On this page
- 📅 The Week Before
- T-7 Days
- T-3 Days
- T-1 Day (Friday)
- Exam Morning
- ⏱ Exam Format Reminder
- 🎯 Pacing Strategy
- Per Question: 90 Seconds
- Suggested Time Splits
- The 3-Pass Method
- 🧠 Question-Answering Technique
- Step 1: Read the STEM (the scenario)
- Step 2: Read the QUESTION (the last line)
- Step 3: Formulate your own answer BEFORE looking at options
- Step 4: Eliminate
- Step 5: Select
- 🚩 Common Traps & How to Avoid Them
- 📋 High-Yield Last-Minute Memory Dump
- Numbers to Know Cold
- Drug Doses/Known Values
- 🧘 Mental Prep
- During the Exam
- Between Papers (Lunch Break)
- ✅ Final Checklist
- Before entering the exam hall
- During Paper 1
- Between Papers
- During Paper 2
Mrcog Exam Day Strategy
MRCOG Part 1 — Exam-Day Strategy & Last-Minute Prep
Everything you need to walk into the exam centre calm, confident, and ready to ace it.
📅 The Week Before
T-7 Days
- Stop learning new material. The week before is for consolidation, not discovery.
- Review only your weak-topic tracker and error log.
- Run one final timed Paper 1 or Paper 2 (100 Qs, 2.5h) to calibrate pacing.
T-3 Days
- Light review only. Skim summary tables, mnemonics, high-yield lists.
- Review the recalls from 2024 (most recent exam patterns).
- Stop doing full-length timed exams at this point.
T-1 Day (Friday)
- NO STUDY AFTER 4 PM. Your brain needs rest.
- Logistics check:
- [ ] Exam booking confirmed at Pearson VUE
- [ ] Route to test centre mapped (drive there if possible)
- [ ] Valid photo ID ready (passport or driving licence)
- [ ] Exam start time confirmed (morning or afternoon session)
- [ ] Calculator not needed — on-screen calculator provided
- [ ] No smart watches, phones, or bags allowed
- Pack your bag:
- ID (passport/driving licence)
- Water bottle (clear, label removed)
- Simple snacks (banana, nuts, dark chocolate)
- Paracetamol (just in case)
- Layers (test centres can be cold)
- Eat a good dinner — complex carbs + protein, nothing experimental
- Sleep by 10 PM — aim for 7-8 hours
Exam Morning
- Light breakfast — porridge, eggs, toast. No heavy/greasy food.
- Caffeine? Only if it's your normal routine. Don't experiment.
- Arrive 45 minutes early — security checks, ID verification, locker storage.
- Last look: One page of mnemonics in the car/on the train. NOTHING new.
⏱ Exam Format Reminder
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 100 SBAs | 100 SBAs |
| Duration | 2.5 hours | 2.5 hours |
| Break | ~1 hour lunch | — |
| Content | Mixed basic sciences | Mixed basic sciences |
| Format | Computer-Based Test (CBT) | CBT |
Key rules: - No negative marking — answer EVERY question. Never leave a blank. - Single Best Answer (SBA) — 5 options, pick the ONE best answer - Pass mark — set by Ebel's method (typically 60-65%) - Calculator — on-screen (basic functions only) - Scratch paper — provided (laminate sheets or paper)
🎯 Pacing Strategy
Per Question: 90 Seconds
- Paper 1 (100 Qs / 150 min): 1.5 min per question
- Paper 2 (100 Qs / 150 min): 1.5 min per question
Suggested Time Splits
| Milestone | Paper 1 Time | Paper 2 Time |
|---|---|---|
| 25 questions done | 37 min elapsed | 37 min elapsed |
| 50 questions done | 75 min elapsed | 75 min elapsed |
| 75 questions done | 112 min elapsed | 112 min elapsed |
| Finish 100 | 150 min | 150 min |
| Time remaining for review | ~10-15 min | ~10-15 min |
The 3-Pass Method
Pass 1: Easy Wins (75 min, all 100 Qs) - Read each question. If you know the answer in <30 seconds → select and confirm. - If unsure → eliminate obviously wrong options, flag it, move on. - Target: Answer 60-70 questions in this pass.
Pass 2: The Battleground (55 min) - Return to flagged questions. Spend up to 2 min each. - Use elimination: cross out options you know are wrong. - Look for clues in other questions — sometimes a later question triggers recall. - Target: Answer 25-30 more questions here.
Pass 3: The Triage (10-15 min) - Remaining unanswered questions (usually 5-10 hard ones). - Make your best educated guess. Always pick something. - No negative marking → guessing gives you a 1/5 chance of getting it right. - Review all your answers for silly mistakes.
🧠 Question-Answering Technique
Step 1: Read the STEM (the scenario)
- Identify the key clinical details: age, pregnancy trimester, symptoms, duration, investigations
- Look for discriminators — the one detail that points to a specific diagnosis/answer
Step 2: Read the QUESTION (the last line)
- "Which is the most likely diagnosis?"
- "Which artery supplies...?"
- "What is the mechanism of action?"
- "Which foetal shunt closes first?"
- Focus on what it's actually asking — not what you think it's asking
Step 3: Formulate your own answer BEFORE looking at options
- Cover the options with your hand
- Think: "What would I expect the answer to be?"
