Choose your exam. You will see its structure, dates and booking steps, and every topic to cover, with what to know for each. Tick topics as you study them; your progress is saved on this device.
To prepare for MRCS Part A, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Papers | Two, sat on the same day with a break between |
|---|---|
| Paper 1 — Applied Basic Science | 180 single best answer questions, 3 hours |
| Paper 2 — Principles of Surgery in General | 120 single best answer questions, 2 hours |
| Total | 300 marks, 5 hours |
| Format | Five options, one single best answer. No marks deducted for a wrong answer |
| Pass rule | Minimum competence required in each paper, plus the pass mark on the combined total |
| Standard setting | Pass mark determined by standard setting per paper |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against the RCS England, RCSEd, RCPSG and RCSI exam pages. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Sitting | Apply by | Exam date | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 open now | 29 October 2026, 5pm UK time | Wednesday 13 January 2027 | About four weeks after the exam |
| April 2027 opens 30 Oct 2026 | 25 February 2027 (RCSI lists 26 February) | Thursday 29 April 2027 | About four weeks after the exam |
| September 2027 | 1 July 2027 | Wednesday 1 September 2027 | About four weeks after the exam |
| Egypt | Pearson VUE seats are offered in Egypt. RCS England also requires a translated, certified certificate of completing the national compulsory internship, sent with your degree |
|---|---|
| Iraq | Pearson VUE seats are offered in Iraq |
| Gulf | Pearson VUE seats are offered in all six states: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman |
| On the booking form | Choose International, not UK and Ireland. The exact cities and centres appear when the Pearson VUE seat-booking window opens, about four weeks before the exam |
| Documents | A degree certificate issued in Arabic needs a certified English translation |
| Paying | Fees are charged in pounds sterling. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| Exam fee, January 2027 | £670, the same in Egypt, Iraq and the Gulf |
|---|---|
| How it is paid | Online by card when you complete the booking |
RCS England: MRCS Part A RCSEd: MRCS Part A RCPSG: MRCS Part A RCSI: MRCS calendar Syllabus and regulations
| Studied | Topic | Paper | Module |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anatomy | |||
| Thorax and breast | |||
| Thoracic cage, intercostal space and diaphragm Neurovascular bundle in the costal groove, the safe triangle, T8/T10/T12 with their contents, phrenic C3–5 and referred shoulder pain | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Pleura, lungs and airway Lobes, fissures and bronchopulmonary segments, why aspirate goes right, hilar arrangement, pleural recesses, tracheobronchial tree | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Breast: anatomy and disease Quadrants, axillary levels against pectoralis minor, suspensory ligaments; benign disease, triple assessment, in situ against invasive cancer, the axilla | Both | Anatomy + Surgical conditions | |
| Heart and vessels | |||
| Heart and great vessels Chamber relations, coronary territories and dominance, conducting system, pericardium and tamponade, arch branches and the recurrent laryngeal nerve | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Venous and lymphatic disease Lower limb venous anatomy and the two junctions, varicose veins and recurrence, chronic venous insufficiency and ulceration, lymphoedema | Both | Anatomy + Surgical conditions | |
| Abdominal wall and hernia | |||
| Layers of the abdominal wall and rectus sheath The nine layers in order, Scarpa's against Camper's, continuation into the scrotum, sheath composition above and below the arcuate line | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Inguinal canal, femoral canal and hernias Walls, rings and contents; direct against indirect against femoral; Hesselbach's triangle; incarceration and strangulation; repair and the nerves at risk | Both | Anatomy + Surgical conditions | |
| Peritoneum and the peritoneal cavity Greater against lesser sac, epiploic foramen, retroperitoneal structures, mesenteries, how infection and ascites spread | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Abdominal viscera | |||
| Stomach, duodenum and small bowel Supply from all three coeliac branches, vagal innervation, Virchow's node; duodenal parts and relations; distinguishing small from large bowel | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Large bowel, appendix and rectum Appendix positions and McBurney's point, the watershed areas, rectal relations, the dentate line and everything that changes across it | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Liver, biliary tree, pancreas and spleen Couinaud segments, porta hepatis, Calot's triangle and the arterial variants; pancreatic relations and supply; splenic relations and accessory spleens | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Abdominal vessels and portal system Aortic branches by vertebral level and their gut territory, the four portosystemic anastomoses and how each presents, IVC and para-aortic nodes | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Pelvis, perineum and urinary tract | |||
| Bony pelvis, pelvic floor and perineum Male against female pelvis, ring fracture and the vessels it tears, levator ani, ischioanal fossa and abscess tracking, the perineal pouches | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Bladder, urethra and ureter Trigone, male urethral parts and where a catheter fails, sphincter mechanisms, the three ureteric constrictions, ureter and uterine artery | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Kidney, adrenal and prostate Coverings and hilar order, why the left adrenal vein drains differently, prostate zones for cancer against hyperplasia | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Upper and lower limb | |||
| Brachial plexus and upper limb nerves Roots to branches and the lesion patterns; axillary, radial, median and ulnar by site, motor loss, sensory loss and deformity; the ulnar paradox | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Shoulder, elbow and the cubital fossa Rotator cuff and its tests, dislocation direction and axillary nerve risk, cubital fossa contents, supracondylar fracture complications | Both | Anatomy + Trauma | |
| Wrist, hand and entrapment neuropathy Carpal tunnel contents and compression, ulnar canal, snuffbox and scaphoid avascular necrosis, flexor sheaths, Dupuytren's | Both | Anatomy + Surgical conditions | |
| Femoral triangle, canal and popliteal fossa Boundaries and contents, femoral sheath and canal, adductor canal, popliteal artery injury in knee dislocation | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Lower limb nerves and compartments Sciatic, common fibular at the fibular neck, tibial, femoral, obturator, superior gluteal; the four leg compartments and compartment syndrome | Both | Anatomy + Trauma | |
| Hip and knee joints Femoral head blood supply and why an intracapsular fracture threatens it, ligaments and their tests, menisci | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Spine | |||
| Vertebral column and spinal cord Typical against atypical vertebrae, surface levels, disc herniation and why L4/5 hits the L5 root, cord ending at L1/L2, the layers pierced in lumbar puncture, the main tracts | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Head and neck | |||
| Skull, foramina, scalp and face Which structure leaves by which foramen, pterion and the middle meningeal artery, base of skull fracture signs, SCALP layers, facial and trigeminal nerves | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Triangles, fascia and carotid sheath Boundaries and contents, structures at risk by penetrating trauma zone, fascial planes and spread to the mediastinum, sheath contents and the carotid bifurcation | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Thyroid, parathyroid and larynx Blood supply and the recurrent laryngeal nerve against the inferior thyroid artery, the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, parathyroid position; cricothyroid membrane and tracheostomy landmarks | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Thyroidectomy and its complications Why each complication follows from the anatomy: voice change, hypocalcaemia, haematoma and airway obstruction, thyroid storm | Both | Anatomy + Perioperative | |
| Brain and nervous system | |||
| Meninges and the intracranial haemorrhages Extradural with the middle meningeal artery and lucid interval, subdural with bridging veins, subarachnoid — anatomy predicting the shape on the scan | Both | Anatomy + Trauma | |
| Ventricles, CSF and the circle of Willis CSF production to absorption, communicating against non-communicating hydrocephalus, ACA/MCA/PCA territories and their deficits, aneurysm sites | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Venous sinuses, brainstem and cranial nerves Cavernous sinus contents, sinus thrombosis, brainstem levels and cranial nerve origins, and which reflex tests which nerve in brainstem death | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Autonomic nervous system T1–L2 outflow and splanchnic nerves, the cranial and sacral parasympathetic outflow, Horner's syndrome, the referred pain map, autonomic dysreflexia | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Embryology | |||
| Gut rotation and its anomalies Malrotation and volvulus, Meckel's rule of twos, duodenal atresia, exomphalos against gastroschisis — embryology then presentation then management | Both | Anatomy + Surgical care of children | |
| Branchial apparatus and head and neck development Arches, pouches and clefts with their derivatives, branchial cyst and fistula, why a thyroglossal cyst moves on tongue protrusion | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Thoracic and cardiac development Diaphragm development and congenital diaphragmatic hernia, oesophageal atresia with fistula and its types, septation defects, ductus arteriosus | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Urogenital development Testicular descent and undescended testis, patent processus vaginalis, hypospadias, horseshoe and pelvic kidney, imperforate anus | Paper 1 | Anatomy | |
| Physiology | |||
| Cardiovascular and respiratory | |||
| Cardiovascular physiology Cardiac cycle and the pressure–volume loop, Frank–Starling, baroreceptors and RAAS, Starling forces and the mechanisms of oedema, regional circulation | Paper 1 | Physiology | |
| Respiratory physiology Compliance and surfactant, lung volumes, FRC and closing capacity and why FRC falls after laparotomy, V/Q and shunt, the dissociation curve, control of ventilation | Paper 1 | Physiology | |
| Circulation and blood | |||
| Shock The four classes of haemorrhagic shock with their numbers and the order of compensation; septic, cardiogenic, neurogenic and anaphylactic shock contrasted | Both | Physiology + Trauma | |
| Haemostasis and blood products The cascade and what PT and APTT measure, impaired haemostasis in liver disease and massive haemorrhage; components, indications, transfusion reactions, alternatives | Both | Physiology + Perioperative | |
| Gastrointestinal and renal | |||
| Gastrointestinal physiology Gastric secretion and its three phases, the consequences of vagotomy and gastrectomy, bile and the enterohepatic circulation, absorption by site, liver function and jaundice | Paper 1 | Physiology | |
| Urinary physiology GFR and autoregulation, tubular handling and the counter-current mechanism, ADH and aldosterone, acid–base, the physiology of renal failure | Paper 1 | Physiology | |
| Metabolic, endocrine and nervous system | |||
| Metabolic response to injury Ebb and flow phases, the hormonal mediators, catabolism and nitrogen loss, ARDS after trauma, multi-organ dysfunction | Paper 1 | Physiology | |
| Endocrine physiology The hypothalamo-pituitary axes, thyroid synthesis and control, calcium homeostasis and the pattern in each hyperparathyroidism, cortisol and aldosterone, insulin and glucagon in stress | Paper 1 | Physiology | |
| Neurological physiology Membrane and action potentials, neuromuscular transmission and blockade, Monro–Kellie and cerebral perfusion pressure, Cushing's reflex, pain pathways and multimodal analgesia | Paper 1 | Physiology | |
| Pathology | |||
| General pathology | |||
| Cell injury, necrosis and apoptosis Reversible against irreversible change, the hypoxic cascade, free radicals, the patterns of necrosis, apoptosis by both pathways | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Inflammation Vascular then cellular phase, the mediators, rolling to transmigration, the cardinal signs mechanistically, granulomas and chronic inflammation | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Wound healing and surgical wounds The four phases and their timescales, tensile strength over time, primary against secondary intention, Langer's lines, keloid and hypertrophic scar, dehiscence | Both | Pathology + Perioperative | |
| Neoplasia, cancer therapy and palliative care Oncogenes and tumour suppressors, the metastatic cascade and its routes, grading against staging, radiotherapy and chemotherapy principles and toxicity, screening, symptom control and the dying patient | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Systemic pathology | |||
| Respiratory pathology Obstructive against restrictive disease, pneumonia patterns, diffuse alveolar damage in ARDS, pulmonary embolism, bronchial carcinoma | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Vascular pathology Atherosclerosis and plaque complications, Virchow's triad, thrombus against clot, embolism types, red against white infarcts, aneurysm types | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Genitourinary pathology and malignancy Acute tubular necrosis, stone types and their conditions of formation; renal cell and transitional cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, testicular tumours and markers | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Metabolic and metastatic bone disease Osteoporosis and fragility fracture, osteomalacia, Paget disease, metastatic bone cancer and impending fracture, primary bone tumours by age and site | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Endocrine pathology and disease Goitre, Graves' and Hashimoto's, the four thyroid carcinomas and their spread, parathyroid adenoma, adrenal tumours and phaeochromocytoma, the MEN syndromes, diabetes | Both | Pathology + Surgical conditions | |
| Lymphoreticular system Lymphatic drainage and the node fields that matter, reactive against malignant lymphadenopathy, lymphoma in outline, hepatosplenomegaly, immunosuppression | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Nervous system pathology | |||
| Neurological pathology Space-occupying lesions from tumour and bleeding, the CNS tumours and which primaries metastasise there, cranial and peripheral nerve palsies, cerebral abscess and meningitis | Paper 1 | Pathology | |
| Spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury Level and mechanism, complete against incomplete cord syndromes, spinal against neurogenic shock, immobilisation; nerve injury classification and Wallerian degeneration | Both | Pathology + Trauma | |
| Microbiology | |||
| Organisms | |||
| Surgically important organisms The Gram chart, Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA, Streptococcus pyogenes, coliforms, Pseudomonas, anaerobes and the clostridia, with the toxin behind each picture | Paper 1 | Microbiology | |
| Infection in surgical practice | |||
| Bloodborne viruses and soft tissue infection Hepatitis B serology, needlestick risk and prophylaxis, operating on carriers; cellulitis against abscess, necrotising fasciitis and its urgency, gas gangrene, tetanus | Both | Microbiology + Surgical conditions | |
| Antibiotic prophylaxis, resistance and hospital infection Which operations need prophylaxis and the single dose within the hour, wound classification clean to dirty with infection rates, resistance mechanisms, surgical site infection bundles, Clostridioides difficile | Both | Microbiology + Perioperative | |
| Pharmacology | |||
| General pharmacology | |||
| Pharmacology for surgical practice Kinetics and dosing in organ failure, analgesics and the opioid problem, antibiotics, anticoagulants and their reversal, cardiovascular and endocrine drugs, anti-epileptics | Paper 1 | Pharmacology | |
| Anaesthesia | |||
| Local and general anaesthesia Sodium channel blockade and why infected tissue resists, maximum safe doses with and without adrenaline, the toxicity sequence and lipid rescue, induction and maintenance agents, muscle relaxants | Both | Pharmacology + Perioperative | |
| Imaging | |||
| Imaging | |||
| Imaging and surface anatomy How each modality forms its image and its risks, contrast and its hazards, systematic chest and abdominal film reading, CT anatomy at standard levels, landmarks for bedside procedures | Paper 1 | Imaging | |
| Data interpretation and audit | |||
| Statistics and audit | |||
| Data interpretation, audit and statistics Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values from a two-by-two table, absolute against relative risk and number needed to treat, study design and bias, the audit cycle, governance and never events | Paper 1 | Data interpretation and audit | |
| Studied | Topic | Module |
|---|---|---|
| General surgery | ||
| Upper gastrointestinal disease Reflux and Barrett's, peptic ulcer and its complications, gastric and oesophageal malignancy, haematemesis and resuscitation | Common surgical conditions | |
| Colorectal and anorectal disease Colorectal cancer and screening, the adenoma–carcinoma sequence, inflammatory bowel disease compared, diverticular disease, haemorrhoids, fissure, abscess and fistula | Common surgical conditions | |
| Acute abdominal emergencies The differential by quadrant, peritonitis and perforation, bowel obstruction small against large, volvulus, appendicitis, mesenteric ischaemia | Common surgical conditions | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Inguinal canal, femoral canal and hernias | ||
