MRCP Part 1 requires approximately 400-600 hours of focused preparation. For a working doctor studying 3-4 hours on weekday evenings and 6-8 hours on weekends, that means 16-20 weeks of consistent effort. This plan covers 16 weeks — tight but achievable with discipline.
The plan assumes you are working full-time with standard (non-on-call) weekday commitments and have weekends mostly available. Adjust for on-call patterns: write off on-call nights and post-take days, compensate on non-call weekends.
Resources You Need Before Starting
Primary Q-bank (paid): PassMedicine or Pastest. You need 4,000-5,000+ questions over 16 weeks. Choose one as your workhorse.
Adaptive Q-bank (free): iatroX Q-Bank. Daily spaced repetition from day one. The algorithm targets your weaknesses automatically — essential for the breadth MRCP Part 1 tests.
Clinical reference (free): Ask iatroX. Instant NICE/BNF verification for every wrong answer.
Basic science reference: A clinical sciences revision resource (Kumar & Clark's, or a dedicated MRCP basic science guide) for the genetics, immunology, and biochemistry that clinical training does not cover.
Mock exams: 4-5 full timed mocks from your primary Q-bank.
Phase 1: Clinical Medicine Foundation (Weeks 1-6)
Cover the major clinical specialties systematically. Each week tackles one high-volume specialty.
Week 1: Cardiology — valvular disease, cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, heart failure, ACS, hypertension, congenital heart disease. 30-40 primary Q-bank questions daily + 15-20 iatroX questions.
Week 2: Respiratory — COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, TB, pleural disease, lung cancer, PE.
Week 3: Gastroenterology and hepatology — IBD, coeliac, liver disease (autoimmune, viral, alcoholic), portal hypertension, pancreatitis, GI malignancy.
Week 4: Neurology — stroke, MS, epilepsy, movement disorders, peripheral neuropathy, myasthenia gravis, motor neurone disease, headache.
Week 5: Endocrine and metabolic — diabetes complications, thyroid disease, adrenal disorders, pituitary pathology, calcium metabolism, porphyria.
Week 6: Renal — glomerulonephritis, nephrotic/nephritic syndromes, AKI, CKD, electrolyte disorders, renal tubular acidosis, polycystic kidney disease.
End of Phase 1 checkpoint: You should have completed approximately 1,500-2,000 primary questions and 700+ iatroX questions. Review your iatroX performance dashboard for your weakness map.
Phase 2: Remaining Specialties + Basic Science (Weeks 7-11)
Week 7: Rheumatology and immunology — SLE, RA, vasculitis, spondyloarthropathies, immunodeficiency, autoimmune mechanisms.
Week 8: Haematology and oncology — leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma, myeloproliferative disorders, coagulation disorders, transfusion medicine.
Week 9: Infectious disease and clinical pharmacology — HIV, tropical infections, antimicrobial resistance, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, pharmacokinetics, drugs in renal/hepatic failure.
Week 10: Dermatology, ophthalmology, psychiatry — high-yield topics within each (skin manifestations of systemic disease, acute visual loss, psychiatric medications).
Week 11: Clinical sciences — genetics (inheritance patterns, trinucleotide repeats, tumour suppressor genes), immunology (complement, hypersensitivity reactions, transplant rejection), biochemistry (acid-base, metabolic pathways, enzyme deficiencies), statistics (NNT, sensitivity/specificity, study design).
Increase daily targets to 40-50 primary questions plus 20-25 iatroX questions.
Phase 3: Consolidation and Exam Readiness (Weeks 12-16)
Week 12: First full timed mock. Analyse results by specialty. Identify your 5-6 weakest topics.
Week 13: Intensive weakness targeting based on mock results and iatroX performance data. Revise only the weak areas — do not re-study topics you already know well.
Week 14: Mock exams 2 and 3 under strict timed conditions. Further targeted revision.
Week 15: Mock exam 4. Final review of high-yield topics: pharmacology, clinical sciences, and your personal weak areas. Use the Knowledge Centre for structured guideline review of remaining gaps.
Week 16: Light revision of incorrect questions only. Mock exam 5 at start of week. Rest for the final 2-3 days. Trust your preparation.
The Daily Routine for Working Doctors
Morning commute: 10-15 iatroX questions on mobile. Start the spaced repetition before work.
Clinical day: Focus on patients. Let clinical encounters reinforce study — verify uncertain management decisions using Ask iatroX during breaks.
Evening (2.5-3.5 hours): 30-40 primary Q-bank questions with explanation review. This is your core study time.
Weekend (6-8 hours per day): Longer study blocks for specialty-specific deep dives, mock exams, and weakness targeting.
One day off per week. Non-negotiable over 16 weeks.
The Key Numbers
Total questions over 16 weeks: 4,500-5,500 (primary Q-bank + iatroX combined). Total mock exams: 4-5. Total study hours: approximately 400-500. The data shows this volume correlates with passing.