You have read the syllabus. You have bought the books. And somewhere between a night shift and a clinic list, three weeks have gone by and you have opened neither. Then a colleague mentions the eligibility deadline is next month, and the whole thing shifts from something you will start soon to something you are already behind on. Almost every MRCOG Part 1 candidate has had that moment. It is not a knowledge problem. It is a structure problem.
MRCOG Part 1 is a basic sciences exam sat by doctors who stopped studying basic sciences years ago. The material is not conceptually hard, but it is broad, it is examined in a format that punishes hesitation, and it has to be covered alongside a full clinical workload. This guide covers what the exam actually tests, how the format works, what it costs, when the deadlines fall, and how to build a plan that survives contact with a rota. If you want that plan built for you, our MRCOG Part 1 course is designed around exactly this problem.
What MRCOG Part 1 actually tests
Part 1 is the first of three stages in the MRCOG. It assesses the basic and applied sciences that underpin clinical practice in obstetrics and gynaecology, and you must pass it before you can attempt Part 2.
That framing matters, because it explains why the exam feels unfamiliar even to doctors who are good at O&G. Part 1 is not asking how you would manage a woman with pre-eclampsia. It is asking which physiological changes drive the rise in glomerular filtration rate in pregnancy, or which vessel supplies a specific pelvic structure, or how a particular drug crosses the placenta. Clinical experience helps, but it does not substitute for going back to the science.
There is no exemption route. The RCOG closed its exemption scheme in 2006, and the College is explicit that the syllabus has changed enough since then that overseas O&G qualifications are no longer considered equivalent. Everyone sits all three parts.
The exam format, paper by paper
Part 1 is a computer-based test delivered at Pearson VUE centres. It is one day, two papers, 200 questions in total.
| SBA Paper 1 | SBA Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 100 single best answer | 100 single best answer |
| Duration | 2.5 hours (150 minutes) | 2.5 hours (150 minutes) |
| Time per question | 90 seconds | 90 seconds |
| Contribution to final score | Equal | Equal |
| Break | Approximately 1 hour lunch break follows Paper 1 | — |
Ninety seconds per question is the number worth sitting with. It sounds generous until you meet a data interpretation stem that takes forty seconds just to read. Candidates who have never practised under a clock routinely finish their first mock with fifteen questions unanswered, and those are fifteen marks lost to pacing rather than knowledge.
Both papers carry equal weight, so there is no paper you can afford to treat as the easier one.
Who can sit it, and how the application works
Any doctor holding a recognised primary medical qualification can apply. You do not need UK GMC registration, and you do not need to be in an O&G training post, which is why many candidates sit Part 1 early in their careers.
Applying happens in two stages, and confusing them is the most common reason candidates miss a sitting.
Stage one is eligibility. First-time candidates must submit an eligibility application and have it approved. You will need your primary medical degree certificate, or a medical registration certificate that names your degree and university. Photocopies must be attested by a notary public, commissioner of oaths, justice of the peace, another person entitled to practise law, or an authorised embassy or consulate officer. They cannot be attested by a relative, and you cannot certify your own documents. Certificates not in English need an authorised translation, and the College asks that you merge multiple files into a single PDF rather than emailing them separately.
Stage two is the expression of interest and booking. A new expression of interest form is required for every sitting — a previous submission does not carry over. Eligible candidates are then emailed when the booking window opens, and test centre places are allocated first come, first served.
Two details that catch people out. The name on your RCOG account must match your government-issued photo ID exactly, or you may be refused entry on the day. And if your degree certificate is in a different name from your ID, a marriage certificate alone is not sufficient — the College also requires a reissued certificate in the new name.
Resit candidates skip stage one entirely. Once your eligibility has been approved, it does not expire.
Key dates and fees
Part 1 runs twice a year, in January and in June or July, in the UK and at overseas centres.
| January 2027 | July 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility deadline | Friday 18 September 2026 | Tuesday 16 March 2027 |
| Expression of interest deadline | Friday 2 October 2026 | Tuesday 30 March 2027 |
| Booking window opens | Tuesday 27 October 2026 | Tuesday 20 April 2027 |
| Exam date | Tuesday 19 January 2027 | Tuesday 13 July 2027 |
| Results released | Wednesday 17 February 2027 | Wednesday 11 August 2027 |
Fees are banded by the country of your test centre, not your country of residence. For 2026 the RCOG lists £577 for the UK and Republic of Ireland, £696 for Band A, £601 for Band B, and £479 for Band C. Candidates sitting in India should note that Indian GST has been applied to Part 1 and Part 2 fees since January 2025.
