The Bottom Line
- Part 2 is two 3-hour papers with 100 best-of-five SBAs each.
- Your bottleneck is prioritisation and interpretation, not ‘reading more’.
- Run timed blocks + debrief; avoid passive review.
Official format (non-negotiable constraints)
MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written has two papers; each is 3 hours and contains 100 best-of-five multiple choice questions. Train to the pacing and cognitive load of that structure.
Part 2 rewards applied medicine: interpreting information and solving clinical problems. That means you must practise ‘data-to-decision’ under time pressure: decide what matters, ignore noise, and choose the most defensible option fast.
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Step 1 — Build a ‘pattern bank’ (not a notes bank)
After each question set, capture the pattern: presentation → discriminators → key investigation → first-line management. This produces transferable recognition, not isolated facts.
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Step 2 — Time-box reasoning
Use a hard 75–90 second rule: if you can’t eliminate options quickly, flag it and move. Your score increases when you stop donating time to low-yield wrestling matches.
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Step 3 — Debrief to the root cause
Every wrong answer must be categorised: (a) didn’t know, (b) knew but misread, (c) knew but overthought, (d) guideline/management gap. Only then do you choose the fix (flashcard, rule, or process change).
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Step 4 — Weekly ‘mixed blocks’
Don’t revise by specialty silos only. Do at least one mixed set weekly to train switching and reduce context-dependence (how the real exam feels).
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Practice
Test your knowledge
Apply this concept immediately with a high-yield question block from the iatroX Q-Bank.
SourceMRCP(UK) — Part 2 format (official)
Open Link SourceRCP — Part 2 format change context (two papers, 3 hours each)
Open Link