The MRCPCH theory exams — FOP, TAS, and AKP — are the gateway to paediatric membership and a prerequisite for the clinical exam. Choosing the right question bank matters because each of the three papers tests different skills, and the AKP uses a unique multi-select format that most platforms do not support.
What you are preparing for
The FOP (Foundations of Practice) tests core clinical paediatric knowledge. The TAS (Theory and Science) tests the sciences underpinning child health — pharmacology, genetics, physiology, pathology, statistics, and ethics. The AKP (Applied Knowledge in Practice) tests advanced clinical application with two question formats: standard best-of-five SBAs and N-of-many questions where you select two or three correct answers from eight to ten options.
Each paper contains approximately 95 questions (79 for AKP) and lasts two and a half hours. The RCPCH runs three diets per year for all three papers — typically January/February, May/June, and September/October.
The options
Pastest
Pastest is the established name in MRCPCH preparation. It offers dedicated banks for FOP, TAS, and AKP with question counts in the low thousands across all three papers combined. Questions are written by paediatric clinicians and mapped to the RCPCH curriculum. The platform includes timed mock exams and basic performance tracking.
Pastest does not offer adaptive learning or spaced repetition. Questions are delivered in fixed or random order. The AKP bank uses standard SBA format — it does not replicate the N-of-many question format used in the real exam.
Pricing varies by subscription length, typically ranging from £60 to £180 depending on the package and duration.
PassMedicine
PassMedicine covers MRCPCH alongside its broader medical exam portfolio. The MRCPCH content is reasonable for FOP but less comprehensive for TAS and AKP. The platform is straightforward and affordable but lacks the depth needed for focused MRCPCH preparation, particularly for the science-heavy TAS paper.
BMJ OnExamination
BMJ OnExamination includes MRCPCH content as part of its subscription. Question counts are moderate. The platform is clean and the explanations are generally good, but MRCPCH is not a primary focus — the bank benefits from institutional access but is not the strongest standalone choice.
iatroX
iatroX offers dedicated question banks for MRCPCH FOP, MRCPCH TAS, and MRCPCH AKP, each containing 1,500 or more questions. All three banks are mapped to the current RCPCH curriculum and aligned to NICE paediatric guidelines, RCPCH standards, BNFC dosing, the Green Book immunisation schedule, and Resuscitation Council UK paediatric algorithms.
The AKP bank is the standout differentiator. iatroX is the only platform that supports the N-of-many question format used in the real AKP exam — questions where you select two or three correct answers from eight to ten options, with all-or-nothing scoring. Practising this format before the exam is essential because the multi-select technique is genuinely different from standard SBA — partial knowledge and elimination strategies work differently when you must identify multiple correct answers.
The adaptive learning engine works across all three papers, tracking topic-level performance and adjusting question selection to target your weakest areas. This is particularly valuable for the TAS paper, where the breadth of scientific content (pharmacology, genetics, physiology, pathology, statistics) makes it easy to neglect topics that feel less clinically relevant.
Full mock exams replicate the real exam format for each paper, including the mixed SBA and N-of-many format for the AKP. The mobile app supports revision on the go with offline caching.
All three MRCPCH banks are included in a single subscription at £29 per month or £99 per year — the same subscription covers SCE, MRCPsych, FRCA, MRCP, and every other exam on the platform.
Pricing comparison
For MRCPCH-specific access across all three papers with three months of preparation time, the approximate costs are: Pastest £60 to £180 depending on package, PassMedicine £30 to £60, BMJ OnExamination variable (often institutional), and iatroX £87 for three months or £99 for a full year covering all exams.
Which should you choose
If you want AKP-format practice with N-of-many questions, iatroX is currently the only option that supports this. If you are preparing for all three papers simultaneously — which many trainees do — the adaptive algorithm's ability to balance your revision across FOP, TAS, and AKP content is a significant advantage.
If you have institutional access to Pastest or BMJ OnExamination, use them as supplementary resources alongside your primary bank.
The critical point for MRCPCH preparation is that FOP, TAS, and AKP test genuinely different skills and content domains. A single undifferentiated question bank that mixes everything together is less effective than banks specifically designed for each paper's format and content focus.