The MRCP Part 1 is renowned for being an extremely difficult exam. The pass rate for MRCP Part 1 sits at around 50% compared to the 60% of PACES and 80% of MRCP Part 2.

Although these figures may seem daunting, there’s no need to worry. There are plenty of resources such as textbooks, YouTube videos and flashcards to help you smash your exam. While these are all great options, most people who opt to sit a post-graduate exam purchase an online question bank (Q Bank) to help them gain a good level of knowledge before the Multiple-Choice Questionnaire (MCQ).

In this post, we’ll run through our top MRCP part 1 online revision resources, what the MRCP entails, and revision materials out there to ensure you get the best result possible. Don’t forget to check out our MRCP PACES online revision resources, too!

What is the MRCP Part 1?

The MRCP Part 1 (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians) is a crucial examination for medical professionals seeking membership in the Royal Colleges of Physicians in the United Kingdom. This examination rigorously evaluates a candidate's knowledge and comprehension of fundamental medical sciences and the principles governing medical practice. It aims to assess the candidate's ability to apply this knowledge within a clinical setting, thereby ensuring a robust foundation in medicine before advancing to more advanced training levels.

Typically, the MRCP Part 1 is undertaken by physicians who have completed their foundational medical training and are in the initial phases of their postgraduate medical education. The examination comprises multiple-choice questions that encompass a wide array of subjects, including clinical sciences, clinical practice, and various specialties within internal medicine. Achieving success in the MRCP Part 1 is a vital milestone on the path to attaining full membership and furthering a medical career in the UK.

MRCP Part 1 Q banks explained

MRCP Part 1 Q banks are an indispensable tool for candidates preparing for the exam. These question banks are designed to mimic the actual exam format and difficulty level, providing a realistic experience in a practice setting. With thousands of multiple-choice questions covering various medical topics, candidates can focus on specific areas of weakness. In addition to practice questions, Q banks also offer detailed explanations for each answer, helping candidates understand complex medical concepts and improve critical thinking skills.

Most Q Banks allow you to tailor your revision style via filters, allowing you to choose between:

1. Random question approach: This option means picking no filters and completing questions at random, mimicking the exam, as questions can quickly switch from one speciality to the next.
2. Speciality-based approach: This approach requires higher levels of planning; answering a question from each speciality makes sure you have a broad range of knowledge before the exam.
3. Syllabus-based approach:  This approach is a great option if you’re beginning to prepare for the exam early, as it allows for thorough revision of each topic, giving users high levels of confidence as they have covered all potential exam topics. However, it must be noted this can take lots of planning.

Picking an online revision tool that offers the resources that suit your preferred study technique, whether that be writing out textbooks, listening to podcasts or watching videos. It’s vital you know each resource provider’s offering to purchase the subscription that’s right for you.

To help you out, we’ve created a comprehensive, objective comparison of the resources, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of all MRCP Part 1 Q Banks we can find!

The Most Popular MRCP Part 1 Question Banks 

1. Pastest

Pastest has been providing revision materials for over 50 years, initially providing learning materials through textbooks, to then adapting and evolving to create an all-encompassing web/mobile app, providing all the materials necessary to pass the MRCP 1. Pastest’s MRCP 1 resource is one of their most popular subscriptions, including a large variety of useful revision aids such as MRCP 1 past papers, the largest MRCP 1 Q Bank on the market, a never-before-seen AI tutor (beta), and much more. Pastest ensures the relevance of its products by receiving feedback from doctors who have sat the exam to create a resource which aligns closely with the MRCP 1 exam, in terms of both question format and difficulty.

If you want something a bit more interactive - then you’ll be impressed with our AI tutor. This premium feature now seamlessly integrates into our MRCP Part 1 subscription for a personalised and interactive study experience with on-demand hints, instant answers, and real-time insights.

2. Passmedicine

Providing quality online medical revision resources for 15 years, Passmedicine has made a strong name for itself by providing low-priced, quality question banks for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, including the MRCP Part 1.

3. BMJ OnExamination

BMJ OnExamination utilises a large author network to create a high-quality, relevant MRCP 1 resource. BMJ provides a social experience for learning, offering performance indicators compared to other BMJ users, as well as allowing for the creation of groups to compete against friends who will be sitting the MRCP 1 exam for a fun learning experience. 

4. StatPearls

StatPearls offers a large range of products, focusing on various exam specialities. StatPearls envisages using its data and analytics to create the largest, most comprehensive, and up-to-date revision resource of peer-reviewed point-of-care activities worldwide. It must be noted that StatPearls is an American company which may alter certain elements of the question such as how the questions are worded.

5. iMedics

Launched in 2020, iMedics is a relatively new question bank that offers a variety of resources for multiple medical courses including MRCP 1, UKMLA, PLAB and more. iMedics structures its resources in three tiers: free, silver and gold, allowing you to choose a pricing option that best suits your needs.

