MRCPI GM Part II Written

It is the written component of the Membership examination of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, aimed at doctors in basic specialist training in general internal medicine. It assesses applied clinical knowledge across adult medicine. The exact current regulations could not be verified from the official page, so confirm details with RCPI directly.

Candidates commonly report a single-best-answer, multiple-choice style paper built around clinical scenarios, investigations and data interpretation. The verified question count, time allowed and paper structure could not be confirmed because the official page was unavailable, so check the current RCPI Examinations pages rather than relying on second-hand accounts.

It is a postgraduate membership examination, so questions assume a working hospital doctor's knowledge rather than undergraduate recall. Difficulty comes from applying knowledge to unfamiliar scenarios, interpreting investigations and prioritising safe management. Most candidates need several months of structured revision, and many find timed practice the single most useful preparation.

Retake rules, attempt limits and any required interval between sittings are set by RCPI and were not verifiable from the official source at the time of writing. Do not assume a number of attempts or a waiting period. Confirm the current policy directly with the RCPI Examinations office before you book.

Start with general internal medicine and acute presentations, since these underpin most scenarios, then rotate through medicine of the elderly and the major subspecialties. Interleave topics rather than blocking them, and add timed mixed-topic practice early so you learn to allocate time and recognise your weakest areas before the final weeks.

Typical problems are over-reading single specialties while neglecting elderly care and acute medicine, memorising guidelines without practising clinical reasoning, and never working under timed conditions. Another frequent error is failing to read the whole question stem or the investigation results before choosing an answer, which costs marks on data-heavy items.

There is no official recommended preparation period, and the source did not state one. Most candidates plan several months of regular study alongside clinical work, increasing practice volume in the final weeks. Judge your own timeline by baseline performance on timed mock papers rather than by a fixed number of months.

The RCPI Examinations section of the college website is the authoritative source for format, fees, dates, pass standards and retake policy. The specific Part II Written page returned a 404 error when checked, so use the main Examinations pages or contact RCPI directly for current, confirmed information.

No. This is independent study material written for candidates revising for the examination. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and it does not reproduce official examination content. Always treat RCPI's own published regulations as definitive.