| HPB surgery | ||
| Hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease Gallstone disease and its complications, cholangitis, obstructive jaundice, acute pancreatitis severity and complications, pancreatic cancer | Common surgical conditions | |
| Abdominal trauma Blunt against penetrating, hepatic and splenic injury, conservative management and its failure points, FAST and CT, laparotomy indications | Trauma | |
| Vascular surgery | ||
| Arterial disease Chronic and acute limb ischaemia, ABPI, aneurysm and dissection, carotid and mesenteric disease, the diabetic foot, amputation levels | Common surgical conditions | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Venous and lymphatic disease | ||
| Urology | ||
| Calculus disease, infection and obstruction Colic and its imaging, the infected obstructed system as an emergency, urinary tract infection, retention acute and chronic, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urine diversion | Common surgical conditions | |
| Scrotal and penile conditions Torsion against epididymo-orchitis, hydrocele and varicocele, phimosis and paraphimosis, penile ulcer and carcinoma | Common surgical conditions | |
| Urogenital trauma and gynaecological emergencies Renal injury grading, bladder rupture intraperitoneal against extraperitoneal, urethral injury and when not to catheterise; ectopic pregnancy and ovarian accident as acute abdomen differentials | Trauma | |
| Orthopaedics | ||
| Degenerative, inflammatory and infective joint disease Osteoarthritis against rheumatoid clinically and on film, joint replacement and its complications, septic arthritis as an emergency, osteomyelitis | Common surgical conditions | |
| Fracture classification and healing Descriptive terminology, open fracture classification, the stages of healing, what impairs union | Trauma | |
| Principles of fracture management Reduce, hold and rehabilitate; conservative against operative fixation and the indications for each | Trauma | |
| Fracture complications Early and late, neurovascular injury, infection, non-union and malunion, avascular necrosis, fat embolism (compartment syndrome was taught with the leg compartments in week 6 — refer back, do not repeat) | Trauma | |
| Fractures around hip and ankle, joint injuries Intracapsular against extracapsular and why the blood supply decides the operation, ankle patterns and stability, shoulder and hip dislocation and the nerves at risk | Trauma | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Shoulder, elbow and the cubital fossa; Wrist, hand and entrapment neuropathy; Lower limb nerves and compartments | ||
| ENT | ||
| Neck lumps and salivary disease The differential by triangle and age, node levels and drainage, thyroglossal and branchial cysts, salivary tumours and calculi | Common surgical conditions | |
| Maxillofacial and neck trauma Facial fracture patterns and airway risk, orbital blowout, penetrating neck injury by zone | Trauma | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Endocrine pathology and disease; Thyroidectomy and its complications | ||
| Breast surgery | ||
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Breast: anatomy and disease | ||
| Neurosurgery | ||
| Assessment of the injured patient Primary and secondary survey in ATLS sequence, adjuncts, scoring systems, major incident triage, the differences in children | Trauma | |
| Head injury Primary against secondary brain injury, imaging criteria, raised intracranial pressure and herniation, management of the unconscious patient | Trauma | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Meninges and the intracranial haemorrhages; Spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury | ||
| Plastic surgery | ||
| Skin cover and reconstruction Skin layers and graft depth, grafts against flaps, the reconstructive ladder, graft failure | Common surgical conditions | |
| Wounds and soft tissue injury Mechanism and classification, gunshot and blast, stab wounds, crush injury, bites, tetanus prophylaxis, debridement and closure decisions | Trauma | |
| Burns Classification by depth, surface area estimation and the fluid formula, airway and inhalational injury, escharotomy, infection and nutrition, referral criteria | Trauma | |
| Skin, oral cavity and ear Benign lesions and their mimics, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma and Breslow thickness with margins; lesions of mouth and tongue, ear pain and hearing loss, upper airway obstruction | Common surgical conditions | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Bloodborne viruses and soft tissue infection | ||
| Cardiothoracic surgery | ||
| Cardiovascular and pulmonary disease Coronary disease and valve lesions as operative risk, cardiac failure, obstructive and restrictive lung disease, bronchial carcinoma, pneumothorax | Common surgical conditions | |
| Thoracic trauma The immediately life-threatening injuries, tension and open pneumothorax, haemothorax, flail chest, tamponade, chest drain insertion | Trauma | |
| Transplant surgery | ||
| Transplantation and organ donation Transplant immunology and tissue typing, rejection by timing and mechanism, immunosuppression, donation and retrieval, brainstem death testing, certification of death | Perioperative | |
| Perioperative care | ||
| Preoperative assessment and management History and examination, risk scoring, investigations by procedure and comorbidity, managing cardiorespiratory disease, diabetes, steroids and anticoagulation, consent and fasting | Perioperative | |
| Coagulation, DVT and embolism Virchow's triad applied, risk classification, mechanical and pharmacological prophylaxis, D-dimer and duplex, CTPA, anticoagulation and thrombolysis | Perioperative | |
| Enhanced recovery The protocol elements and the physiology each targets, the measurable benefits | Perioperative | |
| Postoperative analgesia and fluid management Multimodal analgesia and the ladder, patient-controlled and regional techniques; maintenance and replacement fluids, assessing fluid status, the cost of over-resuscitation | Perioperative | |
| Nutritional management Screening and assessment, energy and protein requirements, the metabolic response to injury, enteral against parenteral routes and their complications, refeeding syndrome | Perioperative | |
| Postoperative monitoring and complications Early warning scores and escalation, the fever timeline by day, atelectasis and pneumonia, wound infection and dehiscence, anastomotic leak, collection | Perioperative | |
| Organ failure and ileus Acute kidney injury and its prevention, dialysis indications, respiratory failure, multi-organ dysfunction; postoperative ileus against obstruction | Perioperative | |
| Metabolic and endocrine perioperative disorders Hyper- and hyponatraemia, hyper- and hypokalaemia with ECG changes and correction rates, calcium disorders, steroid therapy and insufficiency, perioperative diabetes, thyroid excess and deficiency | Perioperative | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Shock; Haemostasis and blood products; Wound healing and surgical wounds; Antibiotic prophylaxis, resistance and hospital infection | ||
| Clinical skills | ||
| Basic surgical skills Incisions and what each divides, suture and needle choice, knot tying, haemostasis and diathermy, drains, tissue handling, anastomosis principles | Perioperative | |
| Asepsis, sterilisation and theatre discipline The three terms distinguished, autoclave and the other methods and what each is for, prions, scrubbing and gowning, draping, theatre airflow | Perioperative | |
| Intraoperative care Positioning and nerve injury avoidance, the WHO checklist, sharps safety, diathermy and pacemakers, radiation and laser, tourniquets, temperature regulation, cardiopulmonary bypass | Perioperative | |
| Medico-legal aspects of surgical practice Valid consent and material risk, capacity and the vulnerable adult, consent in children and Gillick competence, DNACPR, duty of candour, confidentiality | Medico-legal | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Local and general anaesthesia | ||
| Paediatric surgery — not a TeachMeSurgery section; sources are TeachMePaediatrics | ||
| Paediatric physiology and prescribing Response to injury and surgery in the child, fluid and electrolyte balance by weight, thermoregulation, safe prescribing, consent and child protection | Surgical care of children | |
| Common paediatric surgical conditions Pyloric stenosis, intussusception, appendicitis in the young child, Hirschsprung disease, hernia and hydrocele, necrotising enterocolitis | Surgical care of children | |
| Shared with Paper 1 — ticked there: Gut rotation and its anomalies | ||
To prepare for MRCOG Part 1, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Papers | Two, sat on the same day |
|---|---|
| Each paper | 100 single best answer questions |
| Time per paper | 150 minutes |
| Break | Approximately one hour between papers |
| Total | 200 questions, 5 hours of examination |
| Weighting | Equal — each paper carries 50 per cent of the total mark |
| Pass rule | No minimum score on either paper. The outcome is determined solely by the combined mark |
| Negative marking | None |
| Standard setting | Ebel’s method; the pass mark moves with the difficulty of each sitting |
| Delivery | Computer-based test |
| Domains | Fourteen — twelve science, two clinical — allocated between the two papers |
| Curriculum | Drawn from the nineteen core modules; modules 2, 4 and 19 do not contribute |
| Position | Must be passed before entry to ST3 |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against the RCOG key dates, how to apply and FAQ pages. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Sitting | Eligibility deadline (first-timers) | Expression of interest closes | Booking window | Exam date | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 closed | Passed (September 2026) | Passed (2 October 2026) | 27 October to 15 December 2026 | Tuesday 19 January 2027 | 17 February 2027 |
| July 2027 | 16 March 2027 | 30 March 2027 | 20 April to 15 June 2027 | Tuesday 13 July 2027 | 11 August 2027 |
January 2027 is now only open to candidates who submitted an expression of interest by 2 October 2026. Everyone else should plan for July 2027.
| Egypt | Cairo, Nasr City, Giza, 6th of October and Mansoura. Fee band B |
|---|---|
| Iraq | Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah. Fee band A |
| Gulf | Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Dammam, Al Khobar, Dhahran, Al-Ahsa, Buraidah, Aseer and others), UAE (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah), Kuwait, Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Oman (Muscat). Fee band A |
| Booking opens | The booking email goes out between 1pm and 5pm UK time on opening day, which is evening in Baghdad and the Gulf. Egyptian and Saudi centres fill fast, so log in to the portal yourself rather than waiting for the email |
| Documents | A degree certificate issued in Arabic needs an authorised English translation. Copies must be attested by someone other than you |
| Paying | Fees are charged in pounds sterling. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| Egypt | £601 (band B) |
|---|---|
| Iraq | £696 (band A) |
| Gulf states | £696 (band A) |
| Which band you pay | The band of the country where the test centre is, not your nationality or residence. These are 2026 fees; RCOG had not published 2027 fees when checked |
RCOG: country fee bands RCOG: Part 1 exam centres RCOG: Part 1 key dates and fees RCOG: Part 1 how to apply RCOG: Part 1 FAQs RCOG: booking your exam
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Pelvic and reproductive anatomy | |
| Bony pelvis and pelvic floor Male against female pelvis, the planes and diameters of the true pelvis, levator ani components and the damage childbirth does to them | |
| Uterus and its ligaments Position, layers, the supporting ligaments and which actually support, uterine artery crossing the ureter and why that matters at hysterectomy | |
| Cervix and vagina Transformation zone and the squamocolumnar junction, why it moves with age and where CIN arises; vaginal fornices and relations | |
| Ovaries and fallopian tubes Suspensory ligament and the ovarian vessels, why the left ovarian vein drains differently, tubal segments and where an ectopic implants | |
| Vulva and perineum Vulval structures and their lymphatic drainage, the perineal body, superficial and deep pouches, pudendal nerve and its block | |
| Bladder, urethra, ureter Trigone and continence mechanisms, the three ureteric constrictions, the points where the ureter is injured in pelvic surgery | |
| Pelvic vessels, nerves, lymphatics Internal iliac branches, the nerve supply of pelvic viscera, lymphatic drainage of each genital organ and the staging that follows from it | |
| Abdominal wall, breast and the fetal skull | |
| Anterior abdominal wall The nine layers, rectus sheath above and below the arcuate line, the nerves at risk in a Pfannenstiel incision | |
| Inguinal region and hernias Canal boundaries and contents in the female, round ligament, direct against indirect hernia | |
| Peritoneum and pelvic spaces Pouch of Douglas, broad ligament and its contents, how blood and infection track in the pelvis | |
| Breast Structure and quadrants, blood supply, axillary node levels, the changes of pregnancy and lactation | |
| Fetal skull Bones, sutures and fontanelles; the diameters presented by each attitude, and why they decide whether labour progresses | |
| Imaging anatomy How each modality forms its image and what is safe in pregnancy; recognising normal pelvic structures on ultrasound, CT and MRI | |
| Histology of the genital tract Epithelium of vulva, vagina, cervix, endometrium and tube; the cyclical endometrial changes; where metaplasia and dysplasia arise | |
| Embryology and developmental anomalies | |
| Gametogenesis Spermatogenesis against oogenesis, meiotic arrest and why maternal age raises aneuploidy risk | |
| Fertilisation and implantation Capacitation, the acrosome reaction, blocks to polyspermy, blastocyst formation and the window of implantation | |
| Placental development Trophoblast differentiation, spiral artery remodelling and what happens when it fails, placental barrier and transfer mechanisms | |
| Genital tract development Mullerian and Wolffian ducts, the role of anti-Mullerian hormone; septate, bicornuate and unicornuate uterus; vaginal agenesis | |
| Urinary tract development Pronephros to metanephros, ascent of the kidney, horseshoe and pelvic kidney, and why renal and genital anomalies travel together | |
| Gonadal development and intersex Sex determination, SRY, testicular descent, androgen insensitivity and congenital adrenal hyperplasia | |
| Early embryo and fetal systems Gastrulation and the germ layers, neural tube formation and its defects, fetal circulation and the shunts that close at birth | |
| Reproductive endocrinology | |
| Hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis GnRH pulsatility, FSH and LH, the two-cell two-gonadotrophin model, negative and positive feedback | |
| The menstrual cycle Follicular, ovulatory and luteal phases with the hormone curves; the parallel endometrial changes; corpus luteum rescue | |
| Puberty and menopause Sequence and timing of pubertal events, precocious and delayed puberty; the endocrinology of menopause and what HRT replaces | |
| Disorders of the axis PCOS and its endocrine signature, hypothalamic amenorrhoea, hyperprolactinaemia, premature ovarian insufficiency | |
| Androgens and steroidogenesis The steroid synthesis pathway, where each enzyme block leads, SHBG and free androgen index, hirsutism | |
| Thyroid, adrenal and calcium in women Thyroid physiology and its interaction with fertility and pregnancy; cortisol; calcium handling and its change in pregnancy | |
| Maternal physiology of pregnancy | |
| Cardiovascular adaptation Rise in cardiac output and plasma volume, fall in systemic vascular resistance and blood pressure, aortocaval compression | |
| Haematological adaptation Physiological anaemia of pregnancy, the procoagulant shift and why thromboembolism dominates maternal mortality | |
| Respiratory adaptation Progesterone-driven hyperventilation, the compensated respiratory alkalosis, changes in lung volumes and why FRC falls | |
| Renal and fluid adaptation Rise in GFR and fall in creatinine, glycosuria, changes in sodium and water handling, physiological hydronephrosis | |
| Metabolic and endocrine adaptation Insulin resistance of pregnancy and how gestational diabetes emerges from it, thyroid binding changes, the placental hormones | |
| Gastrointestinal and hepatic adaptation Reduced motility and sphincter tone, the liver test changes that are normal and those that are not, obstetric cholestasis | |
| When adaptation fails Pre-eclampsia as failed spiral artery remodelling; the physiology behind each sign and each treatment | |
| Fetal and placental physiology, lactation | |
| Placental transfer Simple and facilitated diffusion, active transport, pinocytosis; which drugs cross and which do not; placental gas exchange | |
| Fetal circulation The three shunts, oxygen distribution to brain and heart, the changes at first breath and what persists if they fail | |
| Fetal haemoglobin and oxygenation HbF against HbA and the leftward shift, the double Bohr effect, fetal response to hypoxia | |
| Fetal growth and wellbeing Determinants of growth, symmetrical against asymmetrical restriction, amniotic fluid dynamics | |
| Physiology of labour Myometrial contraction and the oxytocin-prostaglandin loop, cervical ripening, the mechanism of the three stages | |
| Lactation and the puerperium Prolactin and oxytocin, the let-down reflex, lactational amenorrhoea, involution of the uterus | |
| Biochemistry and cell biology | |
| Cell structure and membranes Organelles and their functions, membrane transport, receptor types and second messenger systems | |
| Enzymes and kinetics Michaelis-Menten, inhibition types, enzyme induction and why it matters for drugs in pregnancy | |
| Carbohydrate metabolism Glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and glycogen handling; the fasting-fed switch and how pregnancy shifts it | |