6. Quesmed

Quesmed began their journey as two final-year medics eager to create top-notch learning resources for their peers. Fast forward to now, Quesmed is an all-in-one platform that helps medical students prepare for written and OSCE exams, with high-quality doctor-driven content and cutting-edge technology. 

7. Royal College of Physicians (RCP)

The RCP is the official organisation of the MRCP 1 Exam. They have a dedicated short-term learning resource (1-month access) which offers a Q Bank relevant to MRCP 1 and 2, as well as mock exams and quizzes.

Which Question Bank is best for MRCP 1?

Now let’s compare every resource’s key features to paint a clear picture of what you can expect to find after purchasing

Pastest offers the largest question bank on the MRCP 1 market, offering a high variety of features giving users the best chance of succeeding in their exams. Furthermore, Pastest now features a cutting-edge AI tutor (in beta) that can answer any query you may have regarding how the question is phrased, clues towards the answer and anything else you can think of (For medical revision!).

However, one weakness of Pastest compared to some competitors is the resource does not feature a virtual textbook, unlike Passmedicine and Quesmed, although expanded explanations are an excellent alternative to a textbook. Expanded explanations are provided at the end of each question in the MRCP 1 resource. Expanded Explanations are chunks of information focusing on the overall topic (eg. asthma) rather than individual questions. These explanations provide users with a broad spectrum of information that is aligned with the MRCP syllabus. However, many still enjoy the option of a full textbook being offered.

Furthermore, Pastest is one of the higher-priced resources. Still, all features listed are included in the subscription, demonstrating good value compared to resources such as iMedics which offer multiple subscription tiers that offer access to different revision resources.

MRCP Part 1 Online Resource Feature Comparison

Free Revision Resources for MRCP Part 1

Although it’s crucial to utilise any online resource or textbook to ensure full preparation before the MRCP Part 1 exam, those sitting the exam must take full advantage of any free content, whether that be exam questions, expert advice, or revision tools. We collected some of our favourite free resources that can support your revision.

1. The Pastest Complete Guide to MRCP 1

Our blog is a great tool to help you decide how to plan your MRCP 1 revision strategy. We provide high levels of detail regarding the exam format, and how many questions you can expect per topic.

2. Pastest MRCP 1 Instant Insights:

Our Instant Insights blog is a great way to see a short, summarised version of how those who sat the last exam diet. Within this blog, you can find quotes from people who sat the exam, the trickiest topic in the last exam, and insights from the other MRCP 1 exam diets sat in the last 12 months.

3. MRCP Sample Questions

This is a no-brainer. MRCP provide a selection of sample questions which can give you an idea of how the exam questions are written and the format of the exam. This paper can be extremely useful at the beginning and end of your revision. Initially, reading the sample questions and utilising the free trial many Q banks offer gives you a chance to see which Q bank has a similar style to the sample questions. Furthermore, completing these questions within the final weeks of the revision can help build confidence and test your knowledge before the big day!

4. Dr. Matt Lee: How I ranked in the top 10% in MRCP Part 1: Study Methods and Resources.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in sitting the MRCP 1. This is the second article Dr. Matt has written about MRCP 1. Following up on his introduction to the course, Matt shared his secrets for success in the MRCP part 1 detailing the resources he used in the build-up to the exam and how he completed his preparation. Another great touch is Matt’s exam day vlog, as he sat the MRCP 1 virtually, giving great insight into his thoughts and feelings on the day of the exam. 

5. Anki Flashcards

Anki is a free web app, that allows users to create free flashcards using a variety of inputs including audio, images, videos, memory and scientific mark-up. These cards are highly recommended by many, including Matt Lee! Although the web app is free, to use the Anki app is paid, but if you’re comfortable keeping the flashcards on your computer, make sure you utilise this great tool! 

Opinions on the best MRCP 1 Revision Resource

Hearing our opinion on the best resource for MRCP 1 can be seen as biased, so don’t just take our word for it... Check out the reviews online!

The reviews made by others highlight the opinions of those who have sat the exam and used these resources. So, we did some research and found the resources recommended by Youtubers and within the Reddit community to find some honest reviews of MRCP Part 1 resources.

YouTube 

Intellect Medicos 

Within this video Dr.Chirag provides an excellent breakdown of the MRCP 1 Exam, going into high levels of detail about what the exam is, the value of sitting this MRCP over alternatives such as PLAB or the USMLE, How the MRCP is scored, how to become eligible to sit the exam and the exam format. Furthermore, Dr. Chirag details key resources to ensure success in the MRCP 1 exam and names 3 key Q Banks that he considers to be the best options for success. These options included Pastest, Passmedicine and BMJ OnExamination. He does reveal within the video he found Pastest to be the most useful online resource he used within his revision.

