The RACP Divisional Written Examination is the major knowledge assessment for physician trainees in Australia and New Zealand. If you are a basic physician trainee (BPT) approaching your written exam, this page explains what to expect.
What the RACP Written Exam is
The RACP Written is a summative knowledge assessment that tests broad general medicine (Adult Medicine division) or broad paediatric knowledge (Paediatrics and Child Health division). It is a requirement for progression from basic to advanced physician training.
The exam tests knowledge at the level expected of a trainee completing their second or third year of basic physician training — not a specialist, but a competent general physician who can assess and manage presentations across all internal medicine subspecialties.
Format
The exam consists of two papers sat on consecutive days. The total number of items is approximately 170, using a combination of MCQ (single best answer) and EMQ (extended matching question) formats. Each paper lasts approximately three hours.
The questions reference Australian clinical practice — the Australian Therapeutic Guidelines (eTG), Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH), and Australian specialty society guidelines are the expected references. SI units are used throughout.
Sitting schedule
The RACP Written sits once per year — typically in February. There is no second sitting. If you fail, you wait twelve months before your next attempt.
This single annual sitting makes the RACP Written one of the highest-stakes medical exams in the Australasian region. First-time preparation must be taken seriously.
How to prepare
Most successful candidates describe twelve months of progressive revision alongside clinical training. Start with low-intensity question bank practice integrated into clinical learning, then increase intensity from approximately six months out, with timed mock exams in the final two months.
The breadth of the exam is the primary challenge — you cannot afford to neglect any major subspecialty. An adaptive question bank that tracks your performance across all domains and directs revision toward your weakest areas is particularly valuable for an exam this broad.
iatroX offers dedicated RACP Adult Medicine and RACP Paediatrics question banks with over 1,500 questions each in SBA and EMQ formats, framed in Australian clinical context. The adaptive algorithm ensures all subspecialties receive proportional attention. All included at £29 per month or £99 per year.