MRCOG Part 3 Exam Week Checklist

Use this MRCOG Part 3 exam week checklist to narrow your focus. In the final 7 days, marks are more likely to come from safer prioritisation, cleaner structure and calmer communication than from cramming another niche guideline. The current published format is a 14-task circuit, with each task lasting 12 minutes including 2 minutes of reading time.

Because the assessment samples patient safety, communication with patients and relatives, communication with colleagues, information gathering and applied clinical knowledge, your last-week revision should sound like the exam itself. On four tasks, a Lay Examiner is present, so jargon-heavy answers that never land with a patient are a poor trade.

Why the final week matters

This is not the week to prove how much you know. It is the week to show that, under time pressure, you can recognise urgency, ask focused questions, explain options plainly, and finish with a safe plan.

That matters even more in this circuit because the task types vary. RCOG states that candidates may face simulated patient or colleague tasks, structured discussion tasks, linked tasks, and occasionally a writing task. In other words, flexibility is part of the exam.

A practical takeaway: stop measuring revision by pages covered. Measure it by how reliably you can give a safe opening minute.

Your MRCOG Part 3 exam week checklist

Seven to five days before

Do one honest stock-take. If you can, run a full mock circuit once. If that is unrealistic around clinical work, do two half-circuits on consecutive days. You are looking for repeated errors: weak openings, rambling explanations, late escalation, poor safety-netting.

Use this short checklist:

Build three reusable answer skeletons: patient counselling, colleague escalation, and structured discussion.
Write out your first 20 seconds for common stem types so you stop freezing at the start.
Make one page of red-flag priorities: sepsis, haemorrhage, eclampsia, acute abdomen, suspected cancer, safeguarding, consent and capacity, postoperative deterioration.
Identify only three weak content zones to patch. More than that becomes panic-revision.
Ask a colleague to interrupt you on purpose. Recovery is a skill.

If your notes are sprawling, simplify now. RCOG directs candidates to its own revision guide and RCOG eLearning, and the eLearning resource includes a 14-task video circuit designed to reflect the Clinical Assessment format and marking.

Four to two days before

Now shorten the practice. Switch to 3- to 5-station bursts under time pressure, then debrief immediately. Short reps are where you sharpen phrasing.

For a patient-facing station, practise this sequence:

introduce yourself and your role
check for any immediate safety issue
take a focused history or confirm the key facts
explain the likely problem in plain English
give options with risks and benefits
make a recommendation
safety-net and invite questions

A good opening sounds like this:

Hello, I'm the obstetrics registrar. First I want to check whether there is anything urgent happening right now. Then I'll ask a few focused questions, explain what I think may be going on, and talk you through the next safest steps.

For a colleague communication station, keep it closed-loop:

state the situation and why you are concerned
give only the data that changes urgency
say what you have already done
say exactly what you need from the colleague
confirm the plan and timeframe

A safe escalation might sound like this:

I'm calling about a woman with ongoing postpartum haemorrhage and haemodynamic instability. I've activated the major haemorrhage protocol, sent bloods, started resuscitation and called theatre staff. I need senior obstetric review now, anaesthetic support immediately, and blood bank aware of likely massive transfusion.

For a structured discussion, use a visible internal map: clinical context, immediate priorities, differential diagnosis, investigations, management, escalation, follow-up. If you get interrupted, go back to the map rather than starting again.

Don't be thrown if the circuit links one task to another or asks you to write. RCOG specifically notes that linked tasks may appear, and that some tasks may require a writing task.

The day before and exam morning

By exam week, the admin should be boring. RCOG says the entry ticket is emailed about four weeks before the exam and must be printed and brought with photographic identification. The regulations also state that mobile phones and other electronic devices are prohibited, and that late attendance at any stage may result in failure of the entire exam.

Your final admin check:

pack your printed entry ticket and photo ID
know the venue, route, parking or train plan, and one backup option
lay out clothes, pens and anything else allowed by the centre
put your phone away well before you enter the exam area
eat simply, hydrate, and stop active revision early enough to sleep

On the morning, do not open five new topics. Review your frameworks, one-page red flags, and a few calm opening lines. Then leave on time.

