MRCP Part 1 Examination Information
MRCP (UK) - Examination Dates 2013/4
|
Part 1 Examinations
|
2013/3
|
2014/1
|
2014/2
|
|
Application closing date:
|
12 Jul '13
|
25 Nov '13
|
7 Mar '14
|
|
Examination
date
|
10 Sep '13
|
14 Jan '14
|
7 May '14
|
How to Register
To enter the MRCP Part 1 examination, you must fill in the application forms, which are available from the
MRCP website. Applications
for the UK MRCP Part 1 examinations can be returned to any of the three
colleges, while applications to sit the exams at an overseas centre
should be submitted directly to the centre where you will be sitting the
exam, or through the online application system.
You can also apply online at
www.mrcpuk.org
Contact the Royal Colleges for information on proper documentation and qualifications.
Exam Centres in the UK
There are a number of exam centres in the UK and candidates may sit the
MRCP (UK) examination at any one of the centres listed below. However,
candidates should apply early, as space is limited at each centre;
Aberdeen
Belfast
Bristol
Cambridge
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Leeds
Leicester
Liverpool
London
Manchester
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Oxford
Sheffield
Southampton
Overseas candidates
The MRCP Part 1 exam can be taken in a number of MRCP Part 1 exam
centres overseas. However, registration to take the exam in these
centres is limited to Doctors who are resident in, or working in the
same country as the exam centre. If you work/live in a country that
doesn't have an exam centre then you will normally have to sit the exam
in the UK. Doctors from Pakistan and Bangladesh are able to sit the
exam in India.
On which dates does the MRCP 1 exam take place?
Although the dates vary, the MRCP Part 1 exam normally takes place in
January, May and September. The MRCP 1 exam dates are always available
on the MRCP 1 calendar page of the MRCP UK website:
www.mrcpuk.org
Are some exam dates more favourable than others?
Ultimately, the MRCP 1 exam dates don't really come into it. You
shouldn't attempt the MRCP Part 1 exam until you're ready. Go through
the syllabus on the Royal College website to understand where you need
to concentrate on and then plan your revision approach. We recommend
that MRCP 1 Part 1 candidates use a combination of books, especially
Philip Kalra's Essential Revision Notes for MRCP, and online revision.
Candidates who need some more support would benefit from attending an
MRCP 1 revision course. What you will find when considering MRCP 1 dates
is that the calendar splits into three types of people attempting the
exam. In September, as it is the first opportunity for many to take the
MRCP Part 1, the majority of candidates are first-time takers. In
January and May, there are more re-takers, who are more likely to have
done more revision. However, May is always the quietest of the MRCP 1
exam dates.
Where can I take the MRCP Part 1 exam?
For each of the MRCP Part 1 exam dates, there are exam centres at
various locations across the world. There are dozens of exam centres in
the UK, with even more locations across the world, including Chennai,
Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Cairo.
Revision Tips
Revising for the MRCP Part I
General Medicine Examination
Since May 2003, the MRCP (UK) Part 1 Examination has consisted of two
'best of five' papers, each lasting 3 hours, organised (in the UK) as
follows:
09.30 Report (Paper 1)
10.00 Paper 1
13.00 Lunch break
14.15 Report (Paper 2)
14.30 Paper 2
17.30 Examination ends
Each paper contains 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in the 'best of
five' format. Negative marking has been discontinued; one mark is
awarded for each correct answer, but no marks are awarded if the answer
is incorrect.
From 2008(3) the MRCP exam is equated, with candidates awarded a scaled
score (between 0 and 999) which is calculated on the number of questions
the candidate has answered correctly (from the maximum possible) and
takes into account the difficulty of the exam. The passing scaled
score is currently 521. You can read more about equating of the MRCP 1
here.
The questions in each specialty will be randomised across both papers.
Two key factors in preparing for the Part 1 MRCP examination are:
• Careful planning of your revision timetable.
• Establishing and practising your examination technique.
Planning a revision timetable
Your revision timetable should be tailored according to the time you
have available before the Part 1 MRCP examination. Ideally you should
start revising several months beforehand. Two principles should guide
the planning of your revision timetable:
• Allocate more time to subjects that appear more frequently in the examination.
• Allocate more time to subjects in which you are weaker.
