MRCP(UK) - Frequently Asked Questions
No. For more information on preparation for the Examination, please contact the National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education.
To provide more information about the MRCP(UK) Examination, publications are produced by the MRCP(UK) Central Office. These are the only publications that contain questions actually used in the MRCP(UK) Examination.
Yes. All candidates sitting all parts of the MRCP(UK) Examination are automatically opted in to have their result information published in the general results area of the website, in addition to receiving their results by post. Results information published on our website does not identify candidates by name, only by RCP code number.
Any candidate who does not wish their result information for a given examination to be published on the website must submit a written request to opt out of this service.
No. Candidates who withdraw or are absent from an exam session have to reapply at the next session and provide a new payment.
Postal orders are accepted as a valid payment for the MRCP(UK) Examinations. Please ensure that you write your name and RCP code number on the back of the postal orders.
No. Candidates interested in the MRCPCH Examination (Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) should contact the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Where an email address has been provided on the application form, candidates will receive an email from the Administration Office dealing with their application to confirm receipt of the application. This does not imply that your application has been accepted; only that it has been received.
In order to alter any record of a candidate name, original or authorized copies of certificates need to be submitted.
Any form of ID having both a signature and a recent photograph is accepted. In cases where candidates cannot provide a single form of ID with both a signature and a photograph, two separate pieces of ID each containing the above can also be accepted.
Admission documents are posted approximately two to three weeks before the examination date.
Your acknowledgement letters and admission documents will also be emailed to you. If you do not receive a hard copy you can use the emailed version as proof of your entry to the examination. If you have not received the email please check first that your inbox has not treated our email confirmation as Spam and that you have given us the correct email address.
Please refer to the Part 1 and Part 2 Written withdrawal guidelines and the PACES withdrawal guidelines.
All address change requests must be submitted in writing to your Administration Office.
Candidates need to advise their Administrative Office in writing, outlining the reasons for the transfer request. Please note that the Administrative Offices cannot guarantee that any transfer request will be processed as these are subject to centre availability and time within the application processing cycle.
Original certificates are sent back by recorded delivery (UK addresses) and registered post (overseas addresses). Authorised copies are sent back by first class post (UK addresses) and airmail (overseas addresses) within one to two weeks of receiving them.
No, this is not necessary. However, registration with the General Medical Council is required by doctors intending to work in the UK. Prospective candidates who intend to obtain training in a hospital post, whether paid or unpaid, must therefore register with the GMC.
No, this is not necessary.
No, this is not necessary.
Please refer to the curriculum.
There are qualifications which currently offer exemption from the MRCP (UK) Part 1 and Part 2 Written Examination (until 2010). Please refer to Part 1 exemptions and Part 2 Written exemptions or the current edition of the Examination Regulations for an up-to-date list.
For the MRCP(UK) Part 1 and Part 2 Written Examinations, candidates can apply online or via paper application for any exam centre, but they must ensure that they can travel to the centre and obtain any necessary visas as refunds cannot be given on this basis. The exceptions to this rule are applications for the Hong Kong and Singapore centres. These centres have restricted entry quotas and applications must be sent direct to the local organisers. Please refer to the overseas contacts page for further information.
Entry to the MRCP(UK) Part 2 Clinical Examination (PACES) is restricted to candidates based within the country of the exam and the surrounding areas. Further information can be found in the MRCP(UK) Examination Regulations.
For the MRCP(UK) Part 1 and Part 2 Written Examinations, candidates can apply online to all centres outside of the UK apart from Bahrain, Hong Kong and Singapore, which can only accept paper applications. Candidates should refer to the overseas contacts page for further information. The Part 2 Clinical Examination (PACES) is not available online and has different procedures, as described on the PACES contacts page.
A list of contact details of centres outside the UK is printed in the Examination Regulations and on the overseas contacts page.
Yes. Written Papers are identical and the MRCP(UK) Part 2 Clinical Examination (PACES) is standardised worldwide.
Part 1, Part 2 Written, and PACES Examination dates are published up to one year in advance on this website.
Yes. There are a number of publications. These can be ordered by a form which can be downloaded from this website or by contacting the Examinations Departments at the Colleges.
How is the pass mark decided for the Written Examination?
The pass mark for the MRCP(UK) Part 1 Examination is an equated pass score decided by the criterion referencing group in the September diet of 2008. This will stay unchanged for more diets unless the MRCP(UK) Board decides otherwise. More details on equating can be found here.
The MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written Examination has the pass mark calculated each diet as a result of criterion referencing process and candidates' performance on the exam day. The MRCP(UK) Part 2 Standard Setting group will criterion reference each question from the examination paper using the Angoff method and decide on the difficulty level advising on a provisional pass mark. This pass mark will be compared with the candidates’ scores by a statistical method called the Hofstee method and the final mark will be calculated. Click here for more details on the criterion referencing process.
Fees are published on the examination calendar (available from all three Colleges) and are revised annually. Up-to-date information on fees can be found on this website in the following locations: Part 1 Fees; Part 2 Written Fees; PACES Fees.
Cheques for examination fees should be made payable to the Royal College of Physicians.
It is each candidate’s responsibility to ensure that applications are completed as soon as possible. The MRCP(UK) Central Office will contact candidates to advise them of any outstanding information and will provide a deadline for receipt. Candidates will be allocated a provisional exam place in the meantime, but applications will be rejected if the outstanding information is not received by the deadline. Candidates whose applications are incomplete because the full exam fee has not been received must pay this in order to sit any future MRCP(UK) examinations, even if they subsequently withdraw or are absent from the exam.