MFPHMI Part I
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ExploreAbout this exam
The Membership of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of Ireland Part I (MFPHMI Part I) is the first-stage membership examination associated with the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, one of the faculties and institutes listed within the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland's organisational structure. Candidates are typically doctors preparing for a career in public health medicine who need to demonstrate foundational competence in the discipline before progressing to later stages of membership. The syllabus is organised around four core domains: epidemiology; biostatistics; health protection and communicable disease control; and health promotion, health improvement and health service delivery. Preparation should be built around those four domains rather than around rote recall, because the applied papers reward the ability to interpret study designs, read numerical results critically, reason through outbreak and contact-tracing scenarios, and evaluate service-level interventions. A sensible study plan pairs a standard epidemiology and biostatistics text with regular practice in calculation and critical appraisal, then layers on communicable disease control guidance and health service material. This page is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Faculty of Public Health Medicine or the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Candidates must confirm all examination logistics - format, duration, item counts, fees, results and retake rules - directly with the examining body, as those details are not published in the sources consulted here.
What you'll study
About MFPHMI Part I preparation
What does the MFPHMI Part I exam cover?
The exam is organised around four domains: epidemiology; biostatistics; health protection and communicable disease control; and health promotion, health improvement and health service delivery. Expect applied reasoning across all four rather than deep single-specialty recall. The domain list here is a study framework, so confirm the current official syllabus with the examining body before you build a revision plan.
How many questions are on the paper and how long is it?
We cannot state this. The official examination pages we attempted to consult returned 'Page not found' errors, so no question count, duration or pass mark was available. Treat any figure you see elsewhere with caution and verify directly with the Faculty of Public Health Medicine before booking.
How difficult is Part I?
It is a postgraduate membership paper, so it assumes working knowledge of epidemiology and statistics rather than undergraduate recall. The usual difficulty is not obscure facts but applying methods under time pressure: choosing the right study design, interpreting confidence intervals correctly, and reasoning through an outbreak step by step. Consistent practice on applied questions matters more than reading volume.
What should I study first?
Start with epidemiology and biostatistics together, because measures of disease frequency, study design and interpretation of effect estimates underpin the health protection and health services domains. Once those are secure, move to communicable disease control and then to health promotion and service delivery. Studying statistics in isolation tends to produce weak retention.
Can I retake the exam if I fail, and how many attempts are allowed?
We do not have this information. Retake policy, attempt limits and any associated fees were not available from the sources consulted, which returned error pages. Candidates should contact the examining body or check the current regulations directly, since these rules change and are not something an independent study site can confirm.
Why do candidates fail this type of paper?
Common patterns are weak numerical fluency - miscomputing attributable risk, odds ratios or sample size inputs - and poor critical appraisal, where a result is accepted without checking bias, confounding or confidence intervals. A third pattern is shallow health protection knowledge, particularly around surveillance and outbreak investigation logic. Targeted practice on calculations and appraisal closes most of the gap.
Is this page an official source for the exam?
No. This is an independent study platform and has no affiliation with, endorsement from, or connection to the Faculty of Public Health Medicine or the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. It is intended only to support revision. All administrative matters - applications, fees, dates, results and appeals - must be handled through the official examining body.
How much time should I allow for preparation?
No official recommended preparation time was available in the sources consulted. As general guidance, most candidates benefit from a structured plan of several months that includes weekly calculation practice and regular critical appraisal of published studies, rather than a short intensive block. Adjust to your own baseline in statistics and your clinical workload.