| Lipid and protein metabolism Fatty acid oxidation, ketogenesis, the lipid changes of pregnancy; amino acid handling and the urea cycle | |
| Nucleic acids and protein synthesis DNA replication, transcription and translation, the mutation types and their consequences | |
| Vitamins, minerals and nutrition Folate and neural tube defects, iron and its requirement in pregnancy, vitamin D, iodine | |
| Genetics | |
| Inheritance patterns Autosomal dominant and recessive, X-linked, mitochondrial; pedigree interpretation and recurrence risk calculation | |
| Chromosomal abnormalities Numerical against structural, translocations and their reproductive consequences, the common trisomies and Turner syndrome | |
| Single gene disorders in O&G Cystic fibrosis, thalassaemia and sickle cell, fragile X, haemophilia carriers | |
| Population genetics Hardy-Weinberg and its use in carrier frequency calculations, consanguinity, founder effects | |
| Prenatal screening and diagnosis Combined and quadruple tests, cell-free fetal DNA, the difference between screening and diagnosis | |
| Genetic techniques and counselling Karyotype, FISH, PCR, microarray and sequencing — what each detects and misses; non-directive counselling | |
| Immunology and microbiology | |
| Innate and adaptive immunity Components of each, complement pathways, antigen presentation, antibody classes and which crosses the placenta | |
| Hypersensitivity and autoimmunity The four types with an obstetric example each; antiphospholipid syndrome and recurrent miscarriage; lupus in pregnancy | |
| Immunology of pregnancy Why the fetus is not rejected, the maternal immune shift, and how that changes susceptibility to infection | |
| Rhesus and isoimmunisation Sensitising events, the mechanism of haemolytic disease, anti-D prophylaxis and Kleihauer testing | |
| Organisms of obstetric importance Group B streptococcus, listeria, the TORCH organisms, chorioamnionitis and puerperal sepsis | |
| Viral infections in pregnancy Parvovirus B19, varicella zoster, HIV and vertical transmission, hepatitis B serology | |
| Genital tract infection Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis; pelvic inflammatory disease and its sequelae | |
| Pharmacology | |
| Pharmacokinetics in pregnancy Absorption, distribution in an expanded volume, altered protein binding, hepatic induction and raised renal clearance | |
| Teratogenesis Critical periods of organogenesis, the classical teratogens, how risk is categorised and counselled | |
| Drugs in labour and analgesia Oxytocics and tocolytics, prostaglandins, magnesium sulphate and its monitoring; opioids, regional and general anaesthesia | |
| Hormonal agents Combined and progestogen-only contraception — mechanism, failure, risk; HRT; clomiphene and gonadotrophins; SERMs and GnRH analogues | |
| Antimicrobials and anticoagulants in pregnancy Which antibiotics are safe by trimester; why low molecular weight heparin rather than warfarin, and the exceptions | |
| Chronic disease drugs in pregnancy Antihypertensives, antiepileptics, antidepressants, thyroid drugs, insulin — continue, switch, or stop | |
| Pathology and clinical management domains | |
| General pathology Inflammation, cell injury and necrosis, apoptosis, wound healing and thrombosis — the basic-science vocabulary the rest depends on | |
| Neoplasia Oncogenes and tumour suppressors, invasion and metastasis, grading against staging, the principles of screening | |
| Gynaecological malignancy Cervical, endometrial, ovarian and vulval cancer — the precursor lesion, histological type, spread pattern and staging basis of each | |
| Benign gynaecological pathology Fibroids, endometriosis and adenomyosis, ovarian cysts, polyps, lichen sclerosus | |
| Placental and trophoblastic pathology Praevia and abruption, accreta spectrum, hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma | |
| Early pregnancy pathology Miscarriage and its types, recurrent miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy — the mechanism behind each | |
| Infertility and urogynaecology Causes of female and male factor infertility and the investigation of each; continence mechanisms and how they fail | |
| Statistics, epidemiology and data interpretation | |
| Descriptive statistics Mean, median and mode, normal against skewed distribution, standard deviation against standard error, confidence intervals | |
| Test performance Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values from a two-by-two table until the arithmetic is fast; how prevalence moves predictive value | |
| Study design The evidence hierarchy, randomised trial against cohort against case-control, bias and confounding, intention to treat | |
| Hypothesis testing p values, type I and II error, power and sample size, which test suits which data type | |
| Outcome measures Absolute and relative risk reduction, number needed to treat, odds ratio against relative risk, survival analysis | |
| Epidemiology in O&G Maternal and perinatal mortality definitions, the confidential enquiries, screening programme evaluation and its biases | |
| Correction Biophysics — a full Paper 2 domain omitted from the original plan | |
| Ultrasound physics Image formation, frequency against resolution and penetration, Doppler principles and the indices used in fetal medicine, thermal index and safety | |
| Ionising radiation How an X-ray and a CT image are formed, dose units and comparisons, risk in pregnancy, justification and ALARP | |
| Magnetic resonance imaging How the signal is generated, the sequences, contraindications and the ferromagnetic hazard, use in pregnancy | |
| Electrosurgery and lasers Monopolar against bipolar diathermy, the burn mechanisms and how they are avoided, laser principles and tissue effect | |
| Pressure, flow and measurement Laplace's law applied to the uterus and vessels, fluid dynamics and resistance, urodynamic principles | |
| Physical principles in monitoring Pulse oximetry, blood gas measurement, temperature and electrical safety in theatre | |
To prepare for MRCOG Part 2, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Papers | Two, each three hours, both on the same day |
|---|---|
| Each paper | 50 single best answer questions and 50 extended matching questions |
| Mark split | SBAs 40% of the mark, EMQs 60% |
| Recommended timing | 70 minutes for the SBAs, 110 minutes for the EMQs, per paper |
| Each paper | Carries half the final mark |
| Pass rule | Combined pass mark set by the Angoff method; no requirement to pass each paper separately |
| Knowledge areas | Fifteen, from the 2019 curriculum |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against the RCOG key dates, how to apply and FAQ pages. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Sitting | Expression of interest closes | Booking window | Exam date | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 closed | Passed (2 October 2026) | 27 October to 15 December 2026 | Wednesday 20 January 2027 | 17 February 2027 |
| July 2027 | 30 March 2027 | 20 April to 15 June 2027 | Wednesday 14 July 2027 | 11 August 2027 |
January 2027 is now only open to candidates who submitted an expression of interest by 2 October 2026. Everyone else should plan for July 2027.
| Egypt | Cairo, Nasr City, Giza, 6th of October and Mansoura. Fee band B |
|---|---|
| Iraq | Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah. Fee band A |
| Gulf | Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Dammam, Al Khobar, Dhahran, Buraidah, Aseer and others), UAE (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Oman (Muscat). Fee band A. Kuwait was not on the Part 2 centre list when checked |
| Booking opens | The booking email goes out between 1pm and 5pm UK time on opening day, which is evening in Baghdad and the Gulf. Log in to the portal yourself rather than waiting for the email |
| Paying | Fees are charged in pounds sterling. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| Egypt | £601 (band B) |
|---|---|
| Iraq | £696 (band A) |
| Gulf states | £696 (band A) |
| Which band you pay | The band of the country where the test centre is, not your nationality or residence. These are 2026 fees; RCOG had not published 2027 fees when checked |
RCOG: country fee bands RCOG: Part 2 exam centres RCOG: Part 2 key dates and fees RCOG: Part 2 how to apply RCOG: Part 2 FAQs RCOG: booking your exam
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Antenatal care | |
| Routine antenatal care The visit schedule and what happens at each, booking bloods, the screening offered and its timing, what changes for a high-risk woman | |
| Fetal growth problems Small for gestational age against growth restriction, symmetrical against asymmetrical, surveillance and the decision to deliver; large for dates | |
| Liquor volume Oligohydramnios and polyhydramnios — causes, investigation, and what each implies for the fetus | |
| Fetal lie and presentation Breech — types, ECV and its contraindications, mode of delivery; abnormal lie, malpresentation and malposition | |
| Red cell isoimmunisation Sensitising events, the mechanism of haemolytic disease, anti-D prophylaxis, Kleihauer, fetal surveillance | |
| Prematurity and prolonged pregnancy Preterm labour prediction and prevention, steroids and magnesium for neuroprotection; management beyond term | |
| Multiple pregnancy Chorionicity and why it decides everything, twin-to-twin transfusion, surveillance and timing of birth | |
| Prenatal diagnosis Combined and quadruple screening, cell-free fetal DNA, amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling — timing, risk, what each detects | |
| Maternal medicine: medical and haematological disorders | |
| Hypertensive disorders Chronic against gestational hypertension against pre-eclampsia; aspirin prophylaxis and who qualifies; the pathophysiology that explains every sign | |
| Eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia Magnesium sulphate regimen and monitoring, antihypertensive choice, HELLP, the decision to deliver | |
| Gestational diabetes Screening criteria, diagnostic thresholds, targets, treatment escalation, timing of birth and postnatal follow-up | |
| Thyroid and other endocrine disease Thyroid function changes in pregnancy, hypothyroidism and thyrotoxicosis, drug choice by trimester | |
| Obstetric cholestasis and liver disease Presentation, bile acid monitoring, ursodeoxycholic acid, stillbirth risk and timing of birth | |
| Epilepsy and neurological disease Antiepileptic choice and folate, seizure risk in pregnancy, headaches and the red flags in a pregnant woman | |
| Anaemia and haemoglobinopathies Physiological anaemia against true anaemia, iron and folate, sickle cell and thalassaemia in pregnancy | |
| Thromboembolism and thrombophilia Risk assessment and prophylaxis, diagnosis in pregnancy, treatment doses; antiphospholipid syndrome and recurrent loss | |
| Maternal medicine: infection and sepsis | |
| Sepsis in pregnancy Why the physiological changes mask it, recognition, the modified early warning score, source control and antibiotic choice | |
| Group B streptococcus Colonisation against infection, who gets intrapartum prophylaxis, early and late onset neonatal disease | |
| Cytomegalovirus and rubella Transmission risk by trimester, fetal effects, why rubella screening changed, counselling after exposure | |
| Parvovirus B19 and varicella Fetal anaemia and hydrops, middle cerebral artery Doppler; varicella pneumonitis, VZIG and aciclovir, fetal varicella syndrome | |
| Blood-borne viruses HIV and vertical transmission — what reduces it; hepatitis B serology and neonatal immunisation | |
| Urinary and genital tract infection in pregnancy Asymptomatic bacteriuria and why it is treated, pyelonephritis, bacterial vaginosis and preterm birth | |
| Management of labour | |
| Normal labour The three stages and the mechanism of each, partogram interpretation, what defines delay in each stage | |
| Induction of labour Indications, Bishop score, methods in order, failed induction, the risks of each method | |
| Prelabour rupture of membranes At term and preterm — confirmation, infection surveillance, antibiotics, steroids, timing of delivery | |
| Fetal monitoring Physiology behind the CTG, the classification of features, what each abnormality means and what it should trigger; fetal blood sampling | |
| Analgesia in labour Non-pharmacological options, opioids, regional anaesthesia — contraindications and complications of each | |
| Preterm labour Diagnosis, tocolysis and when it is worth it, steroids, magnesium for neuroprotection, place of birth | |
| Vaginal birth after caesarean Success predictors, uterine rupture risk and its signs, how labour is conducted differently | |
| Antepartum haemorrhage Placenta praevia against abruption, concealed against revealed bleeding, vasa praevia, accreta spectrum; resuscitation, DIC, steroids and the timing and mode of delivery | |
| Management of delivery and obstetric emergencies | |
| Operative vaginal delivery Indications and prerequisites, ventouse against forceps, the classification by station, when to abandon | |
| Caesarean section Categories and their timescales, technique and the layers, complications by system, maternal request | |
| Shoulder dystocia Recognition, the manoeuvres in order, what must not be done, fetal and maternal complications, documentation | |
| Cord prolapse Risk factors, immediate manoeuvres, the mode and urgency of delivery | |
| Uterine rupture Risk factors, the classical signs, immediate management and the decision about future fertility | |
| Amniotic fluid embolism Pathophysiology, the biphasic presentation, why it is a diagnosis of exclusion, supportive management | |
| Perineal trauma Degrees of tear, OASI risk factors and repair principles, long-term consequences and subsequent delivery advice | |
| Postpartum problems | |
| Primary postpartum haemorrhage The four Ts, the escalating medical then surgical ladder, massive transfusion, when to proceed to hysterectomy | |
| Secondary postpartum haemorrhage Retained products against endometritis, investigation, antibiotics and the risks of evacuation | |
| Puerperal sepsis Sources, organisms, recognition against the normal puerperium, treatment | |
| Perinatal mental health The spectrum from blues to puerperal psychosis, screening, risk of recurrence, drugs in breastfeeding, referral thresholds | |
| Breastfeeding and its problems Physiology of lactation, mastitis and abscess, common feeding difficulties, contraindications to breastfeeding | |
| Postpartum contraception Timing by method, what is safe in breastfeeding, the postpartum IUD | |
| Early pregnancy care | |
| Miscarriage The types and how each presents, expectant, medical and surgical management and their comparative risks | |
| Recurrent miscarriage The definition, the investigations that are justified and those that are not, antiphospholipid syndrome, counselling on prognosis | |
| Ectopic pregnancy Sites and risk factors, the hCG and ultrasound decision rules, expectant against methotrexate against surgery, anti-D | |
| Pregnancy of unknown location How hCG tracking distinguishes the possibilities, and what safety-netting a woman must leave with | |
| Hyperemesis gravidarum Diagnostic criteria, the scoring used, fluid and antiemetic choice, thiamine and Wernicke's, refeeding | |
| Gestational trophoblastic disease Complete against partial mole, presentation, evacuation, registration and follow-up, choriocarcinoma | |
| Termination of pregnancy Legal framework, medical and surgical methods by gestation, complications, contraception afterwards | |
| Gynaecological problems | |
| Heavy menstrual bleeding Structured causes, investigation thresholds, medical ladder from tranexamic acid to the intrauterine system, surgical options | |
| Amenorrhoea and oligomenorrhoea Primary against secondary, the investigation sequence, and how the result localises the lesion in the axis | |
| Dysmenorrhoea and pelvic pain Primary against secondary, the differential for chronic pelvic pain, when to laparoscope | |
| Fibroids Classification by location, presentation by type, medical and surgical options, fibroids and fertility, degeneration in pregnancy | |
| Endometriosis and adenomyosis Pathogenesis theories, why symptoms and disease burden diverge, diagnosis, medical and surgical management, impact on fertility | |
| Ovarian cysts Simple against complex, the risk of malignancy index, management by age and appearance, accident and torsion | |
| Polycystic ovary syndrome Rotterdam criteria, the metabolic consequences, management by the woman's priority — cycle, hirsutism or fertility | |
| Vulval and cervical benign disease Lichen sclerosus and its malignant potential, Bartholin's cyst, cervical polyps and ectropion, female genital mutilation | |
| Menopause Diagnosis without testing, HRT regimens and route, the risks quantified honestly, non-hormonal options, premature ovarian insufficiency | |
| Subfertility, sexual and reproductive health | |
| Investigation of the infertile couple What is tested and when, ovulation confirmation, tubal patency options, semen analysis parameters | |
| Female factor infertility Ovulatory, tubal and uterine causes; ovulation induction agents and their risks; ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome | |
| Male factor infertility Causes by category, semen analysis interpretation, surgical sperm retrieval, ICSI | |
| Assisted reproduction The IVF cycle step by step, success rates by age, multiple pregnancy risk, the regulatory framework | |
| Hormonal contraception Combined and progestogen-only methods — mechanism, efficacy, the eligibility criteria, missed pill rules, non-contraceptive benefits | |
| Long-acting and barrier methods Implant and injectable, intrauterine system against copper device — fitting, complications, what to do if pregnancy occurs | |
| Emergency contraception The three options, the timing window and efficacy of each, interactions and weight, what to do next | |
| Sexually transmitted infection Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, herpes, warts and trichomonas — testing, treatment, partner notification; PID and its sequelae | |
| Gynaecological oncology | |
| Cervical screening and CIN The programme and its intervals, HPV primary testing, colposcopy referral, treatment of CIN and its obstetric consequences | |
