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[ Home ](https://mdster.com) 2. [ Blog ](https://mdster.com/blog) 3. [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) 4. Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG Part 1): A Practical Study Plan [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG Part 1): A Practical Study Plan ============================================================================================================ Turn a broad basic-sciences syllabus into focused SBA practice, manageable revision blocks and two-paper exam readiness. [ MDster Editorial Team ](https://mdster.com/about) · Oct 13, 2026 · 6 min read · 27 [ Reviewed by Dr. Ali Ragab, MBBCH, MSc, MCAI ](https://mdster.com/medical-reviewers/dr-ali-ragab) [Editorial Policy](https://mdster.com/editorial-policy) | [Corrections Policy](https://mdster.com/corrections) [ Obstetrics & Gynecology ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=obstetrics-gynecology) [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=study-tips) [ Obstetrics and Gynaecology ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=obstetrics-and-gynaecology) [ MRCOG Part 1 ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=mrcog-part-1) [ SBA Practice ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=sba-practice) ![Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG Part 1): A Practical Study Plan](https://mdster.com/storage/blog/images/membership-of-the-royal-college-of-obstetricians-and-gynaecologists-mrcog-part-1-a-practic.png) Share this article Share this post On this page 1. [ Build your plan around the Part 1 syllabus ](#build-your-plan-around-the-part-1-syllabus) 2. [ Make a topic map before choosing resources ](#make-a-topic-map-before-choosing-resources) 3. [ Use SBAs to learn how Part 1 asks questions ](#use-sbas-to-learn-how-part-1-asks-questions) 4. [ Study Schedule Template: eight weeks alongside clinical work ](#study-schedule-template-eight-weeks-alongside-clinical-work) 5. [ Rehearse both papers, not just individual questions ](#rehearse-both-papers-not-just-individual-questions) 6. [ Common pitfalls to avoid ](#common-pitfalls-to-avoid) 7. [ Key Takeaways: what to do this week ](#key-takeaways-what-to-do-this-week) 8. [ Frequently Asked Questions ](#blog-faqs) 9. [ References ](#references-heading) On this page 1. [ Build your plan around the Part 1 syllabus ](#build-your-plan-around-the-part-1-syllabus) 2. [ Make a topic map before choosing resources ](#make-a-topic-map-before-choosing-resources) 3. [ Use SBAs to learn how Part 1 asks questions ](#use-sbas-to-learn-how-part-1-asks-questions) 4. [ Study Schedule Template: eight weeks alongside clinical work ](#study-schedule-template-eight-weeks-alongside-clinical-work) 5. [ Rehearse both papers, not just individual questions ](#rehearse-both-papers-not-just-individual-questions) 6. [ Common pitfalls to avoid ](#common-pitfalls-to-avoid) 7. [ Key Takeaways: what to do this week ](#key-takeaways-what-to-do-this-week) 8. [ Frequently Asked Questions ](#blog-faqs) 9. [ References ](#references-heading) A common MRCOG Part 1 trap is spending weeks reading obstetric guidelines while leaving anatomy, physiology and statistics until the final revision push. Clinical experience helps, but this examination tests the science underpinning obstetrics and gynaecology. Start by mapping what you know—not what you see most often at work—against the Part 1 syllabus. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Build your plan around the Part 1 syllabus ------------------------------------------ As of October 2026, MRCOG Part 1 is a computer-based examination with **two equally weighted papers**. Each contains 100 single best answer (SBA) questions and lasts 150 minutes. That gives you an average of 90 seconds per question, so prepare for breadth and sustained concentration rather than lengthy written answers. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") ### Make a topic map before choosing resources Download the RCOG Part 1 syllabus and turn its knowledge requirements into a one-page checklist. Mark each topic green if you can explain it and answer questions reliably, amber if you recognise it but make errors, and red if you need to learn it from the beginning. