MRCOG Part 1 vs Part 2: what each part tests

Part 1 is two papers, each 100 single best answer questions in 150 minutes. It tests the sciences underpinning obstetrics and gynaecology — anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, biochemistry and the rest — applied to clinical context rather than tested in the abstract.

Every item is single best answer with five options. There is no extended matching at this stage, so Part 1 rewards a broad, secure grasp of the underlying science.

Part 2 is also two papers of 100 items each, but the format changes: each paper is 50 single best answer plus 50 extended matching questions, in 180 minutes. The content shifts from science to the clinical management of obstetric and gynaecological problems.

Extended matching is the defining feature of Part 2. A themed list of options serves several stems in turn, and you choose the best match for each — the layout rewards recognising the clinical discriminator that separates one option from its near neighbours, not just knowing the topic.

The RCOG's syllabus names the Knowledge Areas Part 2 draws on — maternal medicine, antenatal care, gynaecological problems, the management of labour and delivery, postpartum problems, gynaecological oncology, urogynaecology and more. It does not, however, publish a percentage weighting across them. Any exact per-topic split you see quoted is someone's estimate, not a college figure, so treat it as indicative and cover the breadth rather than betting on a weighting nobody publishes.

• For Part 1, build secure science across the whole syllabus; the exam is single best answer, so partial recognition is not enough.
• For Part 2, practise extended matching in the real layout, working from the lead-in and the discriminating clinical detail, and pair it with the single best answer work.
• For both, revise to the syllabus's breadth, return to whatever keeps costing you marks, and let misses come back on a schedule rather than re-reading what you already know.

The SpecialityMCQs MRCOG revision follows the syllabus's own structure, tilts each session toward your weakest area, and presents extended matching with the themed option list beside the stem, the same way the paper does. Every answer names the guideline or reference it rests on.