The MRCP(UK) Part 1 Examination is designed to assess a candidate’s knowledge
and understanding of the clinical sciences relevant to medical practice and of common
or important disorders to a level appropriate for entry to specialist training.
The MRCP(UK) Part 1 Examination has a two-paper format. Each paper is 3 hours in
duration and contains 100 multiple choice questions in ‘best of five’ format. This
format, in addition to testing core knowledge and comprehension, also assesses the
ability to interpret information and to solve clinical problems. There will be five
options – one correct answer and four alternatives to the correct answer. The four
distractors will be closely related to the preferred option but less correct, therefore
acting as plausible alternatives. The candidate chooses the best answer from the five
possible answers. Each correct answer is awarded one mark; there is no negative
marking.
The composition of the papers is as follows:
Specialty Number of questions*
Cardiology 15
Clinical haematology and oncology 15
Clinical Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology 16
Clinical sciences** 25
Dermatology 8
Endocrinology 15
Geriatric medicine 4
Gastroenterology 15
Infectious diseases and GUM 15
Neurology 15
Nephrology 15
Ophthalmology 4
Psychiatry 8
Respiratory medicine 15
Rheumatology 15
200
* This should be taken as an indication of the likely number of questions – the actual
number may vary slightly
** Clinical sciences comprise:
Cell, molecular and membrane biology 2
Clinical anatomy 3
Clinical biochemistry and metabolism 4
Clinical physiology 4
Genetics 3
Immunology 4
Statistics, epidemiology and evidence-based medicine 5