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") - Cover physiology and endocrinology, including pregnancy adaptations and reproductive hormones. - Include pelvic anatomy, embryology and genetics—not just commonly encountered clinical conditions. - Reserve separate blocks for pharmacology, pathology, microbiology and immunology. - Practise epidemiology, screening principles, statistics and data interpretation with questions, not reading alone. Prioritise red topics that recur across several syllabus areas, such as physiology, anatomy and interpretation of investigations. Keep a smaller weekly slot for your green topics so familiarity does not fade. The RCOG syllabus includes both scientific principles and their application to clinical scenarios; avoiding either side leaves gaps. [\[3\]](#cite-3 "Reference [3]") Use SBAs to learn how Part 1 asks questions ------------------------------------------- RCOG’s sample questions offer five answer options and include both direct science questions and short clinical scenarios. Work through them before buying or committing to a large question bank: they give you a reference point for whether a resource resembles the actual task. For each question, identify precisely what is being asked before reading the options. [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") Use this four-step review after every practice set: 1. Record your answer and confidence level before checking the explanation. 2. Classify each miss: knowledge gap, misread qualifier, faulty application or time pressure. 3. Write one retrievable correction—for example, a diagram to label or a principle to explain aloud—rather than copying a paragraph. 4. Reattempt the topic with **new questions** later that week and again after a longer interval. A useful bank lets you filter by subject, review explanations and assemble timed mixed sets. Use a basic-sciences textbook only to repair gaps exposed by questions; use an RCOG syllabus or reading-list reference to check scope. If you take a course or join a study group, bring three disputed SBAs and require each person to defend one answer using the underlying science. Evidence from a large physician-education study supports spaced repetition over receiving questions only once, although it does not prescribe a particular MRCOG revision interval. [\[5\]](#cite-5 "Reference [5]") > **Pro Tip:** Flag confidently wrong answers separately. They are easy to overlook because the topic feels familiar, yet your reasoning—not just your recall—needs correcting. Study Schedule Template: eight weeks alongside clinical work ------------------------------------------------------------ Treat this as a template, not a promise that eight weeks is enough for everyone. If your baseline exposes extensive red areas or your rota limits study time, extend the first two phases rather than removing timed practice. WeeksMain jobPractical output1–2Take a mixed baseline set; map the syllabus; repair major science gapsTopic checklist and error log3–5Rotate through two weak topics weekly; answer focused SBAsShort recall prompts and revised amber/red ratings6–7Shift to mixed timed sets; complete two separate 100-question simulationsPaper-level pacing and error review8Simulate both papers on one day; revisit persistent errorsFinal shortlist of principles and formulas On a clinical week, try four 30–45-minute sessions: two for focused SBAs, one for correcting errors and one for spaced recall. Use a longer available session for a timed set. After nights or a disrupted rota, keep the error-review session and move the simulation; an incomplete question count is less costly than abandoning analysis of your mistakes. Rehearse both papers, not just individual questions --------------------------------------------------- In a 150-minute simulation, check your progress at questions 25, 50 and 75. Aim to be roughly on schedule, then adapt: a calculation or unfamiliar stem may need more time than a straightforward recall item. If a question stalls you, choose your best provisional answer, flag it if your practice interface permits, and return after completing the paper. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") At least once, practise two full papers with a break between them. Use the break to reset for Paper 2, not to reconstruct Paper 1; both papers count equally. Afterward, compare accuracy and unfinished questions across papers to see whether your issue is knowledge, pacing or concentration late in the day. