It can be difficult to fit MRCOG Part 1 exam preparation around clinical work, especially when so much of the syllabus revisits basic sciences you may not have studied in depth since medical school. Knowing your obstetrics and gynaecology is useful, but everyday clinical experience won’t necessarily cover the anatomy, physiology, embryology, statistics and other knowledge tested in Part 1.

Start by checking what the syllabus covers, then identify your weaker subjects and build regular single best answer (SBA) practice into your revision. As you progress, the balance should move from learning unfamiliar material to applying it accurately under timed conditions.

Start with the MRCOG Part 1 syllabus

The RCOG syllabus covers basic and applied sciences that are relevant to obstetrics and gynaecology. Part 1 knowledge is grouped into four broad domains: cell function; human structure; measurement and manipulation; and illness. These include subjects such as biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology, microbiology and epidemiology.

Download the current RCOG MRCOG Part 1 syllabus and turn it into a topic checklist. Then mark each area according to how well you know it, which might be confident, needs refreshing or largely unfamiliar. For example, you might be comfortable with reproductive endocrinology but need to revisit embryological development or the interpretation of research statistics.

Use your initial assessment to then plan your first round of study. Give unfamiliar areas a longer learning session; reserve shorter reviews for material you already understand. And keep every syllabus area in view rather than concentrating only on topics that appear frequently in a question bank.

How much MRCOG Part 1 preparation time do you need?

There isn’t a neat preparation period that suits every candidate. Your MRCOG Part 1 preparation time will depend on how recently you studied the basic sciences, how much of the syllabus is familiar and how many hours you can realistically protect alongside work. Someone with several months available can spread topics across the week; a candidate preparing in a shorter window may need to prioritise more tightly.

It can be helpful to start with your exam date and work backwards. MRCOG Part 1 runs twice a year, and new candidates must have their eligibility approved before they can book. For the 19 January 2027 sitting, the booking window runs from 27 October to 15 December 2026. For the 13 July 2027 sitting, the eligibility deadline for new candidates is 16 March 2027. Once your exam date is confirmed, you can set aside time for three stages:

1. Covering the syllabus

2. Consolidating weaker topics through questions

3. Completing timed papers

Keep some flexibility for on-calls, nights and weeks when your rota changes. Your plan will quickly fall apart if you have a busy placement but still assume every evening will be free.

If you have 12 weeks available, you might spend the first six weeks studying and practising questions by topic, the next four revisiting errors and mixing subjects, and the final two on longer timed practice and targeted review. Put your plan together based on your weak areas and your schedule.

Build a revision routine you can maintain

A useful weekday session might be 45 to 60 minutes, with longer blocks on days off when possible. Start by choosing a specific topic ahead of time. That way, you aren’t spending the first part of your session deciding what to study.

An example of what a 60-minute session might look like:

• 20 minutes reviewing a defined topic, such as placental physiology or statistical measures of association

• 25 minutes answering a small set of SBAs on that topic, without referring to notes

• 15 minutes checking explanations, recording errors and deciding what to revisit

And on particularly busy days, you might adjust to only a brief review of earlier mistakes or a handful of questions. This is likely to be more manageable than trying to complete a full new chapter. Then use longer sessions for complex material that needs uninterrupted attention, such as embryology or pharmacological mechanisms.

How to make the basic sciences stick

MRCOG Part 1 expects you to retain a considerable amount of detail, from nerve roots and steroid synthesis pathways to drug mechanisms of action. Rereading notes can help with understanding, but active recall and regular testing are more useful for checking what you can remember.

• Connect facts to O&G practice. The ureter passes beneath the uterine artery, an anatomical relationship surgeons need to recognise during hysterectomy. The pudendal nerve arises from S2–S4, knowledge relevant to pudendal nerve blocks used during assisted vaginal birth. Similarly, learning physiology alongside the changes that occur during pregnancy can make concepts such as cardiac output, renal function and thyroid function easier to understand and recall.

• Draw pathways from memory. Practise reproducing steroidogenesis, the coagulation cascade and the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis on a blank page. Compare your version with the source material and repeat the exercise until you can identify the main steps and relationships without referring to your notes.

• Practise calculations by hand. Statistics and data interpretation questions may require you to calculate sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, relative risk or number needed to treat from a table of results. Work through examples rather than relying on memorised formulas, and practise interpreting what the results mean.

• Space your revision. Turn difficult facts, definitions and pathways into flashcards or short recall questions. Revisit them at increasing intervals, bringing forward anything you repeatedly get wrong rather than rereading entire chapters.