| Cervical cancer HPV types and vaccination, histological types, spread, staging basis, treatment by stage, fertility-sparing options | |
| Endometrial cancer Unopposed oestrogen as the unifying risk, type 1 against type 2, postmenopausal bleeding pathway, endometrial thickness thresholds, staging | |
| Ovarian cancer Epithelial against germ cell against sex cord types, tumour markers and their traps, RMI, cytoreduction and chemotherapy, BRCA | |
| Vulval cancer VIN and lichen sclerosus as precursors, spread to groin nodes, sentinel node and radical surgery | |
| Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia When a mole becomes malignant, the scoring system, chemotherapy and its excellent prognosis, follow-up rules | |
| Principles of cancer care Multidisciplinary working, the role of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, palliative care, cancer in pregnancy | |
| Urogynaecology, surgical procedures and post-operative care | |
| Urinary incontinence Stress against urgency against mixed, the physiology of continence and how it fails, urodynamics and when it is indicated | |
| Management of incontinence Conservative and pelvic floor training, drugs and their side effects, surgical options and the mesh position | |
| Pelvic organ prolapse Compartments and grading, risk factors, pessaries, surgical repair and recurrence | |
| Core surgical skills Incisions and their closure, suture materials, diathermy and its hazards, tissue handling, the surgical safety checklist | |
| Gynaecological operations Hysterectomy by route and its complications, endometrial ablation, laparoscopy and its entry risks, hysteroscopy | |
| Pre-operative assessment Risk scoring, comorbidity optimisation, thromboprophylaxis, consent and its documentation | |
| Post-operative complications Haemorrhage, sepsis and surgical site infection, ileus, venous thromboembolism, wound dehiscence, urinary retention | |
| Fluids, blood and enhanced recovery Peri-operative fluid prescribing, blood products and transfusion reactions, enhanced recovery principles | |
| Clinical skills, governance, research | |
| History, examination and communication Obstetric, gynaecological and sexual history; obstetric, speculum and bimanual examination; breaking bad news and consent | |
| Consent and legal framework Montgomery and material risk, capacity and Gillick competence, the Abortion Act, confidentiality and safeguarding | |
| Clinical governance Audit against research against service evaluation, incident reporting and never events, risk management, the confidential enquiries | |
| Statistics for the exam Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values from a two-by-two table; absolute and relative risk, number needed to treat, odds ratio | |
| Research methods Study designs and the evidence hierarchy, bias and confounding, p values, power, systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| Teaching and appraisal Learning theory in brief, giving feedback, assessment methods, the trainee in difficulty | |
To prepare for MRCPCH FOP and TAS, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Exams | Two of the three MRCPCH theory exams. All three may be taken in any order |
|---|---|
| Foundation of Practice | 100 single best answer questions, 2 hours |
| Theory and Science | 100 single best answer questions, 2 hours |
| Same day | Both may be sat on the same day, FOP in the morning |
| Format | Single best answer, no negative marking |
| Standard | The level expected of a doctor entering core specialist training |
| Syllabus areas | Twenty-five, shared across the theory exams |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against the RCPCH theory exam pages. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Diet | Applications open | Close (online invigilation) | Close (test centres) | Exam date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.3 closed | 27 July 2026 | 3 August 2026 | 3 August 2026 | Wednesday 14 October 2026 |
| 2027.1 opens 30 Nov 2026 | Monday 30 November 2026, 09:30 | Friday 4 December 2026 | Monday 7 December 2026 | Wednesday 17 February 2027 |
| 2027.2 | Monday 5 April 2027, 09:30 | Friday 9 April 2027 | Monday 12 April 2027 | Wednesday 23 June 2027 |
| 2027.3 | Monday 9 August 2027, 09:30 | Friday 13 August 2027 | Monday 16 August 2027 | Wednesday 13 October 2027 |
| Egypt | Cairo |
|---|---|
| Iraq | No test centre. Sit by online invigilation if you meet the RCPCH criteria, or book a centre in a neighbouring country such as Kuwait or Jordan |
| Gulf | Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam), UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Kuwait (Salmiya), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Oman (Muscat). Online invigilation is not offered in the UAE |
| When your country opens | In the last diet, Egypt and the Gulf centres opened on the first day of the window, ahead of the UK |
| Opening time locally | 09:30 UK time is 12:30 in Baghdad, Riyadh, Kuwait, Doha and Manama, 13:30 in Dubai and Muscat, and 11:30 in Cairo for the November, December and March windows. For the April, July and August windows it is 11:30 in Baghdad, Cairo and the western Gulf, and 12:30 in Dubai and Muscat |
| Plan ahead for the Clinical | RCPCH warns that demand for the MRCPCH Clinical in the Middle East is higher than the places available |
| Documents | A degree certificate issued in Arabic needs a certified English translation |
| Paying | Fees are charged in pounds sterling. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| FOP and TAS together | £845 (2027 international fee) |
|---|---|
| FOP or TAS alone | £455 (2027 international fee) |
| Timing on the day | FOP 09:30 to 11:30 and TAS 14:00 to 16:00, local time at your centre as stated on your admission document |
RCPCH: upcoming theory exam dates RCPCH: what you need to know (eligibility, fees) RCPCH: get your exam account RCPCH: how to apply on the booking system
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Neonatology and perinatal adaptation | |
| Transition at birth Foetal against adult circulation, the three shunts and what closes them, first breath and lung fluid clearance, persistent pulmonary hypertension | |
| The preterm infant Problems by system and by gestation, surfactant and respiratory distress, thermoregulation, intraventricular haemorrhage | |
| Neonatal jaundice Bilirubin metabolism, physiological against pathological, the under-24-hour rule, treatment thresholds, kernicterus | |
| Neonatal sepsis Early against late onset — organisms, risk factors, the NICE thresholds for treatment, lumbar puncture indications | |
| Neonatal emergencies Meconium aspiration, necrotising enterocolitis and its radiology, common postnatal problems | |
| Newborn examination The NIPE screen — what is looked for, when, and what each abnormal finding triggers | |
| Growth, development and nutrition | |
| Gross and fine motor development Milestones with their limit ages, the red flags, and what delay in each domain suggests | |
| Speech, social and sensory development Speech and language milestones, social and emotional development, hearing and vision screening | |
| Developmental delay Global against specific delay, regression as a red flag, the investigation of delay | |
| Growth and puberty Growth charts and centiles, mid-parental height, failure to thrive, normal and abnormal puberty, the endocrinology behind each | |
| Infant feeding and nutrition Breast against formula composition, weaning, cow's milk protein allergy, faltering growth, vitamin D and rickets | |
| Immunisation The UK schedule, live against inactivated vaccines, contraindications, catch-up and the immunocompromised child | |
| Respiratory and ENT | |
| Applied respiratory physiology Why the infant airway obstructs, compliance and work of breathing, oxygen dissociation and fetal haemoglobin, control of ventilation | |
| Bronchiolitis RSV and the ball-valve mechanism, the admission criteria, why bronchodilators and steroids do not work | |
| Asthma Diagnosis in children, the stepwise treatment ladder by age, acute severity assessment and management | |
| Pneumonia and bronchiectasis Organisms by age, when to admit, complications including empyema; causes of bronchiectasis in children | |
| Cystic fibrosis Genetics and the CFTR defect, newborn screening, multisystem manifestations, modulator therapy | |
| Upper airway Croup against epiglottitis against bacterial tracheitis, whooping cough, laryngomalacia, the acute airway | |
| Ear, nose and throat Otitis media and effusion, otitis externa, mastoiditis, tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess, glandular fever, epistaxis | |
| Cardiology | |
| Cardiac physiology in congenital disease Shunt direction and its consequences, duct-dependent circulations, why some lesions present in the first days and others in years | |
| ECG in children Normal age-related variation, axis, hypertrophy patterns, the arrhythmias that matter | |
| Left-to-right shunts VSD, ASD, AVSD and patent ductus — murmur, natural history, timing of intervention, Eisenmenger | |
| Cyanotic lesions Tetralogy of Fallot and the hypercyanotic spell, transposition, tricuspid atresia, TAPVD, hypoplastic left heart | |
| Acquired heart disease Infective endocarditis and prophylaxis, acute rheumatic fever and the Jones criteria, Kawasaki disease and its coronary risk | |
| Cardiovascular examination The innocent murmur and how to distinguish it, examination sequence in a child | |
| Infection, immunology and allergy | |
| Basic immunology Innate against adaptive, complement, antibody classes and maternal transfer, the immunological reason infants are vulnerable | |
| Primary immunodeficiency When to suspect it, the pattern of infection in B-cell, T-cell, phagocyte and complement defects | |
| The febrile child The NICE traffic light system, fever without source, serious bacterial infection risk by age, sepsis recognition | |
| Meningitis and encephalitis Organisms by age, CSF interpretation, steroids, contact prophylaxis, complications | |
| Childhood exanthems Measles, rubella, parvovirus, scarlet fever, hand foot and mouth, chickenpox — distinguishing rash, timing and infectivity | |
| Allergy and anaphylaxis IgE and non-IgE mechanisms, food allergy and the allergic march, anaphylaxis recognition and adrenaline dosing by age | |
| Gastroenterology, surgery and hepatology | |
| Applied gastrointestinal physiology Absorption by site, gut motility in infancy, the physiology of reflux and why it resolves | |
| Vomiting in infancy Reflux against pyloric stenosis against malrotation — age, pattern, electrolytes and the investigation that settles it | |
| Acute abdomen Appendicitis in the young child, intussusception, mesenteric adenitis, incarcerated hernia | |
| Congenital gut anomalies Hirschsprung's disease, anorectal malformation, gastroschisis against exomphalos, necrotising enterocolitis | |
| Chronic gastrointestinal disease Coeliac disease and its serology, inflammatory bowel disease in children, infantile colic, constipation | |
| Gastroenteritis and dehydration Assessment of dehydration, oral against intravenous rehydration, when stool culture is indicated | |
| Neurology and neurodisability | |
| Seizures and epilepsy Febrile convulsion and its recurrence risk, seizure classification, the common childhood epilepsy syndromes, status epilepticus | |
| Raised intracranial pressure and hydrocephalus The physiology, presentation by age, shunt complications, red flags in headache | |
| Cerebral palsy Classification by type and distribution, aetiology, associated problems, management as a team | |
| Neurodevelopmental disorders Autism spectrum disorder and ADHD — diagnostic features, assessment pathway, management and comorbidity | |
| Neuromuscular and central nervous system tumours The floppy infant, muscular dystrophies, primary brain tumours and their presentation, glioma | |
| Applied neurophysiology Membrane potentials and seizure generation, CSF circulation, the developing brain and myelination | |
| Nephro-urology, fluids and electrolytes | |
| Renal physiology in childhood GFR maturation, concentrating ability in the neonate, why children dehydrate faster | |
| Fluid and electrolyte management Maintenance by weight, deficit and ongoing losses, choice of fluid, the risk of hyponatraemia | |
| Urinary tract infection Diagnosis by age and sample method, imaging rules, vesicoureteric reflux and renal scarring | |
| Nephrotic and nephritic syndromes Minimal change disease and steroid response, post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, Henoch-Schonlein purpura | |
| Stones and obstruction Paediatric stone disease and its metabolic causes, posterior urethral valves, antenatal hydronephrosis | |
| Paediatric urology Undescended testis, testicular torsion against epididymitis, hydrocele, hypospadias, phimosis and BXO | |
| Haematology, oncology and genetics | |
| Anaemia in childhood Iron deficiency and its causes by age, haemolysis, the normal haemoglobin switch from HbF | |
| Haemoglobinopathies and bleeding disorders Sickle cell disease and its crises, thalassaemia, haemophilia, immune thrombocytopenia | |
| Childhood leukaemia ALL and AML — presentation, the blood film, urgent referral criteria, tumour lysis | |
| Solid tumours of childhood Neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, lymphoma — typical age, site and presentation | |
| Oncological emergencies Febrile neutropenia, spinal cord compression, superior vena cava obstruction, tumour lysis syndrome | |
| Genetics and dysmorphology Inheritance patterns and pedigrees, Down syndrome and the other trisomies, Turner and Noonan, Pierre Robin sequence | |
| Emergency, trauma and safeguarding | |
| The seriously unwell child Structured assessment, vital signs by age, the Glasgow coma scale modified for children, escalation | |
| Paediatric life support Basic life support sequence and how it differs from adults, choking, brief resolved unexplained event | |
| Shock and sepsis in children Recognition of compensated shock, fluid boluses and their limits, inotropes, the septic screen | |
| Trauma and injuries Paediatric trauma assessment, burns assessment and fluid calculation, supracondylar and clavicle fractures, bites | |
| Poisoning and ingestion Common ingestions and their antidotes, button batteries, iron and paracetamol in children | |
| Safeguarding Categories of abuse, the injuries that raise concern and why, fabricated illness, neglect, the referral threshold and process | |
| Adolescent health HEADSSS assessment, confidentiality and Gillick competence, consent and refusal in young people | |
| Pharmacology, metabolic medicine and endocrinology | |
| Principles of paediatric prescribing Weight-based dosing, the changing pharmacokinetics of the neonate and infant, unlicensed and off-label use, the BNF for Children | |
| Drug classes in children Antibiotics, analgesics, anticonvulsants, steroids, bronchodilators — mechanism and the side effect that matters in a child | |
| Diabetes in childhood Type 1 presentation, insulin regimens, diabetic ketoacidosis management and the cerebral oedema risk | |
| Thyroid and adrenal disorders Congenital hypothyroidism and newborn screening, hyperthyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing syndrome | |
| Inherited metabolic disease When to suspect it, the newborn screening panel, hypoglycaemia and its investigation, urea cycle and organic acid disorders in outline | |
| Calcium, bone and nutrition Rickets and vitamin D, calcium homeostasis, obesity and its complications | |
| Science of practice, ethics and evidence | |
| Statistics and evidence Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values, absolute against relative risk, number needed to treat, confidence intervals | |
| Study design and critical appraisal The evidence hierarchy, bias and confounding, randomisation, intention to treat, appraising a paediatric trial | |
| Epidemiology and public health Screening programmes in childhood, immunisation coverage, child mortality data, health inequality | |
| Ethics and law Consent, capacity and Gillick competence, best interests, withholding and withdrawing treatment, research in children | |
| Patient safety and governance Incident reporting, human factors, audit against research, medicines safety in children | |
| Dermatology and ophthalmology loose ends Eczema and psoriasis in children, the rash you must not miss, congenital glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity | |
To prepare for MRCPCH AKP, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Exams | Two papers, taken on the same day |
|---|---|
| Each paper | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Total questions | 120 single best answer questions across the two |
| Format | Single best answer, no negative marking. Case histories, data interpretation and images |
| Standard | The level expected of a doctor entering core specialist training |
| Position | The third theory exam, formerly Part 2; may be taken in any order |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against the RCPCH theory exam pages. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Diet | Applications open | Close (online invigilation) | Close (test centres) | Exam date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.3 closed | June 2026 | 3 July 2026 | 6 July 2026 | Wednesday 16 September 2026 |
| 2027.1 opens 2 Nov 2026 | Monday 2 November 2026, 09:30 | Friday 6 November 2026 | Monday 9 November 2026 | Wednesday 20 January 2027 |
| 2027.2 | Monday 8 March 2027, 09:30 | Friday 12 March 2027 | Monday 15 March 2027 | Wednesday 26 May 2027 |
| 2027.3 | Monday 5 July 2027, 09:30 | Friday 9 July 2027 | Monday 12 July 2027 | Wednesday 22 September 2027 |
| Egypt | Cairo |
|---|---|
| Iraq | No test centre. Sit by online invigilation if you meet the RCPCH criteria, or book a centre in a neighbouring country such as Kuwait or Jordan |
| Gulf | Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam), UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Kuwait (Salmiya), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Oman (Muscat). Online invigilation is not offered in the UAE |
