The MRCPI Part 1 exam in General Medicine is recognized by the Medical Council of Ireland. In addition, it is regarded as the paramount knowledge-based assessment for internal medicine in Ireland.
Earning an MRCPI helps you to apply to enter Higher Specialist Training. This is the final stage of training before independent practice. It further helps you to undertake Basic Specialist Training in Ireland.
The MRCPI Part I examination in General Medicine consists of one paper with 100 Single Best Answer questions. You have three hours to complete the exam. There is no negative marking and each question is equally weighted. Make sure that you attempt all questions.
Single Best Answer questions consist of a ‘vignette’ (clinical scenario) followed by five possible answers. You must select the single best answer.
The questions in this paper deal with medical specialties, the sciences underlying evidence-based medical practice, and the basic skills required in general medicine.
The questions will be regarding important diseases in hospital or community practice. At least 75% of the questions will concern direct clinical care of inpatients and outpatients in hospital medical practice. Correct answers will be within up-to-date guidelines for diagnosis and management.
Basic science questions cover anatomy, bacteriology, biochemistry, ethics, genetics, immunology, metabolic, physiology, principles of evidence-based practice and statistics.
It is important to prepare for MRCPI exams and not to underestimate how long it takes to get ready to sit Part I. Having an understanding of how each exam is formatted and how questions are constructed will help you prepare and develop good answering strategies.
If you are working in a busy clinical job with acute medical take, you should take three to four months to prepare for MRCPI Part I. It is best if you practise Single Best Answer questions by using books or online resources.
Make sure to refer the curriculum for Basic Specialist Training in General Internal Medicine. The MRCPI in General Medicine is based on this curriculum. It serves as a ‘blueprint’ for the exam. You may prepare your study plan accordingly.
For more information on the exam, please refer to the MRCPI Regulations and Information. Please note that any information that you may need in relation to the MRCPI Part I exam can be found in the General Medicine Regulations document.