Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (MRCP)
Part 1
The first of three exams that needs to be passed to become a Member of the Royal College of Physicians
Our solutionsPart 2
The Part 2 exam covers a wide range of topics designed to test your clinical understanding and judgements.
Our solutionsPACES
Clinical exam testing clinical knowledge and skills of doctors hoping to begin higher specialist training (ST3)
Our solutionsBecome a member
About the MRCP Exams
MRCP Part 1 exam
MRCP(UK) Part 1 is the first of three exams that need to be taken - and passed - to become a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP). The following exams are MRCP Part 2 Written and MRCP 2 PACES.
The MRCP(UK) Part 1 examination is split into two, three-hour papers taken on the same day. Each paper contains 100 'Best of Five' multiple choice questions.
Of the five answer options in each question, there is one correct answer and four incorrect answers (these are referred to as 'distractors' which are close enough to being the preferred option to be plausible). Each correct answer is awarded one mark; there is no negative marking.
The exam takes place three times a year and costs £489 for UK candidates (£655 for International). Applications open two months before each exam - for a full timetable and further application and payment details visit the MRCP(UK) website.
MRCP Part 2 exam
The MRCP Part 2 written examination consists of two 3-hour papers taken in a single day. Each paper contains 100 MRCP Part 2 MCQs all in the best of five (BoF) format. The Part 2 exam covers a wide range of topics designed to test your clinical understanding and judgements.
The Pastest MRCP Part 2 subscription provides everything you need to master key exam skills like interpreting results, making correct diagnoses and selecting the best management plan.
In 2018 the average score of candidates that used Pastest for their MRCP Part 2 revision was over 35 points higher than the Pass Mark of 454!
Each MRCP Part 2 question generally contains a clinical vignette, which may also contain illustrations and/or the results of investigations. Note that some of these questions will be based on adolescent medicine.
One of the most important aspects of the MRCP Part 2 exam is being able to interpret images correctly, such as X-rays, ECGs and CTs. We recommend that you brush up these skills with practice on the ward, bolstered with our online Part 2 Qbank, which contains hundreds of image interpretation questions.
We believe that answering MRCP Part 2 sample questions, similar to those found in the real exam, is the best way to prepare. We also suggest using the MRCP Part 2 past papers and mock exams in your subscription during the run up to the exam in order to simulate the exam experience and practice timings.
The exam takes place four times a year and cost approx. £489 for UK candidates (£655 for International). Applications open two months before each exam - for a full timetable and further application and payment details visit the MRCP(UK) website.
MRCP PACES exam
MRCP PACES (Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills) is a clinical exam testing clinical knowledge and skills of doctors hoping to begin higher specialist training (ST3).was over 35 points higher than the Pass Mark of 454!
The MRCP PACES exam consists of a ‘carousel’ containing five clinical stations. Each station is 20 minutes long and there is a 5 minute interval between stations. Two independent examiners oversee each PACES station where there is a patient with a given condition, or a surrogate patient.
See the MRCP(UK) website for the full MRCP PACES exam format.
Our PACES subscription contains a variety of cases for each PACES station. The layout of the stations and the subject matter simulates the real exam allowing you to revise for a clinical exam online. As well as clinical videos our PACES preparation resource contains a variety of resources which help you to gain the theoretical knowledge needed to pass PACES. These include MRCP PACES tips for each station, role-play material which enables you to replicate the cases in each station, and MRCP PACES podcasts.
Seven core skills are assessed in PACES: Physical Examination, Identifying Physical Signs, Clinical Communication, Differential Diagnosis, Clinical Judgement, Managing Patients’ Concerns, and Maintaining Patients’ Concerns. Use a variety of resources and real life practice to strengthen all these skills.
The five clinical stations you’ll encounter are: Respiratory & Abdominal, History Taking, Cardiovascular & Neurological, Communication Skills & Ethics, and Clinical Consultations. Split your revision and practice appropriately, and be sure to work on your weaker areas.
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