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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 37 eLectures across 12 specialties
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 1:5 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.
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