MRCPCH TAS: question practice and revision.

Choose a topic for focused revision and check your plan against the official specification.

• Paediatric pharmacology — pharmacokinetics, dosing in neonates/children, common drug interactions
• Paediatric physiology — neonatal adaptation, growth, puberty, body composition
• Genetics — Mendelian inheritance, mitochondrial, X-linked, common syndromes (Down, T18, T13, Turner)
• Biochemistry and metabolism — inborn errors of metabolism categories, neonatal screening
• Immunology and vaccinology — primary immunodeficiencies, vaccine mechanisms, herd immunity
• Microbiology and infection control — vertical transmission, neonatal sepsis pathogens, antimicrobial resistance
• Embryology and developmental biology — common congenital malformation patterns
• Statistics and study design — diagnostic test accuracy, RCT methodology in paediatrics
• Public health and epidemiology — notifiable diseases, vaccine coverage, disease registries
• Ethics, law, consent — Fraser/Gillick, MCA in adolescence, parental responsibility
• Audit, research governance, evidence-based paediatrics

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.

1. TAS is the most science-heavy paper — candidates who focus on clinical paediatrics underperform. The 15-mark pharmacology block and 11-mark statistics block reward dedicated time.
2. Genetics calculations — recurrence risk in autosomal recessive carriers (25%), X-linked carrier daughters (50% risk to sons), mitochondrial (variable due to heteroplasmy). Frequently muddled.
3. Vaccinology contraindications — live vaccines in immunocompromise (severe primary immunodeficiency, untreated leukaemia, post-transplant), live vaccines in pregnancy, egg allergy in influenza and yellow fever.
4. Sensitivity vs specificity at low prevalence — PPV drops sharply; understanding likelihood ratios and screening test interpretation. Routinely tested.
5. Fraser vs Gillick competence — Fraser is specifically about contraception/STI advice in under-16s. Gillick is broader medical decision-making. Frequently confused.
6. Audit vs research vs service evaluation — what requires HRA approval (research), what doesn't (audit, service evaluation). Definitions matter for the exam.
7. Trinucleotide repeat disorders — Huntington's, myotonic dystrophy, fragile X, Friedreich's ataxia. Anticipation in maternal vs paternal transmission.
8. Vaccine schedule updates — RSV maternal vaccine (2024), RSV infant nirsevimab/clesrovimab, HPV 1-dose schedule (2023). Older revision sources lag.

A pragmatic phased approach used by recent paediatric passers sitting TAS alongside FOP.

1. Weeks 1–4

   Foundation pass across all 11 blueprint topics. 30 questions/day. Build genetics calculation fluency early (Punnett squares, pedigree analysis). Read Lissauer's Paediatrics basic sciences sections.

2. Weeks 5–8

   Targeted weak-area drilling. Daily pharmacology mechanism review and statistics practice (sensitivity/specificity calculations, NNT). Map the Green Book immunisation schedule cover-to-cover.

3. Weeks 9–10

   One or two timed 100-SBA mock exams under exam conditions per week. Practise inheritance pattern recognition under time pressure. Review every incorrect answer in detail.

4. Weeks 11–12

   Bookmark review only. Targeted reading on vaccine schedule changes, IEM screening pathways and ethics frameworks. Confirm booking. Sleep, hydrate, do not learn new material.

Dedicated MRCPCH TAS question practice with answer explanations, guided Tutor review and study planning.

• Focused question practice — Choose the relevant bank and use your answers to identify what to study next.
• Guided reasoning — Explore a difficult answer with Tutor, then apply the distinction independently.
• Review and timed practice — Return to important mistakes and choose a timed practice set where available.

Choose the relevant bank and use the official exam guidance to plan your preparation.

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.

Full MRCPCH TAS bank access is included in all-access. Up to 10 new sample questions per day are shared across exams, with no account required. A verified free account includes one guided Tutor session; continued Tutor use is included in all-access.