What examiners want to hear

Across the circuit, examiners are listening for the same core things: can you keep the woman safe, gather the right information, communicate clearly with patients and colleagues, and apply knowledge in a practical way. That is the spine of the assessment.

In a patient counselling station

They want clarity, empathy and a recommendation. Listing every possible option without helping the patient decide sounds evasive.

Try this structure:

What is the problem or likely diagnosis?
Why does it matter now?
What are the realistic options?
What do you recommend and why?
What should the patient look out for next?

For example, with postmenopausal bleeding:

Bleeding after the menopause needs proper assessment because, although there are benign causes, it can sometimes be a sign of endometrial cancer. I'd explain that we need urgent outpatient investigation, usually with ultrasound and assessment of the endometrium, and I'd check her understanding, concerns and support at home.

In a colleague station

They want decisive communication. Long scene-setting loses marks if the patient is unwell.

A reliable line is:

My main concern is X because of Y. I have done A and B already. I now need C within the next few minutes.

That sentence alone can rescue a wobbly station.

In a structured discussion

They want organised thinking, not a stream of consciousness. RCOG says examiners may prompt candidates or move the task on, and may provide more information as the scenario evolves. So interruption is often just the mechanics of the station, not a sign you are doing badly.

Your job is to stay steady, absorb the new information, and re-prioritise out loud.

Common mistakes

opening with a guideline dump before saying whether the woman is stable
using specialist jargon with a patient-facing actor when plain English would do
listing options but never making a recommendation
forgetting consent, capacity, confidentiality or safeguarding when the stem clearly points there
answering a counselling station like a handover, or a handover like a lecture
speaking for too long on low-value detail after you have already made the safe plan
getting flustered by interruption and abandoning your structure

If one of these is your pattern, fix that pattern first. It is worth more than another hour of broad reading.

Practice workflow for the final week

Keep the rehearsal small and repeatable. One strong 30- to 45-minute session each day beats a six-hour sprawl after a long shift.

A practical final-week loop:

pick four stems a day: two patient, one colleague, one structured discussion
give yourself the real 2-minute reading time before each answer
speak for no more than 8 to 10 minutes, then stop and debrief
score yourself on three questions: Was I safe? Was I clear? Did I close with a plan?
record the first minute of your answers and listen back for waffle, jargon and pace
use a study partner, mock viva group or AI tool to generate follow-up questions and interruptions

Use AI carefully: it is useful for repetition, timing and pressure-testing your structure, but not as the final authority on content. Keep your factual anchor in the official RCOG syllabus and resources. The current syllabus page links to the MRCOG syllabus and knowledge requirements for the core curriculum, and RCOG's revision resources page points candidates to the official revision guide and eLearning.

One final point. As of 4 July 2026, RCOG still publishes the current 14-task format, but it has also announced a Global Expansion and Sustainability Project, with a future-facing exam model planned for 2027. So check the official format page again before you travel.

Summary

Rehearse the exam you are actually sitting: a 14-task circuit with 12 minutes per task and marks spread across five domains.
In the last week, prioritise openings, structure, explanation, recommendation and escalation over broad reading.
Pack the admin early: printed entry ticket, photo ID, route plan, and no phone in the exam area.
Use official RCOG resources for your final sweep, especially the revision guide and eLearning circuit.
Re-check the official format page close to the exam because RCOG has signalled future changes beyond 2026.

MRCOG Part 3 Exam Week Checklist

Why the final week matters

Your MRCOG Part 3 exam week checklist

Seven to five days before

Four to two days before

The day before and exam morning

What examiners want to hear

In a patient counselling station

In a colleague station

In a structured discussion

Common mistakes

Practice workflow for the final week

Summary

References

Practice Obstetrics & Gynecology with a live AI examiner

Why the final week matters

Your MRCOG Part 3 exam week checklist

Seven to five days before

Four to two days before

The day before and exam morning

What examiners want to hear

In a patient counselling station

In a colleague station

In a structured discussion

Common mistakes

Practice workflow for the final week

Summary

References

Related guides

Practice Obstetrics & Gynecology with a live AI examiner