The major advantage of passing all three parts of the MRCOG exam is that it leads to the award of the membership of the prestigious Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Also, you become an Internationally qualified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and this globally recognized qualification serves as your passport to the pinnacle of the profession.
The basic eligibility criteria to appear for MRCOG Part 1 is to have an undergraduate medical degree or equivalent primary medical qualification. Postgraduate training is not necessary for appearing in the Part 1 MRCOG exam. First-time applicants are required to submit the eligibility application form and get it approved on email by the RCOG.
The MRCOG Part 1 application process is a two-step process.
Step 1: Create your RCOG account and get your eligibility verified and approved.
Step 2: Complete your ‘Expression of Interest Form’.
You will get the eligibility form and expression of interest form on the official RCOG website. After getting your eligibility approved, check the exam timetable, and book a Pearson UVE exam by paying the exam fee.
The MRCOG Part 1 exam is conducted twice within a year, one in the month of January and the second in July. In 2023, the MRCOG Part 1 exam was held on 16th January 2023 and 4th July 2023.
Candidates are only allowed a total of six attempts at the MRCOG Part 1 exam if they desire to be included in the UK Specialist Register, either now or in the future. Candidates who do not want to be included in the UK Specialist Register are allowed an unlimited number of attempts.
The MRCOG part 1 exam assesses the knowledge of the aspirant in 15 core knowledge areas in four major domains.
The syllabus of the MRCOG Part 1 exam comprises these four major domains:
- Cell Function: Includes physiology, endocrinology and biochemistry
- Human Structure: Includes anatomy, embryology and genetics
- Measurement and Manipulation: Includes biophysics, epidemiology and statistics, data interpretation and pharmacology
- Illness: Includes immunology, microbiology, pathology and clinical management
The MRCOG Part 1 exam pattern comprises two SBA Papers, SBA Paper 1 and SBA Paper 2. Both the papers are computer-based tests. Each question paper comprises 100 SBAs (Single Best Answers). The duration of each MRCOG Part 1 paper is 2.5 hours and in between both the papers, there will be a lunch break of approximately one hour.
Some recommended books for MRCOG Part 1 preparation are:
- “Textbook for MRCOG-1: Basic Sciences in Obstetrics & Gynecology” by Dr. Richa Saxena
- “SBAs for the Part 1 MRCOG” by Andrew Sizer & Neil Chapman
- “MRCOG Part One: Your Essential Revision Guide” by Alison Fiander & Baskaran Thilaganathan.
The best online resource to prepare for the MRCOG Part 1 exam is DigiNerve’s ‘Cracking MRCOG Course-Part 1: Comprehensive Course’ by Dr. Richa Saxena. The course provides you with strategic preparation, discussion on important topics, new advances, management guidelines, exam pattern-based mock papers, and much more. The course features include concept-based video lectures, discussions of past 5 years’ papers, SBAs, HYQs, IBQs, Lecture Notes, Benchmark trials, and regular interactive live webinars. You can also enrol in DigiNerve’s ‘Cracking MRCOG Part 1: Mock Exam’ by Dr. Richa Saxena for practice and evaluation.
Effective tips to prepare for the MRCOG Part 1 exam are:
- Preparing a realistic MRCOG Part 1 study plan according to the syllabus and exam date is the first task to be done.
- Stick to reliable and preferred MRCOG Part 1 study resources such as MRCOG Part 1 textbook, MRCOG Part 1 Online course, webinars, discussions on important questions, etc.
- Solving Mock Test papers will boost the preparation to the next level and will help in self-evaluation.
- Starting revision before a month for the exam is highly important.
One should structure their revision process using the following strategy:
- Understand the exam format and choose the MRCOG Part 1 study resources wisely for revision.
- Solve the MRCOG Part 1 Mock Papers every alternate day 2 months before the exam or you can enroll in Cracking MRCOG Part 1-Mock Exam for the same.
- Go through the Green top guidelines, TOGs, SBAs, and Reading lists available on the RCOG official website.
- Go through the exam guidelines and Pearson VUE test guidelines properly before the exam.