Dr. Matt Lee 

The video is another choice as an excellent introduction to the MRCP Exam. Matt not only discusses his revision schedule, the revision process and resources used throughout, but he provides a valuable insight into why he chose to sit the exam, and advice to doctors choosing whether they wanted to take on the MRCP exams. This video is a highly informative tool presented in an engaging format by an individual who scored in the top 10% of the world for MRCP, so make sure you check it out!

Dr.Nura

For a short video regarding the MRCP exam, be sure to check out Dr.Nura’s video. This video is particularly valuable as it is filmed from the approach of somebody who failed the exam and then changed their study techniques and passed the second time they sat the exam, highlighting her knowledge and experience of MRCP 1. Furthermore, Dr.Nura mentioned what she considers four key question banks of Pastest, Passmedicine, BMJ OnExaination, and the official RCP Q Bank as well as sharing multiple studying techniques as well as what approach helped her pass the MRCP 1.

Adeel Jafri: Pastest Vs. Pasmedicine 

Rather than discussing his entire preparation for the MRCP 1 Exam, Adeel Jafri shared his experience with both the Passmedicine and Pastest resources in great depth. Within this video, Adeel praised Passmedicine’s lower price, 4,500-question Q Bank, performance tracker, and textbook which shares the key concepts of the course.

But this is where things get interesting… when speaking about Pastest, he describes the course as having, “a lot more to offer”, praising our larger question bank with questions of a higher difficulty, alongside our option to show and hide question contextual clues. Helping to point out key aspects of questions, which may be critical to developing exam techniques and learning keywords that may crop up within the exam. 

Furthermore, he mentions our inclusion of Mock exams and MRCP Part 1 past exam papers, a tool Adeel found very useful, as achieving a passing mark in the papers reassured and boosted his confidence. He also mentions our recommendation engine, iSAAC which selects questions according to your strengths and weaknesses. 

He did reassure users that Pastest was an excellent choice when discussing Pastest’s microlearning feature, which provides a comprehensive, searchable library of media, expanded explanations and flashcards across 250 exam topics, demonstrating the added value of Pastest. However, Adeel did mention that the price of Pastest can be off-putting but assured his viewers of the value of the resource.

Within his final remarks, Adeel discusses his personal experience stating he started with Passmedicine and switched to Pastest around 2 weeks before his exam, but he should have switched at around the 2-month mark. Finally, he mentioned a few days before the exam, he attempted the free sample questions on the MRCP website. 

Reddit 

Finally, here are the opinions of the public regarding the best MRCP 1 online resource. Many of the threads heavily talk about Pastest and Passmedicine because of both brands' history of providing quality MRCP 1 resources!

Thread #1 Passmedicine vs Pastest for MRCP Part 1 

Thread #2 Advice for Passing MRCP Part 1?

We’d recommend using search terms like MRCP Part 1, followed by the year you’re sitting the exam to find other students who may be sitting the same exam too.

Summary

Overall, there are plenty of great online resources for MRCP Part 1 with a variety of strengths and weaknesses. However, the choice of resources comes down to your personal needs, budget, and preferred revision methods (e.g. written, audio, etc). 

With that said, based on the opinions shared in YouTube videos and on Reddit, the most popular resources are Pastest, Passmedicine, BMJ OnExamination and the RCP Q Bank. Pastest has the best subscription offering with the largest Q Bank and the most additional features of any resource. However, these features lead to Pastest’s MRCP Part 1 resource having a higher price point.

Passmedicine is also praised as a great option for MRCP Part 1 revision. Although the resource has significantly fewer features than Pastest, Passmedicine is a cheaper alternative whilst still providing a solid QBank and textbook. 

Although it’s important to note, some Reddit users complain that the Passmedicine questions are not hard enough and do not reflect the difficulty of the actual MRCP 1 exam. Some do pass by solely using Passmedicine, but many enjoy the past papers and additional features provided by Pastest and other revision resources. 

How much time should I spend revising for MRCP Part 1?

The amount of time needed to revise for MRCP Part 1 can vary depending on your personal and work commitments, as well as your preferred revision methods. After spending years in medical school, you probably have a good idea of whether you need a lot of time to prepare or if you work well under pressure.

At Pastest, we suggest dedicating three to four months to revision, especially if you are working full-time and can only spare a few hours each day. It's important to be flexible and make use of any downtime, like answering questions during quiet periods at work or between tasks during night shifts. It goes without saying that you should remember to take care of your mental well-being and make time for relaxation to keep your mind sharp. Ultimately, the amount of time you need to revise is unique to you, so tailor your preparation to fit your own learning style.

For more updates, follow the Pastest social media and find out about any of our newest blogs, the latest industry news, sales, and much more. If you’re studying or curious about the MRCP part 2, read our MRCP part 2 exam guide.