Use SBA questions to find your knowledge gaps

MRCOG Part 1 has two computer-based papers, each containing 100 SBAs and lasting 150 minutes. Every question asks you to select the single best option. Familiarity with the subject isn’t always enough. You need to be able to recognise what the stem is testing and distinguish the best answer from plausible alternatives.

Begin with topic-based questions while you are learning. Answer them before looking at your notes, then read the explanation even when your answer is correct. A correct guess and a correct answer based on sound reasoning aren’t the same thing.

For each mistake, work out which of these problems occurred:

• Knowledge gap: you didn’t know the relevant fact, mechanism or relationship

• Application error: you knew the concept but couldn’t apply it to the scenario

• Question-reading error: you overlooked a qualifier, result or detail in the stem

• Timing or uncertainty: you changed a justified answer or spent too long deciding

Keep a short log of your mistakes, linked to the relevant syllabus topic. For an embryology question, that might mean revising a specific developmental sequence; for a statistics question, it might mean practising interpretation of sensitivity and specificity rather than rereading all your epidemiology notes. Review the log at regular intervals and test the same concepts again with new questions.

The RCOG publishes sample MRCOG Part 1 SBA questions, which are a useful reference for the wording and structure of official examples.

Move from topic practice to timed papers

Once you have covered most of the syllabus, start mixing subjects. In the exam, you will need to move between scientific disciplines without the prompt of a chapter heading. Mixed-question sessions will test whether you can recognise the underlying topic independently.

Then start practising longer sets under timed conditions. With 100 questions in 150 minutes, the average available time is 90 seconds per question. Some questions will take less time, but others will require more careful reading or calculation. Learn to make a reasoned choice, flag uncertain items if the practice platform permits it and avoid letting a difficult question use up time meant for several others.

Aim to complete at least some full 100-question paper simulations before your sitting.

Review each simulation, looking at both your score and how the session felt. Look for where (or when) concentration slipped, which subjects slowed you down and how much time you had left at the end. The exam is two papers with a break between them, so rehearsing sustained concentration across longer sessions can also help you plan for the day.

Choose revision resources for the gaps

Start with the RCOG's official MRCOG Part 1 revision resources. The syllabus and Knowledge Requirements provide a checklist for your revision, while the sample single best answer (SBA) questions show how the College presents and tests scientific knowledge.

The RCOG also publishes a reading list compiled by the MRCOG Part 1 Sub-committee. It includes Basic Sciences for Obstetrics and Gynaecology and specialist texts covering subjects such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and statistics. You don't need to work through every book. Use the relevant chapters to address weaknesses identified through question practice.

For clinically applied topics, the RCOG's Green-top Guidelines and articles from The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG) are useful supplements. The College guidelines inform the examination, while TOG includes questions to help assess your knowledge.

You'll also need enough SBA practice to become familiar with the range of topics and question styles. Look for a question bank with detailed explanations, good syllabus coverage and opportunities for timed practice.

Pastest's MRCOG Part 1 online revision resource combines 1,300 question bank questions, two 100-question past papers and 305 textbook topics. You can use these together: study a topic, check your understanding with SBAs, then return to the relevant textbook material when an answer exposes a gap. Nearer the exam, the longer papers can form part of your timed practice.

The final week of MRCOG Part 1 exam preparation

In the last week, focus on consolidation. Revisit your error log, review short notes on facts you repeatedly miss and complete any remaining timed practice early enough to learn from it. Avoid trying to rebuild your notes or cover an entirely new source at the last minute.

MRCOG Part 1 preparation is easier to manage when each study session has a clear purpose. The syllabus tells you what to cover, questions will show what still needs work, and timed papers let you test whether you can apply that knowledge across the full examination format.

Frequently asked questions

Should I start MRCOG Part 1 preparation with textbooks or questions?

Use both from the beginning but vary the balance. If a topic is unfamiliar, learn the underlying science first and then test it with SBAs. For subjects you know reasonably well, an initial question set can show exactly what needs refreshing.

How many questions should I answer each day?

There is no fixed number. A smaller set reviewed thoroughly is more useful for learning than a larger set you never analyse. Increase the length of question sessions as your knowledge develops and your exam date approaches.

How do I study for MRCOG Part 1 while working full-time?

Plan by the week rather than relying on a rigid daily timetable. Keep shorter sessions for shift days and protect longer blocks for unfamiliar topics or timed papers when you are off duty. Revisit your plan when rota changes reduce your available time.