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The basic-sciences theory paper of MRCPCH — paediatric pharmacology, physiology, genetics, statistics, ethics and public health in 100 SBAs over 2 hours. Verified 2026 diet dates and an AI-adaptive question bank with detailed mechanistic explanations.
Full MRCPCH TAS bank, AI Tutor and timed mocks — $29/month or $99/year. All paid exam banks included.
100 best-of-five SBA questions · 2 hours · delivered by TestReach (since 2025)
TAS is sat on the same diet day as FOP — FOP morning, TAS afternoon. Both can be at a Pearson VUE test centre or online with remote invigilation (if eligible).
Basic sciences applied to paediatrics — pharmacology (kinetics, paediatric dose adjustments), physiology, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, immunology, statistics, ethics, public health
6 attempts at each part of the MRCPCH theory (FOP, TAS, AKP) — introduced from the 2024.3 diet onwards.
2026/01: 18 February. 2026/02: 24 June. 2026/03: 14 October. Same application windows as FOP. Many candidates sit TAS first if they prefer the basic-science content to capitalise on recent undergraduate knowledge.
Approximate question distribution across the RCPCH TAS blueprint. Used to drive iatroX adaptive sequencing.
Source: official Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) blueprint
Drawn from the RCPCH TAS blueprint, current UK paediatric basic sciences sources and item density in iatroX.
Paediatric pharmacokinetics — neonatal hepatic and renal clearance, volume of distribution by age, weight-based vs body-surface-area dosing, therapeutic drug monitoring (vancomycin, gentamicin, theophylline)
Inheritance patterns — autosomal dominant pedigrees (50% recurrence), autosomal recessive recurrence (25% with two carrier parents), X-linked patterns, mitochondrial maternal transmission, anticipation in trinucleotide repeat disorders
Inborn errors of metabolism categories — urea cycle defects (hyperammonaemia), organic acidaemias (metabolic acidosis), MCAD deficiency (hypoglycaemia), galactosaemia, PKU, MSUD. Screening via Guthrie card (newborn blood spot).
Vaccinology — live vs inactivated vs subunit vs conjugate vs mRNA, primary vs secondary immune response, herd immunity thresholds by R0, contraindications in immunocompromise
Statistics — sensitivity/specificity of paediatric screening tools (Guthrie, NIPE, hearing screen), positive predictive value at low prevalence, NNT for vaccine effectiveness, RCT design (cluster randomisation in vaccine trials)
Ethics — Fraser competence (contraception), Gillick competence (broader medical decisions), parental responsibility allocation, consent of mature minors, child research ethics (parental consent + assent in older children)
Audit cycle and research governance — distinguishing audit from research from service evaluation, what requires HRA approval, GDPR considerations for paediatric data
Public health in paediatrics — notifiable diseases (measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, scarlet fever, mpox), vaccine coverage targets (95% for measles elimination), notifying outbreaks
Observations from UK paediatric trainees and recent TAS candidates. Verify against current basic-sciences sources and the RCPCH syllabus guidelines.
Candidate-reported observations — not official guidance.
A pragmatic phased approach used by recent paediatric passers sitting TAS alongside FOP.
A live item from the iatroX bank. Try it before launching a full session.
A clinical trial reports hazard ratios. What does a hazard ratio of 0.7 mean?
Why iatroX is built differently for MRCPCH TAS.
Every iatroX item is tagged to a blueprint topic, so your performance dashboard mirrors the structure of the exam itself.
The engine surfaces your weakest topics first, in real time, instead of marching you through a static syllabus.
Incorrect items return at increasing intervals to interrupt the forgetting curve and lock knowledge into long-term memory.
Timed full-length simulations that mirror the official exam structure under realistic conditions.
One iatroX subscription includes the MRCPCH TAS bank, the Socratic Tutor inside supported sessions, and every other premium iatroX exam bank.
Cancel anytime · 7-day money-back guarantee on annual
FOP (Foundation of Practice) covers core clinical paediatric medicine — acute presentations, common conditions, immediate management. TAS (Theory and Science) covers the basic sciences applied to paediatrics — pharmacology, physiology, genetics, biochemistry, statistics, ethics. Both are 100 SBAs in 2 hours.
Yes — the three MRCPCH theory papers (FOP, TAS, AKP) can be sat in any order. Some candidates prefer TAS first to capitalise on recent undergraduate basic science knowledge. All three must be passed before sitting the MRCPCH Clinical OSCE.
Three diets per year. 2026/01: 18 February. 2026/02: 24 June. 2026/03: 14 October. TAS is paired with FOP on the same day — FOP morning, TAS afternoon.
A single paper of 100 best-of-five SBAs over 2 hours, delivered via TestReach (since 2025). Question style is best-of-five SBA only — multiple true/false has been removed since the 2024.3 diet.
From the 2024.3 diet onwards, candidates have a maximum of 6 attempts at each of the four MRCPCH parts (FOP, TAS, AKP, Clinical). Previously there was no formal limit.
About 11% (11 questions). Combined with the audit/research/governance block, science-of-paediatrics topics account for roughly a quarter of the paper. Many candidates under-prepare for this — it's the highest-yield non-clinical content.
Yes. A single iatroX subscription (£29/month or £99/year for UK users; $29/$99 elsewhere) includes the MRCPCH TAS bank alongside MRCPCH FOP, AKP and every other premium iatroX exam bank. No add-ons or per-exam fees.
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Reviewed by Dr Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MSt MRCGP · Last reviewed 12 May 2026
See our methodology and editorial policy.