MRCOG practice

What happens in the MRCOG exam

MRCOG Part 3 is a clinical assessment made up of a circuit of 14 tasks, each 12 minutes long including two minutes of initial reading time. Tasks are either role-plays with a trained actor playing a patient or colleague, or structured discussions with a clinical examiner. Each task assesses three or four of five domains, with a clinical examiner on every task and a lay examiner on four of them.

Checked against the official sources on 24 September 2026.

The parts, in order

Simulated patient or colleague tasks12 minutes

You interact with an actor who has been trained and fully briefed to play a patient or colleague, knows the details of the case and has some scripted questions to prompt you if needed. Each task includes two minutes of initial reading time.

Structured discussion tasks12 minutes

You talk directly with a clinical examiner, who has a list of questions to prompt you or move the task on, and may give you further information as the scenario evolves before asking further questions. Each task includes two minutes of initial reading time.

How it is marked

Each task assesses three or four of five domains: patient safety; communication with patients and their relatives; communication with colleagues; information gathering; and applied clinical knowledge. A trained clinical examiner features on all 14 tasks, and a trained lay examiner on four of them, assessing communication, patient safety and information gathering from the patient's perspective. RCOG does not publish the marking scale on its Part 3 pages.

Passing

RCOG sets the Part 3 pass mark with its own standard-setting method (the 'RCOG Procedure'), based on the number of examiner judgements in the exam plus an additional factor and a standard error of measurement. There is no fixed pass level, so the pass mark can change from one sitting to the next.

Worth knowing

  • A circuit may contain linked tasks, where the second task builds on the first, and there may also be a writing task.
  • To sit Part 3 you must have passed MRCOG Part 2; you are allowed four attempts, and the exam is held twice a year, in May and November, in the UK and overseas.
  • RCOG plans to launch a new Part 3 exam model in 2027.

Sources

Formats change. MedMock is not affiliated with any examining body; always check the current regulations on the official site before you book.

MRCOG dates and countdown A complete MRCOG practice station, with its scorecard

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