Look at the January 2027 column again. The eligibility deadline is roughly four months before the exam itself. That is the timeline that surprises people — by the time most candidates start thinking seriously about a sitting, the paperwork window for it has already closed.
The 14 modules, and where candidates lose marks
The syllabus is organised into fourteen modules: anatomy including surgical anatomy, biochemistry, embryology, endocrinology, genetics, physiology, biophysics, pharmacology, immunology, statistics and epidemiology, microbiology, pathology, data interpretation, and clinical management.
The RCOG does not publish official weightings for these, and you should be sceptical of any resource that presents a precise breakdown as fact. What is reliably true is that anatomy, physiology, and endocrinology carry substantial weight in most sittings, and that the smaller modules cannot be skipped — biophysics and statistics between them can account for enough marks to decide a borderline result.
Three patterns come up repeatedly in candidates who fail:
- Anatomy left until last. It is the highest-yield module and the one that most rewards early, repeated exposure. Starting it in the final six weeks does not work.
- Statistics and data interpretation avoided. These feel unrewarding to revise and are quietly worth a lot. They are also among the most learnable topics on the syllabus, because the question types repeat.
- Reading instead of answering. Passive revision produces a comfortable feeling of progress and very little exam performance. Question banks are not a final-month test of readiness; they are the primary learning tool.
Building a study plan that survives a rota
Most successful candidates give themselves four to six months. Whether that is realistic depends less on total hours than on whether the plan assumes a good week or a normal one.
A structure that tends to hold up:
- Months 1–2: Anatomy, physiology, and embryology, covered systematically with questions alongside reading from day one rather than after it.
- Months 3–4: Endocrinology, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, immunology, genetics, and biochemistry. Keep revisiting anatomy weekly.
- Month 5: Biophysics, statistics, data interpretation, and clinical management. Begin full timed papers.
- Final 4–6 weeks: Timed mocks under exam conditions, then targeted review of every wrong answer. Review is where the marks are, not in the score.
Two practical points. Protect a smaller amount of time you will actually use rather than blocking out hours you will lose to the ward — ninety consistent minutes beats a planned four hours that happen twice a month. And when you get a question wrong, write down why: knowledge gap, misread stem, or rushed. The three problems have different fixes, and candidates who do not distinguish them tend to keep making the same mistake.
Where to go from here
MRCOG Part 1 is passable while working full clinical hours. What it does not forgive is a late start, an unstructured approach to a broad syllabus, or a first encounter with timed papers in the last fortnight.
Check the eligibility deadline for the sitting you are targeting today, before anything else, because everything downstream depends on it. Then decide honestly whether you are going to build and hold a plan alone, or whether you would do better with structure and accountability.
Our MRCOG Part 1 course is taught by consultants who have sat and passed this exam, and is built around timed practice and structured module coverage rather than passive lectures. You can also read more MRCOG preparation guides or meet the mentors who teach on the programme.
Sources and further reading
- RCOG: MRCOG Part 1 exam format
- RCOG: MRCOG Part 1 key dates and fees
- RCOG: MRCOG Part 1 how to apply
- RCOG: MRCOG Part 1 FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times can I attempt MRCOG Part 1?
Candidates who intend to join the UK Specialist Register now or in the future are permitted a maximum of six attempts. There is no limit for candidates who do not intend to enter the UK Specialist Register. Anyone applying after six or more unsuccessful attempts needs supporting documentation from their Head of School setting out exceptional reasons for a further attempt.
Is there a time limit between passing Part 1 and passing Part 2?
There is no deadline for passing Part 2, but you must have attempted it at least once within seven years of passing Part 1. If you do not attempt it within that window, you will have to pass Part 1 again.
Do I get a certificate for passing Part 1?
No. Certificates are issued only on completion of Part 3, since the MRCOG is a single three-part qualification. Keep your Part 1 pass letter, as it is the only documentation you will receive. The RCOG also asks candidates not to use “MRCOG Part 1” on letterheads, business cards, or nameplates.
Can I postpone my exam or get a refund?
Candidates who withdraw after the closing date, or who do not appear, forfeit the exam fee, and the College cannot transfer centres after that date. If you fail to attend, your entry is not counted as an attempt. Refunds are considered only in prescribed circumstances under the RCOG’s Exams Extenuating Circumstances Policy.
Do I need GMC registration or an O&G training post to sit Part 1?
No. Any doctor with a recognised primary medical qualification can apply. Many candidates sit Part 1 during internship or early residency, before entering formal O&G training.
I passed an equivalent O&G exam abroad. Can I be exempted from Part 1?
No. The RCOG closed its exemption scheme in 2006. The syllabus and structure have changed substantially since, and all candidates must pass all three parts.
