When to Take the Exam

Many candidates will take the MRCOG Part 3 examination at the next available date after passing MRCOG Part 2.  There are benefits with this timing as candidate’s knowledge is likely to be relatively up to date and fresh in mind after sitting MRCOG Part 2 so it can make some aspects of the applied clinical knowledge domain easier.  However, it would be remiss to assume that this will be sufficient preparation for the MRCOG Part 3. If possible, we would recommend as short an interval as possible between sitting MRCOG Part 2 and Part 3.

Understanding the Exam Format

Any candidate entering for the MRCOG Part 3 examination would be well advised to take the time to understand fully the format of the exam, with particular attention to the Domains being examined. There is sometimes an assumption that a clinically competent registrar with reasonable communication skills will automatically be able to pass the MRCOG Part 3 without much preparation, but it would be a mistake to be complacent.  A good analogy is someone trying to pass their driving test in the UK – a candidate could be someone who is driving regularly and has done so for a number of years. However, despite being a fundamentally competent and safe driver, it would be entirely possible for the candidate to fail their driving test based on a number of small but crucial safety errors, for example failing to demonstrate to the driving test examiner that they have checked all three mirrors prior to undertaking a turn. The same is true for the MRCOG Part 3 examination; it is not sufficient to be an all-rounder with reasonable skill – a candidate needs to demonstrate clearly to the examiners overall safety and competency on all domains and this requires practice and exam technique.

We recommend watching our free trial video for our PIPADOR MRCOG Part 3 Revision Course to help understand the exam format and domains in greater detail.

Focused Knowledge Revision

Candidate often are highly focused on the knowledge aspects of the MRCOG Part 3 examination, particularly if there has been a significant interval between passing MRCOG Part 2 and undertaking Part 3.  It is natural to wish to revise the most up to date current guidance for clinical scenarios, but candidates should not focus solely on this. Our PIPADOR MRCOG Part 3 Revision Course provides handy focused knowledge refresher lectures with a focus for the MRCOG Part 3.

Exam Technique & Time Management

Each station is 10 minutes long with 2 minutes allocated for candidates to read the instructions.  Particularly for simulated patient / colleague tasks, candidates often spend too much time on the history taking aspect of the station and then run out of time to focus on making and communicating an appropriate management plan so they may fail the station overall due to time management, rather than lack of knowledge.  Focused history taking within 2-3 minutes is a skill that can only be acquired with practice – we recommend our History Taking video in our PIPADOR MRCOG Part 3 Revision Course to understand what to cover and how to achieve this efficiently in the exam, whilst maintaining good patient rapport.

Practice difficult topics

There are specific topics that candidates perform poorly at and consequently, they often recur in subsequent sittings of the exam. Studying with a colleague is invaluable and can help you understand what the potential pitfalls are with particular stations. Our PIPADOR MRCOG Part 3 Revision Course is focused on these difficult topics to help candidates understand what is expected of them and what the examiners are looking for in these stations. 

Go on a Course

Many candidates will opt to go on a Revision Course for MRCOG Part 3. These can be face to face or virtual and many will include practice exam circuits with practice stations with individual feedback.  The benefit of attending a course is being able to practice under exam conditions and sometime will identify weak areas of exam technique or knowledge. Our PIPADOR MRCOG Part 3 Revision Course can be used any time or place for revision and contains multiple practice exam stations for candidates to practice in their own time.

Common Mistakes

Candidates sometimes struggle to understand why they have been unsuccessful at the MRCOG Part 3 examination.  There is no individual feedback for unsuccessful candidates although they may have sight of the individual domains that they have not passed.  The most common domain that candidates will fail on is patient safety and this is usually because they have missed patient safety red flags and therefore not covered the key essentials designated in the station examiner’s marksheet.  However, candidates that are borderline in multiple domains may also fail and common mistakes include unstructured history taking with undue focus on talking rather than listening, missing patient cues or concerns, using too much jargon and not clarifying the role player’s understanding. If you are resitting MRCOG Part 3, seek individualised feedback – practice with a mentor or senior colleague who may be able to help you identify where you need to focus.  

Remember…

The MRCOG Part 3 examination is a test of your readiness to practice as a specialist — not just your book knowledge. If you prepare thoroughly, seek feedback, and practice regularly, you can and will pass. Think of it as a performance: know your lines, rehearse your delivery, connect with your audience — and you will pass this exam.