MRCPCH
This has 4 parts:
- Foundations in Practice (formerly part 1A)
- Theory and Science (formerly part 1B)
- Applied Knowledge in Practice (formerly part 2 written)
- MRCPCH Clinical Exam
The three written exams (FOP, TAS, AKP) can be taken in any order, but all three need to be passed before progressing to the clinical exam. FOP and TAS are each half day written exams, and are on the same day. They can be booked together for a slight discount. Plenty of people sit them together and do manage to pass both, but beware that the content for each is quite different, so only book them both together if you think you have the time to study for two exams. AKP is a 2-part written exam taken in the morning and afternoon of the same day. Clinical exam is a 12-station OSCE.
FOP / 1A
This exam is also taken by folk aiming for DCH (Diploma in Child Health). It’s the most straightforward of the exams, and is a general introduction to paediatrics. It usually has a reasonable pass rate. I mainly used question banks (pastest) and a couple of general textbooks to look up things from the question bank questions. There is now a dedicated book by RCPCH called “Clinical cases for MRCPCH FOP” – it wasn’t out when I sat this exam.
TAS / 1B
This is generally acknowledged as the harder of the written exams. Lots of obscure basic science. It usually has a fairly low pass rate. There is a new dedicated textbook for the exam, which has definitely increased the pass rate. Resources I recommend:
- The Science of Paediatrics (Will Carroll) – this is the dedicated textbook for the exam. Very expensive, but it does contain all the information you need, and is cheaper than another attempt at the exam. Try to get a second hand or library copy if you can.
- Clinical cases for MRCPCH TAS – useful cases. I got a library copy and did study the book cover to cover. Probably wouldn’t have been worth buying but definitely a good book.
- Basic Medical Sciences for MRCP part 1 – yes this is a book aimed at MRCP rather than MRCPCH, and it’s quite an old book, but it’s a really good little book and most of the science is still relevant to this exam. Has some good diagrams and clear explanations. I got it second hand off amazon and was definitely worth it.
As well as those three books, I also used pastest and went through the entire question bank.
RCPCH now run a revision course for this exam – it was a 2 day course when I went, but I believe it’s now a one day course with online resources available. It was a really good course, but expensive – I think part of the rationale in reducing it to one day was to also reduce the cost. Probably not worth it for the first attempt, but if you’ve had a couple of attempts and you’re struggling with TAS, I would highly recommend it. I managed to get mine covered in my study leave budget. It’s run by the person that actually runs / coordinates the TAS exam.
AKP / part 2 written
This is a big exam that needs a lot of study, but I found it much more straightforward than TAS. I used a couple of bigger textbooks – Nelson’s, and the recent GOSH paediatrics textbook, but mainly the “Essential revision notes in paediatrics for the MRCPCH” and MRCPCH Masterclass books, going through the curriculum. I used Pastest again. I also used “The essential revision guide to paediatric cardiology” and “Imaging picture tests for MRCPCH”– both from the library. As per the other written exams, RCPCH have written a clinical cases book, but this came out after I sat this exam.
MRCPCH Clinical Exam
This is a tough exam. You need to learn the system and what is expected. There is a lot of information online on the RCPCH website about the circuit, anchor statements and marksheets explaining how it is marked. Print this out, absorb all the information, and get to know the exam inside out. There are currently 10 stations – 2x long 22 minute stations and 8x 9 minute stations. There are clinical examination stations – neuro and cardio are guaranteed, and then resp / abdo / MSK may either be that, or something else such as a second abdo, or a different thing such as examining a child with short stature etc. Then there is a child development station, 2 communication stations, a long history taking station and (soon to change) a long video station with video clips of acute signs they can’t bring to the exam.
The essential book for this exam is “MRCPCH clinical short cases, history taking and communication skills”. It’s about £35 and is worth the investment. I took it round the wards when I was practising. It’s great to annotate. I spent about 3 months preparing, a combination of reading the relevant book sections, and then going round the wards in small groups examining patients. As soon as you can, try to time each other, as managing everything in the nine minutes is quite a skill. Use the mark sheets and anchor statements to mark each other. Get consultants and registrars to take you round and watch you examining patients. I went to lots of cardio and rheumatology clinics to examine patients.
Another useful book was Circuits for the MRCPCH Clinical – again got it from the library, but you can use it to practise in small groups.
Development – make a bag of some basic toys (I bought some wooden blocks that could be stacked and threaded), crayons and paper, a picture book… Development is great because you can even use bored siblings on the wards – doesn’t have to be an inpatient. Again learn milestones and get slick at examining in a logical way.
Courses: I went to the Ealing 2-day revision course, which I would recommend. They got loads of patients in with chronic signs for us to examine and gave really good feedback. I also went on a communication skills revision course – the Watford one day course. It was a good course, we got to practice with professional actors in timed conditions. This course is probably particularly worth doing if you know that communication is something you struggle with. I recommend going to a revision course for this exam, and most people I know, went to one.
The London School of Paediatrics has a great website with loads of useful tips and tricks, as well as a ton of really helpful videos. You need to watch these over and over again. There are also loads of videos on YouTube.
GOOD LUCK! Paediatrics is a great specialty.