Time spent revising subjects that are heavily represented in the exam
(e.g. cardiology or neurology) will gain you more marks than studying
less frequent topics (e.g. ophthalmology). Similarly you will gain more
marks by thoroughly revising topics in which you are weaker compared to
those in which you already have considerable knowledge.
Two example revision timetables are given below, and should be adjusted
according to your individual situation. Remember that revision
timetables often fall behind schedule, despite best intentions, so allow
a couple of weeks spare time! Don't forget to make allowance for
on-call schedules in your revision timetables; you should always revise
when you are at your freshest, and this may not be possible after a hard
night on-call. Work for short periods of time, with frequent breaks for
rest, and consider a short holiday in the middle of your timetable;
remember that revising for very long periods without a break is not
likely to represent effective revision.
About 2 weeks before the examination, stop systematic revision and make
sure that you have attempted several full practice exams on your own,
under strict exam conditions (e.g. 3 hours for each paper). Make time to
read your revision notes and go over topics that you find difficult.
Examples of revision timetables
• A 6-month timetable, that allows 2 weeks vacation and 2 weeks last minute revision prior to the examination.
• A 2-month timetable, that allows 7 days for on-call commitments, but
no holidays. Commencing revision at this late stage means little time
for leisure!
|
Subject
|
Number
of Qs
|
6 Mths
Number
of weeks
|
2 Mths
Number
of days
|
|
Neurology
|
15
|
2
|
4
|
|
Clinical pharmacology
|
20
|
2.5
|
4.5
|
|
Clinical sciences
|
25
|
3
|
6
|
|
Cardiology
|
15
|
2
|
4
|
|
Gastroenterology
|
15
|
1.5
|
3.5
|
|
Respiratory Medicine
|
15
|
1.5
|
1
|
|
Inf.Dis./STDs/Trop.Med.
|
15
|
2
|
4
|
|
Endocrinology
|
15
|
1.5
|
3.5
|
|
Renal Medicine
|
15
|
1.5
|
3
|
|
Haematology/Oncology
|
15
|
1.5
|
3
|
|
Psychiatry
|
8
|
0.5
|
2
|
|
Rheumatology
|
15
|
1.5
|
3
|
|
Dermatology
|
8
|
0.5
|
2
|
|
Ophthalmology
|
4
|
0.5
|
2
|
|
Total
|
200
|
22
|
45.5
|
Clinical sciences comprises:
Cell, molecular & membrane biology - 2
Clinical anatomy - 3
Clinical biochemistry & metabolism - 4
Clinical physiology - 4
Genetics - 3
Immunology - 4
Statistics, epidemiology & evidence-based medicine - 5
Establishing and practising examination technique
Best of five questions require that the candidate select one answer from
five options. This style of question tends to test clinical reasoning,
rather than just recall of facts. The question stem is usually long,
perhaps providing clinical history and data, whereas the 5 options are
usually short. Several of the options may be partially correct, but one
of the options will be clearly better than the others.
The key to establishing good examination technique is repeated practice
with good quality MCQs. PasTest publish a comprehensive range of books
to companion the online subscriptions for the MRCP 1 exam. All questions
are very topical and are in the 'best of five' format. PasTest books
and online give the candidate the opportunity to practice specific
subjects or practice full exams, and online revision offers instant
feedback. Your revision strategy should begin with a read through the
relevant chapter in the textbook of your choice. Then practice as many
good questions on each subject as available online, and read the
expanded explanations carefully after marking them. Choose good quality
MCQ books that contain expanded explanations to each question; this is
much quicker and more time effective than having to find the explanation
in a textbook, or you can take advantage of the full answers and
explanations available on PasTest Online. Make brief notes on any topic
in which you have scored poorly, so that you can quickly jog your memory
again just before the examination.
There are many good quality books with 'old style' multiple True/False
questions still available (e.g. MRCP 1 Multiple True/False Revision
Book, published by PasTest). These still provide an excellent learning
resource, as the questions will test your knowledge of the MRCP syllabus
and enhance it with concise, accurate explanations.
MRCP Part 1 questions are chosen 12 months in advance of the exam date,
so do not waste time reading last week's journals but instead glance at
reviews and leading articles in the British Medical Journal, Lancet and
New England Journal of Medicine; these may be helpful as they
periodically cover some of the topics included in recent MRCP exams.