| When your country opens | In the last diet, Egypt and the Gulf centres opened on the first day of the window, ahead of the UK |
| Opening time locally | 09:30 UK time is 12:30 in Baghdad, Riyadh, Kuwait, Doha and Manama, 13:30 in Dubai and Muscat, and 11:30 in Cairo for the November, December and March windows. For the April, July and August windows it is 11:30 in Baghdad, Cairo and the western Gulf, and 12:30 in Dubai and Muscat |
| Plan ahead for the Clinical | RCPCH warns that demand for the MRCPCH Clinical in the Middle East is higher than the places available |
| Documents | A degree certificate issued in Arabic needs a certified English translation |
| Paying | Fees are charged in pounds sterling. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| AKP | £960 (2027 international fee) |
|---|---|
| Timing on the day | Paper 1 in the morning and Paper 2 in the afternoon, two and a half hours each, as stated on your admission document |
RCPCH: upcoming theory exam dates RCPCH: what you need to know (eligibility, fees) RCPCH: get your exam account RCPCH: how to apply on the booking system
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Neonatology | |
| The preterm and low birthweight infant Complications by system and gestation, surfactant, nutrition, discharge planning and follow-up | |
| Neonatal jaundice Treatment thresholds by age and gestation, prolonged jaundice screen, conjugated jaundice as a surgical emergency | |
| Neonatal sepsis and infection Risk-factor thresholds for treatment, duration decisions, late-onset organisms and lines | |
| Neonatal respiratory problems Respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnoea, meconium aspiration, pneumothorax — distinguishing them on film | |
| Necrotising enterocolitis and gut emergencies Staging, radiological signs, when surgery is required | |
| Postnatal problems and NIPE Common postnatal presentations, what the newborn examination must not miss | |
| Respiratory and ENT | |
| Acute asthma Severity classification, the treatment ladder in an attack, criteria for intensive care, discharge and follow-up | |
| Bronchiolitis Admission criteria, escalation to high-flow, apnoea risk in the young infant, what not to give | |
| Pneumonia and empyema Antibiotic choice by age and severity, when to image, drainage of empyema | |
| Cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis Exacerbation management, nutritional and pancreatic care, long-term complications | |
| The obstructed airway Croup severity and steroid dosing, epiglottitis and what must not be done, foreign body, laryngomalacia | |
| ENT decisions Otitis media and when to give antibiotics, effusion and grommets, tonsillectomy criteria, mastoiditis, peri-orbital cellulitis | |
| Cardiology | |
| The neonate with cyanosis or collapse Duct-dependent lesions, prostaglandin, the hyperoxia test, transposition and hypoplastic left heart | |
| Murmurs and shunts Innocent against pathological, VSD, ASD, AVSD and duct — when to refer and when to intervene | |
| Tetralogy and the hypercyanotic spell Recognition and the sequence of management, surgical timing | |
| Arrhythmia and ECG SVT recognition and management ladder, long QT, ECG changes by age | |
| Acquired heart disease Kawasaki disease and immunoglobulin timing, rheumatic fever, myocarditis, endocarditis prophylaxis | |
| Heart failure in infancy Presentation, the causes by age, medical management before surgery | |
| Gastroenterology, hepatology and surgery | |
| Vomiting and the surgical abdomen Pyloric stenosis, malrotation with volvulus, intussusception, appendicitis — the discriminating features and the investigation | |
| Congenital anomalies Hirschsprung's, anorectal malformation, gastroschisis and exomphalos — immediate management and definitive repair | |
| Chronic diarrhoea and malabsorption Coeliac disease, cow's milk protein allergy, toddler diarrhoea, failure to thrive | |
| Inflammatory bowel disease Presentation in children, investigation, induction and maintenance, growth failure as a feature | |
| Reflux and constipation Reflux management ladder in infancy, functional constipation and disimpaction regimens, red flags | |
| Gastroenteritis and hydration Assessment, rehydration route and rate, when to investigate, haemolytic uraemic syndrome | |
| Infection, immunology and allergy | |
| The febrile child and sepsis Traffic light assessment, sepsis recognition and the first hour, fever in the returning traveller | |
| Meningitis and encephalitis Empirical antibiotics by age, dexamethasone, when to delay lumbar puncture, contact prophylaxis | |
| Bone and joint infection Septic arthritis against transient synovitis, osteomyelitis, Kocher criteria, duration of treatment | |
| Exanthems and common infections Measles, chickenpox, scarlet fever, parvovirus, glandular fever — exclusion advice and complications | |
| Immunodeficiency and the immunocompromised child When to investigate recurrent infection, febrile neutropenia, live vaccines in immunosuppression | |
| Allergy Food allergy diagnosis and management, anaphylaxis and adrenaline by age, allergy testing and its limits | |
| Neurology and neurodisability | |
| Seizures and status epilepticus The status protocol with drugs and timings, febrile convulsion advice, epilepsy syndromes and first-line drugs | |
| Headache and raised intracranial pressure Red flags, when to image, hydrocephalus and shunt malfunction, idiopathic intracranial hypertension | |
| Central nervous system tumours Presentation by site and age, the referral pathway, glioma and posterior fossa tumours | |
| Cerebral palsy and neurodisability Classification, management of tone and feeding, the multidisciplinary pathway, transition | |
| Developmental concerns Delay and regression, the assessment pathway, autism and ADHD management decisions | |
| The weak or floppy child Differential by level of the lesion, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, Guillain-Barre | |
| Endocrinology, growth and metabolic medicine | |
| Diabetic ketoacidosis Diagnosis, fluid and insulin regimen, the cerebral oedema risk and how it is minimised, transition to subcutaneous insulin | |
| Type 1 diabetes Presentation, insulin regimens, sick day rules, hypoglycaemia, long-term surveillance | |
| Thyroid disease Congenital hypothyroidism and screening timing, acquired hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and neonatal thyrotoxicosis | |
| Adrenal disorders Adrenal insufficiency and crisis management, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and the salt-losing neonate, Cushing syndrome | |
| Growth and puberty problems Short stature investigation, precocious and delayed puberty, the pathway for each | |
| Metabolic presentations The hypoglycaemia screen and why samples must be taken during the episode, suspected inborn error in the sick neonate | |
| Nephro-urology | |
| Urinary tract infection Sampling method by age, the imaging rules, prophylaxis, recurrent infection and scarring | |
| Nephrotic syndrome Steroid-sensitive disease and its course, complications including infection and thrombosis, when to biopsy | |
| Glomerulonephritis and haematuria Post-streptococcal disease, IgA nephropathy, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, investigation of haematuria and proteinuria | |
| Acute kidney injury and hypertension Causes by category in children, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, blood pressure measurement and thresholds by age | |
| Stones and structural disease Metabolic causes of stones, antenatal hydronephrosis pathway, posterior urethral valves | |
| Acute scrotum and urology Torsion against epididymitis against torted appendage, undescended testis timing, hypospadias, paraphimosis | |
| Haematology and oncology | |
| Anaemia and haemolysis Investigation by indices, iron deficiency management, haemolytic anaemias and their films | |
| Sickle cell and thalassaemia Crisis management, acute chest syndrome, splenic sequestration, transfusion and chelation | |
| Bleeding and bruising Haemophilia management, immune thrombocytopenia, and distinguishing both from inflicted injury | |
| Leukaemia Presentation and the urgent pathway, the blood film, initial stabilisation, tumour lysis prevention | |
| Solid tumours and lymphoma Neuroblastoma, Wilms tumour, bone sarcomas, lymphoma — the presenting sign that triggers referral | |
| Oncological emergencies Febrile neutropenia protocol, cord compression, superior vena cava obstruction, hypercalcaemia | |
| Emergency, trauma, poisoning and palliative care | |
| Resuscitation and the collapsed child Life support sequence, drug and fluid doses by weight, post-resuscitation care | |
| Trauma Primary survey in children, head injury imaging rules, cervical spine, non-accidental injury as a differential | |
| Burns and bites Surface area estimation in children, fluid calculation, referral criteria; bite management and prophylaxis | |
| Fractures in children Growth plate injuries and Salter-Harris, supracondylar and clavicle fractures, open fracture management, the limping child | |
| Poisoning Common ingestions and antidotes, button battery as an emergency, paracetamol and iron in children | |
| Palliative and end-of-life care Symptom control in children, advance care planning, breaking bad news, care after death | |
| Dermatology, musculoskeletal, ophthalmology and adolescent health | |
| Childhood rashes The rash that signals sepsis, the exanthems, urticaria, erythema multiforme — recognition from an image | |
| Eczema and psoriasis Stepwise eczema management, infected eczema and eczema herpeticum, psoriasis in children | |
| The limping child Age-based differential, transient synovitis against septic arthritis, Perthes, SUFE, developmental dysplasia | |
| Rheumatological disease Juvenile idiopathic arthritis subtypes and uveitis screening, reactive arthritis, the child with joint pain and fever | |
| Ophthalmology Leukocoria and its urgency, congenital glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity screening, squint and amblyopia | |
| Adolescent and behavioural medicine HEADSSS, eating disorders and refeeding, low mood and self-harm, chronic fatigue, transition to adult services | |
| Safeguarding, ethics, governance | |
| Safeguarding Categories of abuse, injuries and fractures that raise concern, fabricated or induced illness, neglect, the referral process and documentation | |
| Consent, capacity and confidentiality Gillick competence and Fraser guidelines, parental responsibility, refusal of treatment, confidentiality limits in adolescence | |
| Ethics and end of life Best interests, withholding and withdrawing, disagreement with families, research consent in children | |
| Patient safety and governance Incident reporting and duty of candour, human factors, prescribing errors in children, audit | |
| Evidence and statistics Test performance from a two-by-two table, risk measures, appraising a trial — the arithmetic drilled | |
To prepare for USMLE Step 1, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Length | One day |
|---|---|
| Items | Up to 280 |
| Blocks, from 14 May 2026 | Fourteen blocks of 30 minutes, no more than 20 items per block |
| Format | Single best answer, integrated vignettes |
| Reporting | Pass or fail only; no three-digit score |
| Content | Published as ranges across disciplines and systems |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against usmle.org, the USMLE Bulletin and the ECFMG fees page. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Exam dates | No fixed sittings. The exam runs all year at Prometric centres, except on major local holidays |
|---|---|
| Your window | You choose a three-month eligibility period when you apply and book any free date inside it |
| How far ahead | Prometric opens dates up to six months in advance |
| Results | Usually two to four weeks after the test; allow up to eight |
| Testing region to select | Middle East, for all three |
|---|---|
| Egypt | Prometric centres in Egypt are in the Middle East region |
| Iraq | No centre is listed in Iraq. Choose the Middle East region and travel, for example to Jordan, Kuwait or the UAE. You can only book centres inside the region you paid for |
| Gulf | Centres are listed in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. Bahrain is not on the list, so Bahrain candidates usually cross to Saudi Arabia |
| What you pay | $905: the $695 exam fee plus the $210 region fee |
| Check seats first | Search the Prometric site for your city before you choose an eligibility period. Centres in Cairo and the Gulf can be full for months |
| Medical school | Your school must appear in the World Directory of Medical Schools with the ECFMG note for your graduation year |
| Paying | Fees are charged in US dollars. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| Step 1 application fee | $695 (2026 and 2027) |
|---|---|
| Middle East region fee | $210 |
| Total | $905 |
| One-off, before your first Step | MyIntealth account $110 (includes the NotaryCam fee) and Application for ECFMG Certification $580 |
| Graduates only | Credential verification $220 ($110 diploma, $110 transcript) |
USMLE: apply for exams and fees USMLE bulletin: eligibility USMLE bulletin: applying and scheduling FSMB registration portal MyIntealth ECFMG fees USMLE testing regions World Directory of Medical Schools Prometric: USMLE
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Foundations: cell biology, biochemistry, genetics | |
| Cell biology and organelles Organelle function and the diseases of each, cytoskeleton, membrane transport, receptor and second messenger systems | |
| Enzymes and metabolism Michaelis-Menten and inhibition, rate-limiting steps, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, TCA and oxidative phosphorylation | |
| Fuel metabolism Fed and fasting states, glycogen storage diseases, fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis, the metabolic profile of starvation | |
| Amino acids and nitrogen Urea cycle and hyperammonaemia, phenylketonuria and the aminoacidopathies, one-carbon metabolism | |
| Molecular biology DNA replication and repair, transcription, translation, mutation types and their consequences, laboratory techniques | |
| Genetics Inheritance patterns and pedigree interpretation, Hardy-Weinberg, imprinting, anticipation, trinucleotide repeats, chromosomal syndromes | |
| Vitamins and nutrition Each deficiency and its syndrome, fat- against water-soluble, nutritional causes of anaemia | |
| General pathology and immunology | |
| Cell injury and adaptation Reversible against irreversible injury, hypoxic cascade, free radicals, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, atrophy, metaplasia, dysplasia | |
| Cell death The six patterns of necrosis and where each occurs; apoptosis by intrinsic and extrinsic pathway; why one inflames and the other does not | |
| Inflammation Vascular then cellular phase, the mediators, leukocyte rolling to transmigration, chronic inflammation and granulomas | |
| Healing and repair The phases and their timescales, collagen types, scar strength over time, keloid and hypertrophic scar | |
| Haemodynamics Oedema and Starling forces, transudate against exudate, thrombosis and Virchow's triad, embolism types, infarction, shock | |
| Neoplasia Oncogenes and tumour suppressors, the hallmarks, invasion and metastasis, tumour markers, paraneoplastic syndromes, carcinogens | |
| Innate and adaptive immunity Complement, antigen presentation and MHC, T and B cell development, antibody classes, cytokines and their sources | |
| Hypersensitivity and immunodeficiency The four types with examples, autoimmunity, primary immunodeficiencies by defect, transplant rejection, amyloidosis | |
| Microbiology | |
| Bacterial structure and genetics Gram stain and cell wall, virulence factors, exotoxin against endotoxin, transformation, transduction, conjugation | |
| Gram-positive organisms Staphylococci and streptococci by species, their toxins and syndromes, Clostridia, Listeria, Corynebacterium | |
| Gram-negative organisms Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Neisseria, Haemophilus, the zoonotic and atypical organisms | |
| Mycobacteria, spirochaetes, atypicals Tuberculosis and its immunology, leprosy, syphilis stages, Lyme disease, Rickettsia, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma | |
| Virology DNA and RNA virus classification, replication strategies, hepatitis serology, HIV and its course, herpesviruses | |
| Mycology and parasitology Systemic and opportunistic fungi, protozoa by site, helminths and their life cycles | |
| Antimicrobials Mechanism by class, spectrum, resistance mechanisms, the toxicities that are asked, antivirals and antifungals | |
| Cardiovascular system | |
| Cardiac anatomy and embryology Chambers and valves, coronary territories, cardiac development, septation defects and the congenital lesions that follow | |
| Cardiac physiology Cardiac cycle and the pressure-volume loop, Starling curves, preload and afterload, cardiac and vascular function curves | |
| Electrophysiology and ECG Action potentials in nodal and myocardial tissue, the conduction system, ECG interpretation, arrhythmia mechanisms | |
| Haemodynamics and regulation Resistance and flow, baroreceptors and chemoreceptors, the renin-angiotensin system, the arrow questions on shock states | |
| Ischaemic heart disease Atherosclerosis, angina, infarct evolution hour by hour, complications by day, the biomarkers and their timing | |
| Heart failure, valves and vessels Systolic against diastolic failure, murmurs and their manoeuvres, cardiomyopathies, aneurysm and dissection, vasculitides | |
| Cardiovascular pharmacology Antihypertensives by class, antianginals, antiarrhythmics by Vaughan Williams class, heart failure drugs, lipid-lowering agents | |
| Respiratory system | |
| Respiratory anatomy and embryology Airway branching, lung lobes and segments, pleura, lung development and its congenital anomalies | |
| Mechanics and lung volumes Compliance, surfactant and Laplace, the volumes and capacities, obstructive against restrictive loops | |
| Gas exchange and transport V/Q relationships, shunt against dead space, A-a gradient, the oxygen dissociation curve and its shifts, CO2 carriage | |