- Then uncover and find it
Step 4: Eliminate
- Cross off options you know are wrong
- Be suspicious of options that sound similar (often one is wrong)
- Watch for "all of the above" / "none of the above" — these are rare in MRCOG
Step 5: Select
- Pick the best answer even if it's not perfect
- If two options seem equally correct, re-read the question — you missed a clue
🚩 Common Traps & How to Avoid Them
| Trap | Example | How to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| The "NOT" trap | "Which is NOT true about..." | Circle NOT in your mind. Read the question twice. |
| Most common vs most dangerous | "Most common cause of maternal death" vs "most common cause of maternal mortality" — different answers | Read carefully — they test these distinctions |
| Best initial test vs most definitive test | "Which investigation first?" (USS) vs "Which confirms diagnosis?" (biopsy) | Distinguish screening vs diagnostic |
| Paired distractors | Two options that are very similar — usually only one is correct | Find the subtle difference |
| Absolute language | "Always", "never", "all cases" — often wrong in medical questions | Be sceptical of absolutes |
| Numbers that look similar | 11cm vs 13cm (conjugate vs transverse diameter) | Memorise key numbers in context |
| Eponyms you've never heard of | "Bartholin" vs "Bartholin's cyst" — they test this | Know your eponyms |
📋 High-Yield Last-Minute Memory Dump
Numbers to Know Cold
| What | Number |
|---|---|
| Obstetric conjugate (true conjugate) | ~11 cm |
| Transverse diameter of pelvic inlet | ~13 cm |
| Interspinous diameter (midpelvis) | ~10.5 cm |
| Posterior fontanelle closes | 2-3 months |
| Anterior fontanelle closes | 12-18 months |
| Abdominal aorta bifurcation | L4 |
| Internal iliac artery bifurcation | L5-S1 |
| Umbilical cord length | ~55 cm |
| Average placenta weight at term | ~500 g |
| Puerperium duration | 6 weeks |
| Physiological anaemia nadir | 28-32 weeks |
| APGAR score times | 1 min, 5 min |
| Newborn blood volume | ~80-85 mL/kg |
| Gestational age fetal urine production starts | ~12 weeks |
| Gestational age lungs mature surfactant production | ~34 weeks |
| Ductus arteriosus functional closure | ~15 hours |
| Ductus arteriosus anatomical closure | 2-3 weeks |
| Umbilical arteries close | 3-5 days |
| Umbilical vein / ductus venosus | 2-7 days |
| hCG peak (pregnancy) | 8-10 weeks |
| Progesterone secreted by placenta from | ~12 weeks |
| Quickening (primigravida) | ~18-20 weeks |
| Quickening (multigravida) | ~16-18 weeks |
| Fundus at umbilicus | 20 weeks |
| Amniotic fluid volume at term | ~800 mL |
| P-value significance | <0.05 |
| CI for significance | 95% |
| Sensitivity formula | TP/(TP+FN) |
| Specificity formula | TN/(TN+FP) |
| PPV formula | TP/(TP+FP) |
| NPV formula | TN/(TN+FN) |
Drug Doses/Known Values
| Drug/Topic | Key Number |
|---|---|
| Magnesium sulphate loading dose | 4g IV |
| Magnesium sulphate maintenance | 1g/hour |
| Oxytocin max dose | 40 mU/min |
| Carboprost dose (PPH) | 250 μg IM |
| Misoprostol dose (PPH) | 800-1000 μg PR/SL |
| Betamethasone dose (fetal lungs) | 12 mg IM x2, 24h apart |
| Dexamethasone dose (fetal lungs) | 6 mg IM x4, 12h apart |
| Lidocaine max dose (with adrenaline) | 7 mg/kg |
| Lidocaine max dose (without adrenaline) | 3 mg/kg |
| Bupivacaine max dose | 2 mg/kg |
🧘 Mental Prep
During the Exam
- First 5 minutes: Do a quick scan of the paper — get a sense of question types
- If you feel stuck: Take 3 slow deep breaths (4 sec in, hold 4, 4 sec out)
- If panic sets in: Close your eyes for 10 seconds. Remind yourself: "I prepared for this."
- Ignore everyone else: Someone finishes early? Let them. Someone's clicking fast? Doesn't mean they're doing better.
- Hydrate: Small sips of water between papers
Between Papers (Lunch Break)
- Do not discuss the exam with other candidates — it only fuels anxiety
- Eat a light lunch, drink water, take a short walk
- Do not look at notes — trust your preparation
- Mental reset: "Paper 1 is done. Paper 2 is a fresh start."
✅ Final Checklist
Before entering the exam hall
- [ ] ID checked and verified
- [ ] Lockers used for phone/bag/watch
- [ ] Toilet break (yes, go now)
- [ ] Deep breath
During Paper 1
- [ ] Pacing: 25 Qs per 37 min
- [ ] 3-Pass method
- [ ] Answer every question
- [ ] Flag uncertainties for Pass 2
Between Papers
- [ ] Eat something light
- [ ] Walk/stretch
- [ ] No revision, no discussion
- [ ] Positive mindset
During Paper 2
- [ ] Same pacing
- [ ] Same method
- [ ] Same confidence
Final word: The MRCOG Part 1 is a test of breadth, not depth. You have covered every syllabus topic. You have done over 1,900 practice questions. You have reviewed real recalls from 2015 to 2024. You are better prepared than most candidates who pass. Trust your training, trust your recall, and go ace it.