There is no universal "best" resource for the Diploma in Occupational Medicine (DOccMed), and the honest starting point is that the market is small and the official practice material is minimal. The right choice depends on your profile, your timescale and your budget, and on the fact that the diploma is not one exam but three components — an MCQ paper, a written portfolio and a viva. This article is a decision tree: it segments candidates, defines a minimum stack, sets budget and time bands, and maps resource types to the job each does best, so you can assemble a small, deliberate set rather than buying everything.
Start with the honest market finding
Two facts shape every recommendation. First, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) does not publish a full specimen paper or a practice bank, so there is no large official question set to drill against; verify what current sample material exists on fom.ac.uk on the day. Second, the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) is a membership society that runs courses and candidate support — for example its DOccMed support activity and an "unofficial" DOccMed course — but it is not a question bank; do not go looking to SOM for a UWorld-style product, because that is not what it is. Beyond these, the market is a handful of resource types: FOM-approved training courses (a prerequisite), the standard question-and-answer textbook for the diploma, a few small commercial MCQ resources, iatroX's UK-clinical bank with occupational content, and reference guidance from the HSE and faculty. Verify all prices on the day; they are vendor-reported.
The exam you are resourcing for
The DOccMed knowledge gate is an MCQ paper of around 80 best-fit (single-best-answer) questions in 1 hour 45 minutes, twice a year, no negative marking, externally standard-set (FOM regulations, FOM-reported, last checked 21 July 2026). It also requires a portfolio of two written reports (a workplace assessment and a clinical case, around 1,500–2,000 words each) and a viva of about 20 minutes with two examiners, the portfolio and viva assessed together. An approved training course is a prerequisite, so your largest resource decision is partly made for you. iatroX covers the MCQ knowledge and unseen-measurement layer only; it does not write your portfolio or sit your viva. For the modality detail behind the non-MCQ components, see the companion article, what MCQ banks cannot prepare you for in DOccMed.
Segment yourself first
- First attempt, on an approved course: the course is your spine; you are choosing additions.
- Retake: target the component that failed — MCQ, portfolio or viva — not a blanket restart.
- Doctor in occupational health: strong applied base, may need MCQ recall breadth and formal exam technique.
- Weak foundations: limited OH exposure; you need teaching and reference before question volume.
- Strong knowledge, poor pacing: you know the content but run short on the MCQ — you need timed, unseen practice.
- Strong MCQ, weak practical/written performance: you pass mock MCQs but struggle with the portfolio and viva.
The minimum stack
- One primary question source for unseen MCQ volume and recall (iatroX among the limited options).
- Official calibration material — the FOM regulations and syllabus and your approved course's assessments — used as your reference, given the absence of an official mock.
- One teaching or reference source where needed — the standard DOccMed question-and-answer text and HSE/faculty guidance.
- One modality tool where a component demands it — supervised, rubric-marked portfolio and viva practice for the non-MCQ components.
Avoid more than one of any category; duplication wastes money and blurs your calibration (the two-Q-bank rule).
Budget bands
| Band | What it buys | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free / low-cost | FOM regulations and syllabus; HSE guidance; library texts; any free question access | Tight budgets; disciplined self-starters |
| One premium resource | A single paid question source or the standard Q&A text on top of the free core | Most candidates |
| Comprehensive stack | Paid question source + Q&A text + supervised portfolio/viva practice + optional extra course | Weak foundations or retakes |
Verify all prices on publication day; they are vendor-reported and change.
Time bands
- Under four weeks: prioritise unseen timed MCQ blocks for recall and one supervised portfolio or viva rehearsal per week; calibrate against your course material. Omit broad textbook reading you cannot convert to marks.
- Four to twelve weeks: the standard window. Weekly unseen MCQ blocks, targeted reading for weak areas, and marked portfolio/viva practice. Build a coverage map as you go.
- More than twelve weeks: build foundations first — read across the syllabus, then layer question volume and applied practice. Sequence teaching before testing; omit nothing structural.
State what each plan omits rather than overloading every week.
Decision matrix: resource type to best job
| Resource type | Does this job best | Not the tool for |
|---|---|---|
| FOM-approved course | Teaching, structure, eligibility, tutor feedback | High-volume unseen questions |
| SOM courses / candidate support | Community, guidance, teaching days | A question bank (it is not one) |
| Standard DOccMed Q&A text | Worked questions and reference | Timed, unseen volume; live viva practice |
| Question source (incl. iatroX) | Unseen MCQ volume, recall, analytics | Portfolio and viva marking |
| HSE / faculty guidance | Legislation, surveillance, risk content | Test practice |
Use the matrix to stop using a resource for a job it does not do — a text for timed practice, or an MCQ bank for portfolio marking.
Cannibalisation guardrail
This hub summarises; it does not duplicate detailed audits. For a granular look at any single product, follow its narrow child article and the iatroX comparison hub rather than re-reading a long description here. Decide here; click through for the evidence.