| Control of ventilation and high altitude Chemoreceptors, response curves, adaptation to altitude, sleep-disordered breathing | |
| Obstructive and restrictive disease Asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis; the pneumoconioses, sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis | |
| Vascular and neoplastic lung disease Pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, ARDS and diffuse alveolar damage, lung cancer types and paraneoplastic syndromes | |
| Respiratory pharmacology Bronchodilators, inhaled and systemic steroids, leukotriene agents, pulmonary vasodilators | |
| Renal and urinary system | |
| Renal anatomy and embryology Nephron segments, renal vasculature, kidney development, horseshoe and polycystic kidneys | |
| Glomerular filtration and clearance GFR determinants, autoregulation, filtration fraction, clearance calculations, the arrow questions on constriction of each arteriole | |
| Tubular transport Segment-by-segment handling, the counter-current mechanism, glucose and PAH curves, the transport defects | |
| Electrolyte and water balance Sodium and potassium handling, ADH and aldosterone, the causes and correction of each electrolyte disorder | |
| Acid-base The four primary disorders and compensation, anion gap and its causes, the renal response, worked ABG problems | |
| Glomerular and tubulointerstitial disease Nephritic against nephrotic syndromes by histology, acute tubular necrosis, interstitial nephritis, chronic kidney disease | |
| Stones, obstruction and tumours Stone types and the urine that forms them, obstructive uropathy, renal cell and transitional cell carcinoma, Wilms tumour | |
| Renal pharmacology Diuretics by site and their electrolyte consequences, ACE inhibitors and ARBs, the nephrotoxic drugs | |
| Gastrointestinal system | |
| GI anatomy and embryology Foregut, midgut and hindgut with their blood supply, gut rotation and its anomalies, retroperitoneal structures, portal circulation | |
| GI physiology Secretions and their control, the gut hormones, motility, digestion and absorption by site | |
| Oesophagus and stomach Achalasia and motility disorders, reflux and Barrett's, gastritis, peptic ulcer and Helicobacter, gastric carcinoma | |
| Small and large bowel Coeliac and the malabsorption syndromes, inflammatory bowel disease compared, diverticular disease, polyps and the adenoma-carcinoma sequence | |
| Liver and biliary Bilirubin metabolism and the jaundices, viral hepatitis serology, cirrhosis and portal hypertension, the inherited liver diseases | |
| Pancreas Acute and chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic carcinoma, the endocrine tumours | |
| GI pharmacology Acid suppression, antiemetics by receptor, laxatives, inflammatory bowel disease agents | |
| Endocrine system | |
| Hypothalamus and pituitary The axes and their feedback, anterior and posterior hormones, adenomas, hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus and SIADH | |
| Thyroid Synthesis and regulation, hyper- and hypothyroidism by cause, thyroiditis, the thyroid carcinomas and their histology | |
| Adrenal Steroidogenesis and the enzyme blocks, Cushing, Conn, Addison, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, phaeochromocytoma and neuroblastoma | |
| Calcium and bone PTH, vitamin D and calcitonin, the hyperparathyroidisms, osteoporosis, osteomalacia and rickets, Paget disease | |
| Pancreatic endocrine Insulin and glucagon signalling, type 1 against type 2 diabetes, the acute complications, the chronic microvascular and macrovascular disease | |
| Multiple endocrine neoplasia and ectopic syndromes MEN 1, 2A and 2B, the paraneoplastic endocrine syndromes | |
| Endocrine pharmacology Insulins and oral agents, thyroid drugs, corticosteroids and their toxicity, bisphosphonates | |
| Reproductive system | |
| Reproductive anatomy and embryology Male and female tracts, gonadal and ductal development, sexual differentiation, the disorders of development | |
| Reproductive endocrinology The hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis, the menstrual cycle, spermatogenesis, puberty and menopause | |
| Pregnancy and the placenta Fertilisation and implantation, placental development and hormones, maternal physiological adaptation, teratogenesis | |
| Pregnancy pathology Ectopic pregnancy, pre-eclampsia and its mechanism, gestational trophoblastic disease, placental disorders | |
| Female reproductive pathology Cervical dysplasia and HPV, endometrial and ovarian tumours by cell type, fibroids, endometriosis, PCOS | |
| Male reproductive pathology Testicular tumours by type and marker, prostate hyperplasia and carcinoma, cryptorchidism, erectile physiology | |
| Breast and reproductive pharmacology Benign and malignant breast disease; contraceptives, SERMs, aromatase inhibitors, androgens and antiandrogens, fertility drugs | |
| Blood, lymphoreticular and immune systems | |
| Haematopoiesis and red cells Stem cell lineages, the haemoglobin switch, erythropoiesis and its regulation | |
| Anaemias Microcytic, normocytic and macrocytic by cause; iron studies interpretation; the haemolytic anaemias and their films | |
| Haemoglobinopathies Sickle cell disease and trait, the thalassaemias and their electrophoresis, G6PD deficiency | |
| Haemostasis and its disorders Platelet plug and the coagulation cascade, what PT and PTT measure, haemophilia, von Willebrand disease, DIC, thrombophilias | |
| Leukaemias and myeloproliferative disease The four leukaemias by age and marker, the myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplasia | |
| Lymphomas and plasma cell disorders Hodgkin and its Reed-Sternberg cell, the non-Hodgkin lymphomas by translocation, multiple myeloma and MGUS | |
| Transfusion and haematology pharmacology Blood products and transfusion reactions, anticoagulants and antiplatelets, thrombolytics, the chemotherapeutics and their toxicity | |
| Nervous system and behavioural health | |
| Neuroanatomy Cortical areas and the homunculus, internal capsule, basal ganglia, cerebellum, brainstem and cranial nerve nuclei, the spinal tracts | |
| Cerebral circulation and CSF The circle of Willis and stroke syndromes by territory, the dural sinuses, ventricles and hydrocephalus, the intracranial haemorrhages | |
| Neurophysiology Membrane and action potentials, synaptic and neuromuscular transmission, sensory receptors, sleep architecture | |
| Neuropathology Neurodegenerative diseases and their inclusions, demyelination, the CNS tumours by age and site, neurocutaneous syndromes | |
| Peripheral nerve and muscle Nerve injury classification, the mononeuropathies, Guillain-Barre, myasthenia and the dystrophies | |
| Psychiatry The major disorders and their diagnostic criteria, substance use and withdrawal syndromes, defence mechanisms, child and geriatric psychiatry | |
| Neuro and psychiatric pharmacology Antiepileptics, antiparkinsonian drugs, anaesthetics and analgesics; antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilisers and their toxicities | |
| Musculoskeletal, skin, biostatistics | |
| Musculoskeletal anatomy Limb compartments and the nerve in each, brachial and lumbosacral plexus lesions, joint structure | |
| Bone and joint pathology Osteoarthritis against rheumatoid, the seronegative spondyloarthropathies, gout and pseudogout, the bone tumours by age and site | |
| Connective tissue and autoimmune disease Lupus, scleroderma, Sjogren, the myopathies, the vasculitides by vessel size, the collagen disorders | |
| Dermatology Skin structure, the primary lesions and their vocabulary, the common inflammatory dermatoses, skin cancers and their precursors | |
| Musculoskeletal and dermatological pharmacology NSAIDs and their toxicity, DMARDs and biologics, gout agents, topical and systemic dermatological drugs | |
| Biostatistics and epidemiology Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values, the risk measures, study designs, bias and confounding, hypothesis testing and power | |
| Social sciences and ethics Communication and interpersonal skills, informed consent and capacity, patient safety and quality, the ethical dilemmas as they are asked | |
To prepare for USMLE Step 2 CK, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Length | One day, nine hours |
|---|---|
| Items | Up to 318 |
| Blocks, from 7 May 2026 | Sixteen blocks of 30 minutes, no more than 20 items per block |
| Break time | At least 55 minutes, plus a 5-minute tutorial |
| Passing score | 218 for exams taken on or after 1 July 2025 |
| Content | Eighteen major categories across systems, physician tasks and disciplines |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against usmle.org, the USMLE Bulletin and the ECFMG fees page. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Exam dates | No fixed sittings. The exam runs all year at Prometric centres, except on major local holidays |
|---|---|
| Your window | You choose a three-month eligibility period when you apply and book any free date inside it |
| How far ahead | Prometric opens dates up to six months in advance |
| Results | Usually two to four weeks after the test; allow up to eight |
| Testing region to select | Middle East, for all three |
|---|---|
| Egypt | Prometric centres in Egypt are in the Middle East region |
| Iraq | No centre is listed in Iraq. Choose the Middle East region and travel, for example to Jordan, Kuwait or the UAE. You can only book centres inside the region you paid for |
| Gulf | Centres are listed in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. Bahrain is not on the list, so Bahrain candidates usually cross to Saudi Arabia |
| What you pay | $930: the $695 exam fee plus the $235 region fee |
| Check seats first | Search the Prometric site for your city before you choose an eligibility period. Centres in Cairo and the Gulf can be full for months |
| Medical school | Your school must appear in the World Directory of Medical Schools with the ECFMG note for your graduation year |
| Paying | Fees are charged in US dollars. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| Step 2 CK application fee | $695 (2026 and 2027) |
|---|---|
| Middle East region fee | $235 |
| Total | $930 |
| One-off, if not already paid for Step 1 | MyIntealth account $110 and Application for ECFMG Certification $580 |
| Graduates only | Credential verification $220, if not already done |
USMLE: apply for exams and fees USMLE bulletin: eligibility USMLE bulletin: applying and scheduling FSMB registration portal MyIntealth ECFMG fees USMLE testing regions World Directory of Medical Schools Prometric: USMLE
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Cardiology | |
| Acute coronary syndromes STEMI against NSTEMI against unstable angina, troponin timing, reperfusion choice and its time windows, the drugs given on arrival | |
| Heart failure Reduced against preserved ejection fraction, the drugs that change mortality, acute decompensation, when to consider devices | |
| Arrhythmias Atrial fibrillation rate against rhythm control and anticoagulation scoring, SVT, ventricular tachycardia, bradycardia and pacing indications | |
| Valvular disease The murmurs and their manoeuvres, echo thresholds for intervention, endocarditis prophylaxis and the Duke criteria | |
| Hypertension and lipids Diagnostic thresholds, first-line agents by comorbidity, secondary causes worth excluding, statin indications and targets | |
| Vascular emergencies Aortic dissection and its imaging, abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute limb ischaemia, peripheral arterial disease | |
| Pulmonology and critical care | |
| Asthma and COPD Chronic stepwise therapy, exacerbation management, indications for non-invasive ventilation, long-term oxygen criteria | |
| Pneumonia and respiratory infection Community against hospital acquired, severity scoring and site of care, empirical antibiotics, tuberculosis screening and treatment | |
| Pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hypertension Pre-test probability, D-dimer and imaging pathway, anticoagulation choice and duration, thrombolysis indications | |
| Interstitial and occupational lung disease Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, the pneumoconioses and their exposures | |
| Pleural disease Effusion and Light's criteria, pneumothorax management by size and type, empyema, chest drain indications | |
| Critical care ARDS and lung-protective ventilation, shock states and their haemodynamic profiles, vasopressor choice, sepsis bundles | |
| Nephrology, fluids and electrolytes | |
| Acute kidney injury Pre-renal, intrinsic and post-renal separation, urinalysis and fractional excretion, contrast nephropathy, indications for dialysis | |
| Chronic kidney disease Staging, the complications by system, anaemia and bone mineral disease, preparation for renal replacement | |
| Glomerular disease Nephritic against nephrotic presentations, the biopsy findings, when to biopsy, immunosuppressive treatment | |
| Sodium and water Hypo- and hypernatraemia by volume status, SIADH, correction rates and the risk of overcorrection | |
| Potassium, calcium and magnesium ECG changes and emergency treatment of hyperkalaemia, hypokalaemia, hyper- and hypocalcaemia, magnesium | |
| Acid-base Systematic interpretation, mixed disorders, anion and delta gap, the clinical causes of each pattern | |
| Stones, obstruction and urology Renal colic management and imaging, obstruction, urinary retention, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer screening | |
| Gastroenterology and hepatology | |
| Upper and lower GI bleeding Resuscitation first, risk scores, timing of endoscopy, variceal against non-variceal management | |
| Oesophagus and stomach Reflux and Barrett's surveillance, dysphagia pathway, peptic ulcer and Helicobacter eradication, gastric cancer | |
| Inflammatory and functional bowel disease Crohn's against ulcerative colitis, induction and maintenance, toxic megacolon, irritable bowel and coeliac disease | |
| Colorectal disease and screening Colorectal cancer and the screening intervals, polyps and surveillance, diverticular disease, obstruction | |
| Liver disease Hepatitis serology and treatment, cirrhosis and its decompensations, ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma | |
| Biliary and pancreatic disease Gallstone disease and cholangitis, acute pancreatitis severity and management, pancreatic cancer | |
| Endocrinology | |
| Diabetes mellitus Diagnosis, glycaemic targets, drug choice by cardiovascular and renal comorbidity, insulin regimens, the complication screening schedule | |
| Diabetic emergencies Ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar state — fluid, insulin and potassium in the right order; hypoglycaemia | |
| Thyroid disease Interpreting thyroid function tests, hyper- and hypothyroidism management, nodules and the biopsy pathway, thyroid cancer, storm and myxoedema coma | |
| Adrenal disorders Cushing syndrome and its localisation sequence, adrenal insufficiency and crisis, Conn syndrome, phaeochromocytoma and the order of blockade | |
| Pituitary disease Adenomas by hormone, prolactinoma, acromegaly, hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus against SIADH | |
| Calcium, bone and lipids Hypercalcaemia workup and emergency treatment, hyperparathyroidism, osteoporosis screening and treatment, Paget disease | |
| Infectious disease | |
| Sepsis and febrile syndromes Recognition and the first hour, source identification, empirical cover by source, de-escalation | |
| Respiratory and urinary infection Pneumonia by setting, tuberculosis latent and active, pyelonephritis, catheter-associated infection | |
| Skin, soft tissue and bone Cellulitis and abscess, necrotising fasciitis as a surgical emergency, diabetic foot, osteomyelitis and septic arthritis | |
| HIV Screening and diagnosis, antiretroviral initiation, the opportunistic infections by CD4 count and their prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis | |
| Central nervous system and endovascular infection Meningitis and encephalitis — empirical therapy and when to image first; infective endocarditis and its criteria | |
| Travel, zoonotic and healthcare-associated infection Malaria and the returning traveller, tick-borne disease, Clostridioides difficile, multi-resistant organisms and isolation | |
| Haematology and oncology | |
| Anaemia and cytopenias Workup by indices and reticulocytes, iron deficiency and its cause in adults, haemolysis, pancytopenia and marrow failure | |
| Haemostasis and thrombosis Bleeding disorder workup, thrombocytopenia including HIT and TTP, thrombophilia, anticoagulant choice and reversal | |
| Haematological malignancy The leukaemias by age and marker, lymphoma staging, myeloma and its diagnostic criteria, myeloproliferative disease | |
| Solid tumour oncology Presentation, staging principles and treatment intent for lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer | |
| Oncological emergencies Febrile neutropenia, spinal cord compression, superior vena cava obstruction, hypercalcaemia, tumour lysis | |
| Cancer screening and survivorship The screening programmes and their intervals, genetic risk, treatment toxicity, palliative and end-of-life care | |
| Neurology and psychiatry | |
| Stroke and cerebrovascular disease Time windows for thrombolysis and thrombectomy, imaging first, secondary prevention, transient ischaemic attack risk stratification | |
| Headache and raised pressure Primary headache treatment, the red flags, subarachnoid haemorrhage pathway, temporal arteritis as a sight-threatening emergency | |
| Seizures and altered consciousness First seizure workup, status epilepticus protocol, syncope against seizure, delirium and its causes | |
| Neurodegenerative and movement disorders Dementia subtypes and their distinguishing features, Parkinson disease and its mimics, tremor, multiple sclerosis | |
| Peripheral nerve and neuromuscular disease Neuropathy patterns and causes, Guillain-Barre, myasthenia gravis and its crisis, spinal cord compression | |
| Psychiatry Mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders with first-line treatment; suicide risk assessment; substance use and withdrawal; delirium against dementia against depression | |
| Surgery, trauma and emergency medicine | |