PasTest Online collect questions after each of the MRCP 1 exams, and
revising these will help you with what to expect on the day.
The examination is no longer negatively marked. It is now in your best
interest to answer every question; even if you do not know you must
guess. There is nothing to lose from guessing, and you may well pick up
some valuable marks.
Breaks are an important part of your revision strategy. Always take
short tea breaks at regular intervals during a day or evening's revision
(at least 20 minutes every 2 hours can be very effective). Allow for an
evening out each week - try and plan ahead so that you have something
to look forward to. Revising with others in a small group can be helpful
and motivational, as discussing points you find difficult can help you
to remember them.
Choosing a textbook
Choose a general medical textbook that is up-to-date and easily
digestible. For revision purposes, avoid books that are too detailed.
PasTest recommends the following books:
Essential Revision Notes 3rd Edition (Kalra)(2009) is specifically tailored for MRCP revision.
It contains 21 chapters relevant to the syllabus.
Clinical Medicine by Kumar and Clark, 5th edition, W.B. Saunders Ltd.
Lecture Notes on Clinical Medicine by Rubenstein, Wayne and Bradley, 6th edition, Blackwell Science.
It is important to spend some time on all subjects rather than too long
on only a few topics. Keep a more detailed textbook (such as the Oxford
Textbook of Medicine) available for reference only, but use the general
medical textbook and revision notes on a regular basis.
Basic Science
The current Royal College of Physicians MRCP regulations state:
'Increased emphasis is being given to basic clinical science topics.
Questions will be set mainly on topics published in leading articles and
editorials in major general medical journals. Questions in both options
may be set on relevant principles of cell, molecular and membrane
biology, immunology, genetics, and on biochemistry, as well as
anatomical, physiological, microbiological and pharmacological topics.'
A large proportion of the questions in the MRCP Part I examination are
related to clinical science. This can be a hard topic to revise, and so
we recommend that you read a general basic science book such as Basic
Medical Sciences for MRCP Part 1 3rd edition by Easterbrook, Churchill
Livingstone. If you are weak in basic science knowledge, you can
practise specific basic science best of five questions using MRCP 1
Basic Medical Sciences 2nd Edition Best of Five Questions and Answers
(the companion book to Easterbrooks Basic Medical Sciences, revision
book for MRCP. PasTest Essential Revision Notes 3rd Edition (Kalra) also
contains a chapter on 'Molecular Medicine' that will be useful, or you
can use PasTest Online to revise by specialty and just revise molecular
medicine.
PasTest Online
Now that you know how to prepare your revision time table it is
important that you allocate your time to correct revision medium (i.e.
courses, books and online revision). All three are essential tools for
block revision, but to make the most of your time, it is crucial that
you utilise those 20 minutes that you get here and there at work or at
home from the beginning of your exam preparation rather than just in the
last month or two. PasTest's online revision is a very flexible tool,
which allows you to fit your revision schedule around your busy life.
The features of online revision that add real value:
- Access to mock exams and timed exams to prepare yourself to perform under time pressure
- Feedback of your performance compared with other users of the site
- The most up-to-date questions, with MRCP 1 exam questions added after each diet
- Feedback facility to answer your queries on the questions and expanded answers
- Access to vLectures and eLectures across the syllabus.
Finally
The MRCP Part 1 examination consists of two papers with a total of 200
'best of five' format questions. The more questions you practice, the
more likely you are to succeed in the examination. Questions in the
examination are often very similar to those found on courses and in
books, and practising plenty of high quality questions is a good way of
identifying your weak subject areas. Remember that 'old style' multiple
true/false questions still provide you with a valuable learning
resource.
In addition to your subject revision, try to do a whole practice
examination paper each week for the 2-month programme and perhaps one
paper per month for the 6-month programme. Retain a certain number of
good quality papers for the last 2 weeks (e.g. 6-10). These must be
completed under exam conditions to maintain your examination technique
and as an interim assessment of knowledge and technique.
Nearing the date of the examination concentrate your revision on the
topics with which you have most trouble. Working on practice exams can
help highlight these problem areas. You should study BoF question books
in detail during the last 2-3 weeks before the exam as your technique,
knowledge and determination accelerates to a peak in the last few weeks.