RCPA BPS Exam study guide
RCPA BPS Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Basic Pathological Sciences (BPS) Examination is the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia's entry-level written assessment of the scientific foundations underpinning pathology training. It is aimed at trainees beginning laboratory-based training in anatomical pathology, haematology, chemical pathology, microbiology, immunology, or genetic pathology, and at others who need a documented grasp of core pathological science. The RCPA BPS Exam study guide has 9 sections and about 2,807 words.
01Cell and Tissue Biology: Injury, Adaptation, Death, and Basic Histology
A candidate must be fluent in the reversible-versus-irreversible injury threshold. Reversible injury shows cellular swelling (hydropic change), fatty change, mitochondrial swelling, and ribosomal detachment.
381 words, about 2 min02General Pathology: Inflammation, Repair, Regeneration, and Wound Healing
Understand the vascular and cellular phases. Vasodilatation and increased permeability (endothelial contraction, direct injury, leukocyte-mediated injury, transcytosis) produce exudate.
322 words, about 2 min03Neoplasia: Carcinogenesis, Tumour Biology, Invasion, and Metastasis
Benign tumours are well circumscribed, non-invasive, and do not metastasise; malignant tumours invade and metastasise. Know exceptions: some benign tumours are dangerous by location (meningioma, pituitary adenoma).
304 words, about 2 min04Haemostasis, Thrombosis, and Transfusion Science
Understand primary haemostasis (vascular constriction, platelet adhesion via von Willebrand factor to glycoprotein Ib, activation, aggregation via glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and fibrinogen), secondary haemostasis (coagulation cascade, thrombin generation, fibrin formation), and fibrinolysis (plasminogen activators, plasmin, D-dimers). Know the intrinsic (XII, XI, IX, VIII), extrinsic (III, VII), and common (X, V, II, I) pathways and that the PT/INR reflects the extrinsic and common pathway while the APTT reflects the intrinsic and common pathway.
329 words, about 2 min05Immunology and Immunopathology
Know the components of innate immunity (barriers, phagocytes, complement, natural killer cells, pattern-recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors) and adaptive immunity (T and B lymphocytes, antigen presentation via MHC I to CD8 cytotoxic cells and MHC II to CD4 helper cells). Understand immunoglobulin classes: IgM is the first responder and a potent complement activator; IgG crosses the placenta and dominates secondary responses; IgA is mucosal; IgE mediates type I hypersensitivity; IgD is a B-cell receptor component.
333 words, about 2 min06Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Know the differences between Gram-positive (thick peptidoglycan, teichoic acid) and Gram-negative (thin peptidoglycan, outer membrane, lipopolysaccharide) organisms. Endotoxin is LPS and drives septic shock via TLR4; exotoxins are secreted proteins with specific actions (e.g.
277 words, about 1 min07Chemical Pathology and Metabolic Disorders
Master the interpretation of sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate. Hyponatraemia is classified by volume status and osmolality; SIADH causes euvolaemic hypo-osmolar hyponatraemia with inappropriately concentrated urine.
291 words, about 1 min08Genetics and Molecular Pathology
Know autosomal dominant (vertical transmission, variable penetrance, e.g. Marfan, Huntington, familial hypercholesterolaemia), autosomal recessive (horizontal pattern, consanguinity, e.g.
277 words, about 1 min09Systematic Pathology: Organ-Based Disease Mechanisms
Know the mechanisms of ischaemic heart disease (atherosclerosis, plaque rupture, thrombosis), the complications of myocardial infarction (arrhythmia, rupture, aneurysm, pericarditis), and heart failure (systolic versus diastolic). In the respiratory system, distinguish obstructive (asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis) from restrictive (fibrosis) disease; know the pathogenesis of emphysema (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, protease-antiprotease imbalance) and the difference between small cell and non-small cell lung carcinoma.
293 words, about 1 min