| The acute abdomen Appendicitis, cholecystitis, diverticulitis, perforation, obstruction and mesenteric ischaemia — the discriminating features and the imaging | |
| Hernias and anorectal disease Inguinal, femoral and incisional hernia, strangulation; haemorrhoids, fissure, abscess and fistula | |
| Trauma Primary and secondary survey, haemorrhagic shock classification, head and cervical spine imaging rules, chest and abdominal trauma | |
| Burns, wounds and soft tissue Surface area and fluid calculation, referral criteria, wound classification and closure, tetanus prophylaxis | |
| Perioperative care Risk assessment, thromboprophylaxis, the postoperative complications by day, fever workup after surgery | |
| Orthopaedics Fracture description and management principles, compartment syndrome, hip fracture, the acutely swollen joint | |
| Obstetrics and gynaecology | |
| Antenatal care and screening Visit schedule and screening by trimester, gestational diabetes, fetal growth surveillance, prenatal diagnosis | |
| Hypertensive and medical disorders of pregnancy Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia management, aspirin prophylaxis, thyroid and thromboembolic disease in pregnancy | |
| Early pregnancy Miscarriage types, ectopic pregnancy and the hCG rules, hyperemesis, trophoblastic disease | |
| Labour, delivery and the puerperium Normal labour and its abnormalities, fetal monitoring, operative delivery, obstetric emergencies, postpartum haemorrhage and sepsis | |
| Gynaecology Abnormal uterine bleeding, fibroids and endometriosis, PCOS, ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, menopause and hormone therapy | |
| Gynaecological oncology and reproductive health Cervical screening and HPV, endometrial and ovarian cancer, contraception by method, infertility, sexually transmitted infection | |
| Paediatrics | |
| Newborn and neonatal care Newborn examination, jaundice thresholds, neonatal sepsis, the preterm infant, congenital anomalies detected at birth | |
| Growth, development and prevention Milestones and their limit ages, growth charts and failure to thrive, the immunisation schedule, developmental screening | |
| Paediatric respiratory and infection Bronchiolitis, croup and epiglottitis, asthma in children, pneumonia, the febrile child and meningitis | |
| Paediatric gastrointestinal and surgical Pyloric stenosis, intussusception, malrotation, appendicitis, Hirschsprung disease, gastroenteritis and rehydration | |
| Congenital heart disease and paediatric emergencies The duct-dependent neonate, the common defects, Kawasaki disease, seizures, poisoning, paediatric resuscitation | |
| Child protection and adolescent health The injuries that raise concern, referral thresholds, confidentiality and consent in adolescence, eating disorders and mood | |
| Remaining specialties, prevention and ethics | |
| Rheumatology Rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment, lupus, the spondyloarthropathies, gout and pseudogout, the vasculitides, polymyalgia and giant cell arteritis | |
| Dermatology The common inflammatory dermatoses, drug eruptions including Stevens-Johnson, skin cancer recognition and referral, the rash of systemic disease | |
| Ophthalmology and otolaryngology The red eye and the sight-threatening causes, sudden visual loss, hearing loss and vertigo, epistaxis, head and neck lumps | |
| Preventive medicine and health maintenance Screening by age and sex, immunisation in adults, smoking and alcohol interventions, travel and occupational health | |
| Biostatistics and epidemiology Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values, risk measures and number needed to treat, study design, bias, interpreting an abstract | |
| Ethics, law and communication Consent and capacity, confidentiality and its limits, advance directives and surrogate decision making, breaking bad news, disclosure of error | |
| Patient safety and quality Error types and reporting, root cause analysis, quality improvement methods, handover and transitions of care | |
To prepare for MRCP(UK) Part 1, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Papers | Two, each three hours |
|---|---|
| Each paper | 100 best-of-five questions |
| Total | 200 marks |
| Format | One correct answer and four plausible distractors |
| Negative marking | None — every question should be answered |
| Blueprint | Updated for the 2020/21 diet to match the UK Internal Medicine curriculum |
| Counts | Indicative; the actual number may vary slightly by diet |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against the MRCP(UK) how to apply and international centres pages. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Diet | Application period (08:00 UK time) | Exam date | Results by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027/1 opens 27 Oct 2026 | 27 October to 3 November 2026 | Wednesday 20 January 2027 | 5 March 2027 |
| 2027/2 | 9 to 16 March 2027 | Wednesday 26 May 2027 | 9 July 2027 |
| 2027/3 | 13 to 20 July 2027 | Wednesday 29 September 2027 | 12 November 2027 |
| Egypt | Cairo |
|---|---|
| Iraq | Baghdad and Erbil |
| Gulf | Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah), Kuwait (Kuwait City), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Oman (Muscat). The UAE was not on the written-exam centre list when checked, so UAE candidates should confirm on the centres page or plan for a neighbouring country |
| Opening time locally | 08:00 UK time is 11:00 in Baghdad, Riyadh, Kuwait, Doha and Manama, 12:00 in Dubai and Muscat, and 10:00 in Cairo for windows between late October and late March (Cairo is 11:00 until Egypt’s clocks go back at the end of October). For spring and summer windows it is 10:00 in Baghdad, Cairo and the western Gulf, and 11:00 in Dubai and Muscat |
| Documents | A degree certificate issued in Arabic needs a certified English translation |
| Paying | Fees are charged in pounds sterling. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| Egypt, Iraq and Gulf centres | £696 (international fee) |
|---|---|
| How it is paid | Online by credit or debit card in My MRCP(UK) |
MRCP(UK): Part 1 dates and fees MRCP(UK): Part 1 how to apply MRCP(UK): Part 1 international centres My MRCP(UK) login Regulations and attempt limits Withdrawals
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Clinical sciences I: genetics, immunology, cell biology, anatomy | |
| Cell, molecular and membrane biology Membrane transport and channels, receptor families and second messengers, the cell cycle and apoptosis, signal transduction | |
| Genetics Inheritance patterns and pedigree calculation, mitochondrial and imprinted disorders, trinucleotide repeats, penetrance and anticipation | |
| Molecular genetics in practice Sequencing, PCR, microarray and their uses, pharmacogenomics, genetic testing and counselling | |
| Immunology Innate and adaptive components, complement pathways, MHC and antigen presentation, cytokines, antibody structure and function | |
| Applied immunology Hypersensitivity types with clinical examples, autoimmunity and autoantibody patterns, immunodeficiency, transplant immunology and rejection | |
| Clinical anatomy The anatomy that gets asked: thoracic and abdominal relations, cranial nerves, spinal cord and nerve roots, the surface landmarks for procedures | |
| Clinical sciences II: physiology, biochemistry, statistics | |
| Cardiovascular and respiratory physiology Cardiac cycle and pressure-volume relationships, control of blood pressure, lung volumes, gas transport and the dissociation curve, control of ventilation | |
| Renal physiology and acid-base Glomerular filtration and its regulation, tubular handling by segment, the counter-current mechanism, acid-base disorders and compensation | |
| Gastrointestinal and endocrine physiology Gut secretion and hormones, liver function, the hypothalamo-pituitary axes and their feedback, calcium and glucose regulation | |
| Clinical biochemistry and metabolism Electrolyte and water balance, the metabolic pathways that get asked, nutritional deficiencies, inherited metabolic disease in adults | |
| Statistics and study design Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values from a two-by-two table, risk measures and number needed to treat, study designs, bias and confounding | |
| Evidence-based medicine Hypothesis testing and p values, power and sample size, systematic review and meta-analysis, appraising a trial, survival analysis | |
| Cardiology | |
| Ischaemic heart disease Stable angina investigation, acute coronary syndromes and their management, secondary prevention, the trials that set current practice | |
| Heart failure and cardiomyopathy Reduced against preserved ejection fraction, the prognostic drugs, the cardiomyopathies including hypertrophic and infiltrative disease | |
| Arrhythmias and the ECG The ECG patterns that get asked, atrial fibrillation and anticoagulation scoring, the inherited arrhythmia syndromes, pacing and device indications | |
| Valvular and congenital disease Murmur interpretation, echo thresholds for intervention, endocarditis and the Duke criteria, adult congenital disease and Eisenmenger | |
| Hypertension, lipids and vascular disease Secondary hypertension and when to look for it, lipid targets and the familial syndromes, aortic dissection, pulmonary hypertension | |
| Respiratory medicine | |
| Airways disease Asthma and COPD management ladders, the phenotypes, bronchiectasis and its causes, cystic fibrosis in adults | |
| Lung function and sleep Spirometry and flow-volume loops, transfer factor interpretation, obstructive sleep apnoea and the hypoventilation syndromes | |
| Interstitial and occupational disease Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, asbestos-related disease and the pneumoconioses | |
| Respiratory infection Community and hospital-acquired pneumonia, tuberculosis including latent infection and drug resistance, the atypical and opportunistic organisms | |
| Pleural and vascular disease Pleural effusion and Light's criteria, pneumothorax, pulmonary embolism and thrombophilia, pulmonary vasculitis | |
| Gastroenterology and hepatology | |
| Oesophagus, stomach and small bowel Dysphagia and motility disorders, peptic ulcer and Helicobacter, coeliac disease, malabsorption and small bowel investigation | |
| Inflammatory bowel disease Crohn's against ulcerative colitis, induction and maintenance including biologics, acute severe colitis and its scoring, surveillance | |
| Colorectal and functional disease Colorectal cancer and the genetic syndromes, polyp surveillance, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation and diarrhoea | |
| Liver disease Abnormal liver tests and their pattern, viral hepatitis and its treatment, autoimmune and cholestatic liver disease, Wilson and haemochromatosis | |
| Cirrhosis and its complications Portal hypertension and variceal bleeding, ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, transplant criteria | |
| Pancreatic and nutritional disease Acute and chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic insufficiency, nutritional assessment and support, refeeding syndrome | |
| Nephrology | |
| Acute kidney injury Classification and staging, pre-renal against intrinsic against obstructive, urinalysis and urinary indices, indications for dialysis | |
| Chronic kidney disease Staging and progression, mineral and bone disorder, anaemia management, cardiovascular risk, preparation for renal replacement | |
| Glomerular disease Nephritic and nephrotic presentations, the histological diagnoses, when to biopsy, immunosuppression and its complications | |
| Tubulointerstitial and inherited disease Interstitial nephritis, the renal tubular acidoses, polycystic kidney disease, Alport and Fabry | |
| Electrolytes and acid-base in practice Sodium disorders by volume status and their correction rates, potassium emergencies, calcium and phosphate, the acid-base patterns | |
| Renal replacement and transplantation Haemodialysis against peritoneal dialysis, access, transplant immunosuppression and rejection, post-transplant complications | |
| Endocrinology | |
| Diabetes mellitus Classification including the monogenic forms, treatment by comorbidity, the emergencies, complication screening and management | |
| Thyroid disease Function test interpretation including the traps, hyper- and hypothyroidism by cause, thyroiditis, nodules and cancer, storm and myxoedema | |
| Pituitary disease The adenomas by hormone, acromegaly and prolactinoma, hypopituitarism and apoplexy, diabetes insipidus against SIADH, the dynamic tests | |
| Adrenal disease Cushing syndrome and its localisation sequence, adrenal insufficiency, primary aldosteronism, phaeochromocytoma and the order of blockade | |
| Calcium and bone Hypercalcaemia workup, the hyperparathyroidisms, osteoporosis and osteomalacia, Paget disease, the MEN syndromes | |
| Reproductive and metabolic endocrinology Hypogonadism in both sexes, polycystic ovary syndrome, gynaecomastia, obesity and metabolic syndrome, lipid disorders | |
| Neurology | |
| Stroke and cerebrovascular disease Territory syndromes, thrombolysis and thrombectomy criteria, secondary prevention, venous sinus thrombosis, intracerebral and subarachnoid haemorrhage | |
| Epilepsy and episodic disorders Seizure classification and drug choice, status epilepticus, syncope against seizure, the headache disorders and their red flags | |
| Movement and neurodegenerative disorders Parkinson disease and its mimics, tremor, the dementias and their distinguishing features, motor neurone disease | |
| Demyelination and neuroinflammation Multiple sclerosis diagnosis and disease-modifying therapy, neuromyelitis optica, CNS vasculitis, paraneoplastic syndromes | |
| Peripheral nerve, muscle and junction Neuropathy patterns and their causes, Guillain-Barre and CIDP, myasthenia gravis and Lambert-Eaton, the myopathies | |
| Spinal cord and neuro-oncology Cord compression and the cord syndromes, cauda equina, CNS tumours, neurocutaneous syndromes | |
| Clinical haematology and oncology | |
| Anaemias and red cell disorders Workup by indices and reticulocyte count, iron studies interpretation, the haemolytic anaemias, haemoglobinopathies and their electrophoresis | |
| White cell and marrow disorders The leukaemias by age and marker, myelodysplasia, the myeloproliferative neoplasms and JAK2, aplastic anaemia | |
| Lymphoma and myeloma Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin classification and staging, myeloma diagnostic criteria and its emergencies, amyloidosis, MGUS | |
| Haemostasis and thrombosis Coagulation screen interpretation, the bleeding disorders, thrombocytopenia including HIT and TTP, thrombophilia, anticoagulant choice and reversal | |
| Transfusion medicine Components and indications, the transfusion reactions and their management, massive transfusion, transfusion-transmitted infection | |
| Oncology Staging principles, the cancer emergencies, systemic therapy classes and their specific toxicities, immunotherapy adverse effects, palliative care | |
| Infectious diseases, GUM and rheumatology | |
| Bacterial infection and antimicrobials The organisms by site, antibiotic classes and mechanisms, resistance, stewardship, antibiotic choice in the penicillin-allergic patient | |
| Viral infection and HIV Hepatitis serology, HIV diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy, the opportunistic infections by CD4 count, post-exposure prophylaxis | |
| Tropical, travel and zoonotic infection Malaria diagnosis and treatment by species, enteric fever, dengue, the returning traveller with fever, tick-borne disease | |
| Genitourinary medicine The sexually transmitted infections and their treatment, partner notification, syphilis staging and serology, pelvic inflammatory disease | |
| Inflammatory arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment escalation, the spondyloarthropathies, psoriatic and reactive arthritis, crystal arthropathies | |
| Connective tissue disease and vasculitis Lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome, scleroderma, myositis, Sjogren; the vasculitides by vessel size and their antibodies | |
| Clinical pharmacology, therapeutics and toxicology | |
| Pharmacokinetics Absorption, distribution and protein binding, first-pass metabolism, clearance and half-life, dosing in renal and hepatic impairment, therapeutic drug monitoring | |
| Pharmacodynamics and interactions Receptor theory, agonism and antagonism, cytochrome P450 induction and inhibition, the interactions that get asked | |
| Adverse drug reactions Classification, drug-induced liver injury, drug rashes including Stevens-Johnson, QT prolongation, drug-induced lung and renal disease | |
| Prescribing in special groups Pregnancy and lactation, the older patient and polypharmacy, renal and hepatic failure, pharmacogenomics | |
| Toxicology Paracetamol and salicylate, opioids, tricyclics, lithium, digoxin, carbon monoxide — presentation, antidote and the indication for each | |
| Therapeutics in practice Anticoagulants and their reversal, immunosuppressants and their monitoring, antimicrobial dosing, analgesic ladders and opioid conversion | |
| Dermatology, psychiatry, geriatrics, ophthalmology | |
| Dermatology The inflammatory dermatoses, the skin signs of systemic disease, drug eruptions, skin malignancy and its precursors, the dermatological emergencies | |
| Psychiatry Mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders with first-line treatment, delirium against dementia against depression, self-harm and risk assessment, substance misuse and withdrawal | |
| Geriatric medicine Frailty and comprehensive assessment, falls, delirium, continence, polypharmacy and deprescribing, capacity and end-of-life decisions | |
| Ophthalmology The red eye and the sight-threatening causes, sudden visual loss, the ocular signs of systemic disease, diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy | |
| Ethics, law and communication Consent and capacity, confidentiality and its limits, advance decisions, duty of candour, breaking bad news | |
To prepare for MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written, candidates usually work through every one of these resources. We collected them together in one Memorize Medicine course, so you can study it all in one place.
