved by the groups themselves. All 45 groups, including 326 participants, fulfilled the 40 scheduled three-hour meetings within two and a half years. This group-based educational system is now an alternative to the traditional one-to-one trainer/trainee relationship established in many countries as a part of the postgraduate training for general practitioners.