Pain Medicine (FFPMRCA oral)
Sit your FFPMRCA viva after rehearsing every answer out loud
Rehearse FFPMRCA Pain Medicine viva scenarios out loud against a senior examiner who probes your reasoning. Get examiner-style feedback on any station you finish, in seconds.
What is the FFPMRCA viva, and how do you practise for it?
The Fellowship of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FFPMRCA) oral examination. The FFPMRCA comprises a written multiple-choice paper and a two-part Structured Oral Examination sat after completing Advanced Pain Training. MedMock practises the whole oral examination: the Clinical Oral (a 20-minute Long Case after 10 minutes of reading time, followed by three 10-minute Short Questions) and the 30-minute Science Oral across three 10-minute topics (pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, and psychology, epidemiology and research methods). The written MCQ paper is not practised here. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI examiner, with examiner-style feedback on any question you finish.
Last updated 24 October 2026
FFPMRCA viva practice, on demand
MedMock gives you a senior examiner who probes your reasoning, available 24/7. Pick a question, have a spoken conversation, and ask for examiner-style feedback when you finish, scored against what genuinely matters in the FFPMRCA.
How it works
Choose a question
Pick from the FFPMRCA questions — all 3 that MedMock runs, or let MedMock surprise you the way exam day will.
Have the conversation
Speak naturally, out loud. The AI examiner listens, follows up and probes further, exactly like the viva.
Get instant feedback
The moment you finish, you get specific, examiner-style feedback and a score — what you did well, what cost you marks, and precisely what to fix before the next attempt.
Practise every station
The FFPMRCA examination consists of a written MCQ paper and a two-part Structured Oral Examination: a 50-minute Clinical Oral (one 20-minute Long Case after 10 minutes of reading time, followed by three 10-minute Short Questions) and a 30-minute Science Oral (three 10-minute questions on pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, and psychology, epidemiology and research methods). MedMock practises the whole oral examination across three stations. The written MCQ paper is not practised here.
Clinical Oral — Long Case
20-minute examiner-led clinical oral after 10 minutes of reading a referral letter, pain body map, BPI/HADS/PCS questionnaires and investigation reports. Present a structured biopsychosocial formulation, differential diagnosis, red and yellow flags, targeted examination priorities and a multidisciplinary pain management plan.
Clinical Oral — Short Questions
30-minute examiner-led clinical oral comprising three 10-minute short clinical scenarios across chronic non-cancer pain, cancer pain, neuropathic pain, neuromodulation, interventional pain medicine, opioid stewardship and complex inpatient pain.
Science Oral
30-minute examiner-led basic-science oral comprising three 10-minute questions: pain pharmacology (opioids, gabapentinoids, antidepressants, NMDA antagonists, local anaesthetics), pain neuroanatomy and neurophysiology (nociception, dorsal horn, central sensitisation, autonomic pathways), and pain psychology, epidemiology and evidence-based research methods.
Sample FFPMRCA questions
Two questions from the topics that come up most in MedMock's FFPMRCA bank.
“A 46-year-old warehouse supervisor is referred with persistent radicular leg pain 14 months after L4/5 microdiscectomy, taking modified-release morphine 120 mg/day and pregabalin 600 mg/day. Present your biopsychosocial formulation and multidisciplinary management plan.”
“Outline the cellular and synaptic mechanisms of wind-up and central sensitisation in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and explain how pharmacological agents target these pathways.”
Example scenarios
A sample of the FFPMRCA scenarios you can practise, each as a spoken conversation.
“A 46-year-old warehouse supervisor is referred with persistent radicular leg pain 14 months after L4/5 microdiscectomy, taking modified-release morphine 120 mg/day and pregabalin 600 mg/day, with BPI interference 8.4/10 and PHQ-9 of 19. Present your biopsychosocial formulation and multidisciplinary management plan.”
“A 62-year-old woman with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma has refractory coeliac-distribution pain despite high-dose systemic opioids and dose-limiting delirium. Discuss your assessment and the role, anatomy, risks and evidence for neurolytic coeliac plexus block.”
“Outline the cellular and synaptic mechanisms of wind-up and central sensitisation in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and explain how pharmacological agents target these pathways.”
FFPMRCA dates 2026–27
The Faculty of Pain Medicine runs the FFPMRCA Structured Oral Examination once a year in autumn after the written MCQ sitting; check the Faculty of Pain Medicine examination calendar for the current diet's application window and oral dates. Checked against Faculty of Pain Medicine (RCoA) on 20 October 2026.
Exam dates change. MedMock is not affiliated with Faculty of Pain Medicine (RCoA); confirm every date, application window and venue on the official site before you book. Faculty of Pain Medicine (RCoA)
FFPMRCA practice — your questions answered
How does the feedback work?
When you finish a question you can have it marked, and the scorecard comes back in seconds — what you did well, what cost you marks, and exactly what to work on next. Scorecards, mark schemes and model answers are included at no extra credit cost.
Can I practise specific FFPMRCA questions?
Yes. You can pick any of the 3 questions to drill a weak area, or run a Full Mock that takes you through the questions MedMock practises, back to back.
How much does it cost?
You can start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits, which is 30 minutes of speaking practice, with no subscription. After that, or at any time, you can choose a monthly plan, which includes a monthly credit allowance. Current prices are on the pricing page.
Formats change from year to year: check the official candidate guidance or applicant handbook from the body that runs your exam or interview (the Royal Colleges, NHS England, the GMC and others) for your sitting.
Ready for your FFPMRCA viva?
Rehearse real FFPMRCA scenarios out loud and get instant, examiner-style feedback.
- Instant, personalised feedback
- Real voice-to-voice conversation
- Repeatable attempts, a different run every time
Be ready for your FFPMRCA viva before you walk in
Start with the £5 taster, a one-off payment for 30 credits: practise FFPMRCA viva scenarios out loud and get any of them marked when you are ready.
Practise the FFPMRCA viva