Many GP trainees consider preparing for the DRCOG and MRCGP AKT simultaneously — particularly when their O&G placement and AKT preparation overlap. The clinical content overlaps significantly, and with the right strategy, dual preparation is achievable without doubling your workload.
Where the Content Overlaps
The MRCGP AKT covers women's health as one of many clinical domains — antenatal care, contraception, gynaecological presentations, and early pregnancy all appear in the AKT alongside every other area of general practice. The DRCOG covers the same women's health content in greater depth — more detailed obstetric management, more nuanced gynaecological presentations, and more specific guideline knowledge.
Approximately 15-20% of the AKT covers women's health content that the DRCOG also tests. This means DRCOG preparation directly strengthens your AKT performance in this domain — the overlap is genuine and substantial.
Where They Differ
The AKT also tests medicine, surgery, paediatrics, psychiatry, pharmacology, clinical sciences, ethics, and administration — none of which appear in the DRCOG. The DRCOG tests obstetric and gynaecological management in detail that exceeds what the AKT requires.
The AKT is a broader, shallower exam across all of general practice. The DRCOG is a narrower, deeper exam focused on women's health.
The Dual Study Strategy
Timeline: Plan the DRCOG for your O&G placement period (when clinical context reinforces the study). Plan the AKT for the broader preparation period. If they overlap by 2-3 months, use the overlap strategically.
Q-bank approach: Use iatroX Boards — a single subscription gives you access to both the DRCOG Q-Bank (600+ questions) and other exam Q-banks. This means your daily adaptive practice can alternate between DRCOG and AKT content, with the spaced repetition algorithm managing both curricula simultaneously.
Guideline reading: The RCOG Green Top Guidelines you read for the DRCOG also benefit your AKT women's health performance. NICE guidelines (antenatal care, hypertension in pregnancy, diabetes in pregnancy) are directly tested in both exams. One reading serves two exams.
Study time allocation: During the overlap period, spend 60% of study time on whichever exam is nearest. Use Ask iatroX as the shared clinical reference — the same guideline answers serve both exams.
The Practical Verdict
If your O&G placement and AKT preparation period overlap, sitting the DRCOG during the O&G rotation and the AKT within the same year is efficient. The women's health preparation does double duty. The iatroX multi-Q-bank subscription makes the dual preparation manageable on a single platform.
If the timings do not align naturally, do not force it. Prepare for each exam in its own optimal window rather than compromising both.