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") Common pitfalls to avoid ------------------------ - **Studying as though this were Part 2:** Part 1 tests basic and applied sciences. When a clinical SBA defeats you, trace the relevant mechanism before reading more management guidance. [\[6\]](#cite-6 "Reference [6]") - **Counting questions instead of reviewing them:** Fifty SBAs with classified errors and repeat testing can reveal more than an unexamined hundred. - **Betting on a fixed pass percentage:** RCOG uses standard setting for Part 1, and the pass mark can change between sittings. Measure improvement across topics and timed papers instead of targeting a rumoured cutoff. [\[7\]](#cite-7 "Reference [7]") - **Saving statistics for the end:** Put a short screening or data-interpretation set into every study week so you repeatedly practise choosing and interpreting measures. [\[3\]](#cite-3 "Reference [3]") Key Takeaways: what to do this week ----------------------------------- - Download the Part 1 syllabus and label topics green, amber or red. - Try the RCOG sample SBAs, then complete one mixed baseline set under time pressure. [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") - Book four short study blocks and one session to review errors. - Choose your first two red topics and create recall prompts for every mistake. - Put two full-paper simulations—and one two-paper rehearsal—on your calendar. You do not need to master the entire syllabus before starting questions. Start with a baseline, use each error to direct your next science block, and make your practice increasingly resemble the two papers you will actually sit. Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- ### How many questions should I practise for each MRCOG Part 1 paper? Rehearse at least one timed set of 100 SBAs in 150 minutes for each paper, then try both papers on one day. Review errors as carefully as you track your score. ### Should I focus on clinical guidelines or basic sciences for Part 1? Lead with the Part 1 syllabus and the science behind clinical scenarios. Use clinical guidance to clarify an applied question, but do not let it replace anatomy, physiology, pharmacology or statistics revision. ### What should I do when I keep getting the same SBA topic wrong? Identify whether the problem is recall, interpretation or misreading. Repair that specific gap, explain the principle without notes, then test it with a new question later. ### Is there a fixed percentage I need to pass MRCOG Part 1? No fixed pass percentage applies across all sittings. RCOG standard-sets the examination, so concentrate on broad syllabus coverage and consistent performance under timed conditions. References (8) ------------------ 1. 1. [ RCOG, MRCOG Part 1 syllabus ](https://www.rcog.org.uk/careers-and-training/exams/mrcog-our-specialty-training-exam/mrcog-part-1/syllabus/) [↩](#cite-ref-1-1 "Back to text") 2. 2. [ RCOG, MRCOG Part 1 exam format ](https://www.rcog.org.uk/careers-and-training/exams/mrcog-our-specialty-training-exam/mrcog-part-1/mrcog-part-1-exam-format/) [↩](#cite-ref-2-1 "Back to text") 3. 3. [ RCOG, MRCOG syllabus and knowledge requirements ](https://www.rcog.org.uk/media/yeqbkfrw/mrcog-syllabus-and-knowledge-requirements-v10.pdf) [↩](#cite-ref-3-1 "Back to text") 4. 4. [ RCOG, Part 1 sample single best answer questions ](https://www.rcog.org.uk/careers-and-training/exams/mrcog-our-specialty-training-exam/mrcog-part-1/single-best-answer-sbas/) [↩](#cite-ref-4-1 "Back to text") 5. 5. [ www.rcog.org.uk/careers-and-training/exams/mrcog-our-specialty-training-exam/mrcog-part-1/mrcog-part-1-revision-resources/mrcog-part-1-reading-list ](https://www.rcog.org.uk/careers-and-training/exams/mrcog-our-specialty-training-exam/mrcog-part-1/mrcog-part-1-revision-resources/mrcog-part-1-reading-list/) [↩](#cite-ref-5-1 "Back to text") 6. 6. [ www.rcog.org.uk/media/j1slwmul/mrcog-syllabus-curriculum-2019.pdf ](https://www.rcog.org.uk/media/j1slwmul/mrcog-syllabus-curriculum-2019.pdf) [↩](#cite-ref-6-1 "Back to text") 7. 7. [ RCOG, MRCOG pass mark and standard setting ](https://www.rcog.org.uk/careers-and-training/exams/mrcog-our-specialty-training-exam/mrcog-pass-mark/) [↩](#cite-ref-7-1 "Back to text") 8. 8. [ The Effect of Spaced Repetition on Learning and Knowledge Transfer in a Large Cohort of Practicing Physicians, 2024 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39250798/) Study pathway Build confidence in OB/GYN with focused practice -------------------------------------------------- - Labor & delivery + postpartum essentials - Gynecology, screening, and common procedures - Review weak topics and improve faster Free 5-day trial No credit card required. 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