The Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (MRCPCH) is a postgraduate qualification taken as part of specialty training in Paediatrics. The Diploma in Child Health (DCH) is a postgraduate qualification in Paediatrics for General Practitioners. Both MRCPCH and DCH are offered by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
Foundation of Practice (FOP) is the Part 1A examination of the MRCPCH and the theory examination of the DCH. I took the FOP for the 1st time in June 2025, and I managed to pass it with a score of 74.47%, while the pass threshold was 67.02%. I am working towards the DCH.
Here, I would like to share some tips for passing the FOP. These tips are relevant for both MRCPCH and DCH. I am writing the tips based on how I revised for the exam previously. However, different individuals may have different learning styles, so you should just take this as a guide.
The FOP is in the form of Single Best Answer (SBA) examination. For each question, there are 5 answer choices and you have to choose the most appropriate answer. Some of the questions in FOP may include images and you have to interpret them.
You have to start your revision no less than 3 months before taking the FOP. I recommend spending at least 3 hours per day on the revision. If possible, you should revise every day. To pass the FOP, you should aim for a score of at least 70%.
- Adolescent Health and Medicine
These are the 2 important textbooks for the FOP:
- Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics (6th Edition)
- Applied Knowledge in Paediatrics - MRCPCH Mastercourse
Start by revising Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics. You should cover all of the materials in the book. Of particular importance are the risk factors, pathophysiology, diagnosis, investigations, management and complications for each condition. Do not miss out on any condition, even if it is very rare.
After revising Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics, proceed with revising Applied Knowledge in Paediatrics - MRCPCH Mastercourse. Applied Knowledge in Paediatrics - MRCPCH Mastercourse only contains some of the conditions covered in the other book, so it is not sufficient to be used on its own. However, Applied Knowledge in Paediatrics - MRCPCH Mastercourse contains some important extra information at postgraduate level that are not found in the other book. Focus on revising the extra information for each condition, as well as the extra conditions and topics.
When revising the textbooks, I recommend going specialty by specialty. Finish all topics in a particular specialty before moving on to the next specialty. You should complete at least 3 full rounds of revision for all topics if possible.
You need to know the latest NICE guidelines. Important NICE guidelines are those covered in the textbooks, and you should look up the NICE website for the most up-to-date version of the guidelines. Take note of the publication date of each textbook and focus on NICE guidelines released or updated after the textbook's publication date.
It is very important to do practice questions for FOP. Start doing practice questions after you have completed at least 1 full round of revision of the textbooks. Go through all practice questions on the RCPCH website. Apart from that, you should subscribe to PassPaeds, Pastest and BMJ OnExamination. They have a large number of practice questions. After finishing each practice question, check the correct answer and explanation and make sure you understand the reasoning behind every correct or wrong answer. Take note of question themes that appear commonly in the practice questions.
PassPaeds also has some revision materials. You should revise the high-yield textbook in PassPaeds. It summarises the important information you need to know in a concise manner, and it also contains some extra information not found in the textbooks.
You should study for MRCPCH or DCH mainly through understanding, not memorising. Basically, for every fact you come across in your revision, try to think "Why is this the case?" If there is an explanation, read it and make sure you understand what it says. If there is no explanation, try to come up with your own explanation based on your knowledge. You can also look up the internet for an explanation. The fact is that, when you actively seek an explanation for a fact, you will end up remembering the fact much better and your revision will also become more interesting. This is so much more effective than simply memorising the facts. However, do note that not everything can be studied this way. Certain facts have no possible explanation at all, so the only way to study them is by memorising.
You do not need to memorise the normal range of values for investigations as it will be provided in the questions during the exam. You are not allowed to use a calculator during the exam. All calculations that you need to perform will be simple calculations that do not require using a calculator.
You will have an average of 72 seconds to answer each question in the FOP, which is quite a short amount of time. Therefore, you should be careful not to run out of time. Always time yourself when doing the practice questions. As you are reading the question, you should already be thinking of the diagnosis so that you can get to the answer faster. Even if you are unsure of the correct answer, you can try to eliminate the wrong answer choices one by one to help you reach the correct answer.
All the best in your revision! I hope you will do well in the FOP examination.
Tips for the MRCP Part 1 and Part 2 can be found here:
https://www.daniellimjj.com/2024/09/tips-for-mrcp-part-1.html
Tips for the UKMLA AKT and PLAB 1 can be found here:
https://www.daniellimjj.com/2023/03/tips-for-ukmla-akt.html
Tips for the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) can be found here:
https://www.daniellimjj.com/2019/02/tips-for-prescribing-safety-assessment.html