Resource names belong to their owners. Memorize Medicine is independent of them.
| Papers | Two, each three hours |
|---|---|
| Each paper | 100 best-of-five questions |
| Total | 200 marks |
| Format | Long stems with embedded images: films, ECGs, scans, photographs |
| Negative marking | None |
| Emphasis | What to do next, rather than what the diagnosis is |
| Blueprint | Published November 2021; sums to 200 |
Checked on 6 October 2026 against the MRCP(UK) how to apply and international centres pages. Dates and fees change between sittings, so confirm on the official page before paying.
| Diet | Application period (08:00 UK time) | Exam date | Results by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/3 closed | 15 to 22 September 2026 | Wednesday 25 November 2026 | 8 January 2027 |
| 2027/1 opens 8 Dec 2026 | 8 to 15 December 2026 | Wednesday 24 February 2027 | 9 April 2027 |
| 2027/2 | 20 to 27 April 2027 | Wednesday 7 July 2027 | 20 August 2027 |
| 2027/3 | 7 to 14 September 2027 | Wednesday 24 November 2027 | 7 January 2028 |
| Egypt | Cairo |
|---|---|
| Iraq | Baghdad and Erbil |
| Gulf | Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah), Kuwait (Kuwait City), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Oman (Muscat). The UAE was not on the written-exam centre list when checked, so UAE candidates should confirm on the centres page or plan for a neighbouring country |
| Opening time locally | 08:00 UK time is 11:00 in Baghdad, Riyadh, Kuwait, Doha and Manama, 12:00 in Dubai and Muscat, and 10:00 in Cairo for windows between late October and late March (Cairo is 11:00 until Egypt’s clocks go back at the end of October). For spring and summer windows it is 10:00 in Baghdad, Cairo and the western Gulf, and 11:00 in Dubai and Muscat |
| Paying | Fees are charged in pounds sterling. Use a Visa or Mastercard enabled for international online payments. Egyptian and Iraqi cards often have low foreign-currency limits, so confirm the limit with your bank before the window opens |
| Egypt, Iraq and Gulf centres | £696 (international fee) |
|---|---|
| How it is paid | Online by credit or debit card in My MRCP(UK) |
MRCP(UK): Part 2 dates and fees MRCP(UK): Part 2 how to apply MRCP(UK): Part 2 international centres My MRCP(UK) login Regulations and attempt limits Withdrawals
| Studied | Topic |
|---|---|
| Cardiology | |
| Acute coronary syndromes and chest pain Risk stratification, troponin interpretation, reperfusion strategy and its windows, complications of infarction by day | |
| Heart failure and cardiomyopathy Reduced against preserved ejection fraction, the prognostic drug sequence, device therapy criteria, the infiltrative and inherited cardiomyopathies | |
| Arrhythmia and ECG interpretation The ECGs that get shown: blocks, pre-excitation, long QT, Brugada, ischaemic patterns; atrial fibrillation management and anticoagulation | |
| Valve disease and endocarditis Murmur and echo interpretation, thresholds for surgery, infective endocarditis diagnosis and antibiotic choice | |
| Hypertension, aorta and pulmonary circulation Resistant and secondary hypertension, aortic dissection and aneurysm, pulmonary hypertension classification and treatment | |
| Respiratory medicine | |
| Airways disease Asthma and COPD by phenotype and severity, biologic therapy, exacerbation management, non-invasive ventilation criteria | |
| Interstitial and granulomatous disease Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and antifibrotics, sarcoidosis staging and treatment, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, connective tissue disease lung | |
| Respiratory infection Pneumonia severity and antibiotic choice, tuberculosis including resistance and latent infection, bronchiectasis and its organisms, opportunistic infection | |
| Pleural disease and pneumothorax Effusion investigation and Light's criteria, malignant effusion and pleurodesis, pneumothorax management, mesothelioma | |
| Lung cancer and pulmonary vascular disease Staging and treatment by type, paraneoplastic syndromes, pulmonary embolism and anticoagulation duration | |
| Sleep and ventilatory failure Obstructive sleep apnoea, obesity hypoventilation, neuromuscular respiratory failure, home ventilation | |
| Gastroenterology and hepatology | |
| Upper gastrointestinal disease Dysphagia and motility disorders, peptic ulcer and Helicobacter, variceal and non-variceal bleeding, upper gastrointestinal malignancy | |
| Small bowel and malabsorption Coeliac disease and its complications, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, short bowel, the causes of chronic diarrhoea | |
| Inflammatory bowel disease Crohn's against ulcerative colitis, biologic and small molecule therapy, acute severe colitis scoring and escalation, surveillance and extraintestinal disease | |
| Liver disease Abnormal liver test patterns, viral hepatitis treatment, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis and sclerosing cholangitis, Wilson and haemochromatosis | |
| Cirrhosis and liver failure Portal hypertension and variceal prophylaxis, ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, acute liver failure and transplant criteria | |
| Pancreas and nutrition Acute pancreatitis severity scoring and complications, chronic pancreatitis and exocrine insufficiency, nutritional support and refeeding syndrome | |
| Renal medicine | |
| Acute kidney injury Staging, the pre-renal, intrinsic and obstructive separation, urinary indices and microscopy, nephrotoxins, dialysis indications | |
| Glomerular disease Nephritic and nephrotic syndromes by histology, IgA nephropathy, membranous and minimal change, lupus nephritis, the vasculitic kidney | |
| Chronic kidney disease Progression and its modification, mineral and bone disorder, anaemia, cardiovascular risk, timing of renal replacement | |
| Tubulointerstitial and inherited renal disease Interstitial nephritis and its drug causes, the renal tubular acidoses, polycystic kidney disease, Alport and Fabry disease | |
| Electrolyte and acid-base emergencies Sodium disorders by volume status with correction rates, hyperkalaemia treatment sequence, calcium and phosphate, the acid-base patterns | |
| Dialysis and transplantation Modality choice and access, dialysis complications, transplant immunosuppression and rejection, infection and malignancy after transplant | |
| Endocrinology, diabetes and metabolic medicine | |
| Diabetes Classification including monogenic and secondary diabetes, treatment by comorbidity, technology, the emergencies, and the complication pathways | |
| Thyroid and parathyroid Function test traps, thyrotoxicosis by cause, thyroiditis, thyroid cancer follow-up; hypercalcaemia workup and the hyperparathyroidisms | |
| Pituitary and hypothalamic disease Adenomas by hormone, acromegaly and Cushing disease, hypopituitarism and apoplexy, diabetes insipidus against SIADH, the dynamic tests | |
| Adrenal disease Cushing syndrome localisation sequence, adrenal insufficiency and crisis, primary aldosteronism, phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma, incidentaloma | |
| Reproductive and bone endocrinology Hypogonadism in both sexes, polycystic ovary syndrome, osteoporosis treatment and drug holidays, osteomalacia, Paget disease | |
| Metabolic medicine Lipid disorders and the familial syndromes, obesity management, inherited metabolic disease presenting in adults, the MEN syndromes | |
| Infectious diseases | |
| Sepsis and the febrile patient Recognition and the first hour, source identification, empirical cover, de-escalation, fever of unknown origin | |
| Antimicrobial therapy Classes and mechanisms, resistance including ESBL and carbapenemase, stewardship, therapeutic monitoring, the penicillin-allergic patient | |
| HIV and immunocompromise Diagnosis and antiretroviral initiation, opportunistic infection by CD4 count and its prophylaxis, immune reconstitution, the neutropenic and transplant patient | |
| Viral hepatitis and blood-borne virus Hepatitis B and C serology and treatment, occupational exposure and prophylaxis, emerging viral infection | |
| Tropical and travel medicine Malaria by species with treatment, enteric fever, dengue and arboviruses, schistosomiasis, the returning traveller algorithm | |
| Device, bone and endovascular infection Prosthetic joint and line infection, osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, infective endocarditis, central nervous system infection | |
| Neurology | |
| Stroke and cerebrovascular disease Territory syndromes, thrombolysis and thrombectomy criteria, secondary prevention, venous sinus thrombosis, intracerebral and subarachnoid haemorrhage | |
| Epilepsy, headache and episodic disorder Seizure classification and drug choice including in pregnancy, status epilepticus, the headache disorders, idiopathic intracranial hypertension | |
| Demyelination and neuroinflammation Multiple sclerosis diagnosis and disease-modifying therapy, neuromyelitis optica, autoimmune encephalitis, paraneoplastic syndromes | |
| Movement and neurodegenerative disease Parkinson disease and its mimics, the atypical parkinsonian syndromes, dementia subtypes, motor neurone disease and its management | |
| Peripheral nerve, junction and muscle Neuropathy patterns and causes, Guillain-Barre and CIDP, myasthenia and its crisis, the inflammatory and inherited myopathies | |
| Spinal cord and neuro-oncology Cord compression and cord syndromes, cauda equina, CNS tumours and metastases, neurocutaneous syndromes | |
| Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics | |
| Pharmacokinetics and monitoring Clearance and half-life, dosing in renal and hepatic impairment, therapeutic drug monitoring for the drugs that need it, loading doses | |
| Drug interactions Cytochrome induction and inhibition, protein binding displacement, pharmacodynamic interactions, the combinations that cause harm | |
| Adverse drug reactions Drug-induced liver injury, drug rashes and the severe cutaneous reactions, QT prolongation, drug-induced renal, lung and haematological disease | |
| Toxicology Paracetamol, salicylate, opioids, tricyclics, lithium, digoxin, carbon monoxide, beta blocker and calcium channel blocker overdose — antidote and indication for each | |
| Prescribing in special groups Pregnancy and breastfeeding, the older patient and deprescribing, renal and hepatic failure, pharmacogenomics | |
| Therapeutics in practice Anticoagulant choice and reversal, immunosuppressant monitoring, biologic safety and screening, opioid conversion and analgesic ladders | |
| Haematology and oncology | |
| Anaemia and red cell disorders Workup by indices and film, haemolysis and its causes, haemoglobinopathies in adults, marrow failure | |
| Haematological malignancy The leukaemias, lymphoma staging and treatment principles, myeloma and its diagnostic criteria and emergencies, the myeloproliferative neoplasms | |
| Haemostasis and thrombosis Coagulation screen interpretation, thrombocytopenia including HIT and TTP, thrombophilia testing and when it changes management, anticoagulation in difficult situations | |
| Transfusion Product choice, the acute and delayed reactions, massive haemorrhage protocols, alternatives to transfusion | |
| Oncology Presentation and staging of the common solid tumours, systemic therapy classes and their toxicities, immunotherapy adverse events, cancer of unknown primary | |
| Oncological emergencies Febrile neutropenia, spinal cord compression, superior vena cava obstruction, hypercalcaemia of malignancy, tumour lysis | |
| Rheumatology and dermatology | |
| Inflammatory arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis and treatment escalation including biologics and their screening, the spondyloarthropathies, psoriatic and reactive arthritis | |
| Crystal and degenerative disease Gout and its long-term management, pseudogout, osteoarthritis, the regional pain syndromes and fibromyalgia | |
| Connective tissue disease Lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome, scleroderma and its crises, myositis, Sjogren, the overlap syndromes and their antibodies | |
| Vasculitis Classification by vessel size, ANCA-associated disease, giant cell arteritis as an emergency, Behcet and the large vessel vasculitides | |
| Inflammatory dermatoses and systemic skin signs Psoriasis and eczema treatment ladders, the skin signs of internal disease, cutaneous manifestations of connective tissue disease | |
| Dermatological emergencies and malignancy Stevens-Johnson and toxic epidermal necrolysis, DRESS, erythroderma, pemphigus and pemphigoid; melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer | |
| Geriatric medicine, palliative care, psychiatry, ophthalmology | |
| Frailty and comprehensive assessment Frailty scoring, comprehensive geriatric assessment, multimorbidity, rehabilitation and discharge planning | |
| Falls, bones and mobility Falls assessment and intervention, osteoporosis and fracture prevention, gait disorders, syncope in the older patient | |
| Delirium, dementia and continence Delirium recognition and management, the dementia subtypes and their treatment, behavioural symptoms, urinary and faecal incontinence | |
| Polypharmacy and deprescribing The prescribing cascades, anticholinergic burden, deprescribing frameworks, capacity and best interests | |
| Palliative and end-of-life care Symptom control including pain, breathlessness and nausea, opioid conversion, the last days of life, advance care planning and DNACPR | |
| Psychiatry in medical practice Depression and anxiety in physical illness, self-harm risk assessment, psychosis, alcohol and substance withdrawal, the Mental Health Act in outline | |
| Medical ophthalmology The red eye and sight-threatening causes, sudden visual loss, optic neuropathy, diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy, ocular signs of systemic disease | |
| Image and data interpretation | |
| Chest and abdominal radiographs A repeatable system, the findings that change management, common traps in the stem-plus-image format | |
| Cross-sectional imaging CT head patterns including the haemorrhages and infarcts, CT chest and abdomen findings, MRI sequences and what each shows | |
| ECG and cardiac data The ECG patterns worth instant recognition, echo reports, haemodynamic data from a catheter study | |
| Laboratory data interpretation Liver, renal and bone panels read as patterns, blood gases, autoantibody and serology panels, cerebrospinal fluid and pleural fluid | |
| Clinical photographs and histology Dermatological and ophthalmological images, blood films, biopsy findings as they are presented in the stem | |