FOP asks what you do with a sick child. It covers the conditions you meet often, and the care you give. It is also the single theory paper needed for the Diploma of Child Health, so the cohort sitting it is broader than paediatric trainees alone.
TAS asks why that care works. Physiology, pharmacology, basic science, evidence-based practice. It rewards reading in a way FOP does not, which is why candidates with strong ward experience sometimes clear FOP and stumble on TAS.
Both papers are 100 best-of-five SBAs in two hours. That is 72 seconds a question with nothing left over for the ones you want to argue with.
Times outside the UK and Ireland vary by country and appear on the admissions document the College emails five to six weeks before the exam. Remote candidates sit to UK clock times wherever they are, which for Pakistan means an afternoon start.
| Exam | FOPFoundation of Practice | TASTheory and Science of Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 100 SBA, best of five | 100 SBA, best of five |
| Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Session, UK time | 09:30 – 11:30 | 14:00 – 16:00 |
| With 25% extra time | ends 12:00 | ends 16:30 |
| Delivery | Computer-based, TestReach | Computer-based, TestReach |
| Where | Test centre, or remote invigilation if eligible | Test centre, or remote invigilation if eligible |
| Standard setting | Modified Angoff | Modified Angoff |
| Attempts allowed | 6 | 6 |
Source: RCPCH — theory exams, what you need to know before you apply. Verified 5 September 2026. Times outside the UK and Ireland vary by country and are confirmed on the admissions document the College emails before the exam.
| Diet | Exam date | Applications open | Close, online | Close, test centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.3 | Wed 14 Oct 2026 | Closed | 3 Aug 2026 | 3 Aug 2026 |
| 2027.1Next | Wed 17 Feb 2027 | Mon 30 Nov 2026, 09:30 GMT | Fri 4 Dec 2026 | Mon 7 Dec 2026 |
| 2027.2 | Wed 23 Jun 2027 | Mon 5 Apr 2027, 09:30 BST | Fri 9 Apr 2027 | Mon 12 Apr 2027 |
| 2027.3 | Wed 13 Oct 2027 | Mon 9 Aug 2027, 09:30 BST | Fri 13 Aug 2027 | Mon 16 Aug 2027 |
Swipe across for the closing dates.
Source: RCPCH — upcoming theory exam dates. Verified 9 October 2026.
Seats go first come, first served, and popular centres fill inside hours. Three things decide whether you get one.
Register at least ten days before the window opens. Applications from a fresh account on the morning of the window do not go well.
For 2026.3, Gulf countries opened on the Monday, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka on the Tuesday, and the UK on the Wednesday. Check which day is yours.
09:30 GMT is 14:30 PKT. 09:30 BST is 13:30 PKT. Winter diets are GMT, summer diets are BST. Set the alarm for the right one.
Have your payment card ready. The College takes payment at the point of application for theory exams, by credit card or by a debit card linked to a UK bank account.
| Exam | UK | International |
|---|---|---|
| FOP or TAS, single sitting | £365 | £455 |
| FOP and TAS combined | £659 | £804 |
Swipe across for the international column.
Sitting them together costs an international candidate £804 instead of £910 for two singles. It also means one day of leave instead of two, and one flight or hotel instead of two if your centre is not local.
Source: RCPCH — theory exam fees. 2027 fees were not published as of October 2026.
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Yes. The College renamed the papers, but Part 1 is what most people still call FOP and TAS, and Part 2 is what they call AKP.
Most candidates do. It is cheaper, it is one day of leave, and the revision overlaps. Take them separately if you are working full clinical shifts and can only prepare for one at a time, or if you have failed one and want a clean run at it.
There is no fixed number. The pass mark is set for each paper by Modified Angoff, against a defined standard rather than against the rest of the cohort. It moves slightly from diet to diet.
Only if you qualify. You need to show there is no test centre in your country when the exam runs, or that you live more than 200 miles from one, or that you have an approved reasonable adjustment. Evidence goes in when you book. Pakistan has four test centres, so remote sitting is rarely available to candidates there.
You can sit six times. Book the next diet, work the category feedback in your results letter, and use it to target revision rather than repeating the whole syllabus.
Twelve to sixteen weeks of consistent work suits most candidates in full-time clinical jobs. Our FOP/TAS course runs 16 weeks and finishes 3 days before the paper, leaving a clear revision run-in.
Yes. We’ll flag the application window and talk you through centre selection, but you submit your own application.
35-50. Capped so mentors can respond individually.
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