Three worked examples
Dev — first attempt, twelve weeks, mid budget. GP starting occupational-health sessions, on an approved course, solid applied sense but rusty on formal MCQ recall. Stack: course as spine + one question source + the standard Q&A text. Weekly: two timed MCQ blocks, one marked risk assessment, one mock viva question set. Exit criterion: stable MCQ first-attempt accuracy and a portfolio report marked to standard before he stops.
Ella — retake, four weeks, low budget. Passed the MCQ but failed the portfolio-and-viva aggregate. She targets the deficit, not the whole diploma. Stack: free FOM and HSE guidance + supervised report and viva practice. Weekly: two marked reports, two mock vivas, light MCQ maintenance only. Exit criterion: reports and viva reasoning at standard; she does not re-drill the MCQ she already passed.
Farah — occupational physician, sixteen weeks, comprehensive budget. Strong applied base, poor exam pacing. Stack: question source + Q&A text + supervised practice. First weeks on breadth and recall; then a timed loop to fix MCQ pacing and rehearse the viva. Exit criterion: completing MCQ blocks to time and defending a fitness decision under questioning.
Evidence hierarchy
Rank your sources when they conflict: official material first for format (FOM regulations and syllabus); primary guidance for content (HSE guidance, faculty and GMC ethical guidance, NICE/CKS where clinical, and the SmPC/eMC for medicines detail — not any other formulary); vendor pages for product facts, labelled vendor-reported and dated; and independent testing — your own timed, marked practice — for what works. Never let a vendor claim outrank the FOM on format, or a textbook outrank current guidance on legislation and surveillance.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether I have covered the full DOccMed blueprint? You know it when every syllabus area — law, surveillance, hazards and hygiene, ergonomics, fitness for work, rehabilitation, risk management and ethics — has both MCQ-recall evidence and applied, marked practice for the portfolio and viva. Because the FOM publishes no full specimen paper, you cannot outsource this reassurance to an official mock; you build the coverage map yourself from the syllabus and your course materials. Any area evidenced only by best-of-five accuracy, or not practised in applied form, is not yet covered.
Can one question bank be enough for DOccMed? No. A bank can carry the MCQ recall, and in a thin market you may lean on one, but two of the three assessed components are the written portfolio and the viva, which no bank rehearses. Enough means one question source for MCQ volume plus supervised, rubric-marked portfolio and viva practice, calibrated against your course rather than an official mock that does not exist. Choosing resources for DOccMed is about assembling a small stack across three component types, not finding one product.
What should I measure instead of my overall Q-bank percentage for DOccMed? Measure first-attempt accuracy on unseen MCQ blocks by syllabus area, and the quality of your applied outputs — marks on portfolio-style reports against a rubric and performance in mock vivas judged by an experienced occupational physician. The MCQ is only the gate; an overall percentage tells you about recognition of facts, not about whether you can apply the law or defend a decision. Track the outputs the portfolio and viva actually score.
When should I stop doing new DOccMed questions? Stop adding MCQ volume once your first-attempt accuracy across the syllabus is stable, and redirect effort to the portfolio and viva, because those carry the components a bank cannot touch and are where retakes are usually lost. Over-drilling the MCQ while neglecting the applied components is the classic DOccMed error. Return to new questions only for a syllabus area whose recall is still weak; otherwise move to marked applied practice.
Which DOccMed resource should I use for my weakest component? Match the resource to the deficit: for MCQ recall, an unseen question source such as iatroX; for portfolio and risk-assessment weakness, supervised, rubric-marked writing against HSE and faculty standards; for viva and ethics weakness, rehearsal with an examiner-role tutor or experienced colleague; and for foundational knowledge, your approved course and reference guidance. The matrix above pairs each resource type with its best job, so you stop using an MCQ bank for a portfolio skill. Take a baseline first, read your profile, then follow the matching branch.
Editorial notes and references
Written by Dr Kolawole Tytler, NHS GP and founder of iatroX. Last checked 21 July 2026. Exam figures are FOM-reported and subject to change; the FOM does not publish a full specimen paper, and the SOM is a membership society rather than a question bank — verify current format, fees and any sample material on fom.ac.uk and course details with providers before relying on them. All prices are vendor-reported and must be checked on publication day. UK medicines detail is via the SmPC/eMC. Disclosure: iatroX operates a competing question bank; it is presented here as one option within a minimum stack — the unseen-MCQ and recall layer — and explicitly not as a substitute for an approved course, the portfolio work, or the viva. No proprietary-algorithm claims are made. Corrections are welcome via the feedback route on iatrox.com.
References: Faculty of Occupational Medicine — DOccMed regulations and guidance; Society of Occupational Medicine — courses and candidate support; Health and Safety Executive guidance; UK medicines detail via the SmPC/eMC. Internal: what MCQ banks cannot prepare you for in DOccMed; the two-Q-bank rule; Your Q-Bank Percentage Is Not Your Exam Score; the iatroX comparison hub; and the iatroX quiz landing page.