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MRCP(UK) Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills

A carousel of real and simulated patients, marked against seven defined clinical skills. The exam where a slick examination routine beats an encyclopaedic memory.

United KingdomMRCP(UK) Federation clinical / OSCE

Coming soon. This bank is still in build and not on sale yet. The banks live now are PLAB 1, MRCP Part 1 and AMC MCQ.

What is on the MRCP PACES?

Questions or stations5 verified 2026-08-10 Source says: “five clinical stations where there are either patients with a given condition, or trained stand-ins” check it yourself
Time20 minutes verified 2026-08-10 Source says: “10-minute communication encounters and 20-minute clinical consultations” check it yourself
FormatFive clinical stations, mixed 10- and 20-minute encounters
Adaptive deliveryNo
Pass markCandidates must reach the standard on the overall score and on each of the defined clinical skills. verified 2026-08-10 check it yourself
BlueprintMRCP(UK) examination blueprints and regulations, MRCP(UK) Federation

The figure above is the longer (20-minute) encounter; stations also include 10-minute encounters. Since diet 2023/03 there is no rest station.

Verification status. All 3 published figures on this page have been read in the source document and dated above. Source of truth: MRCP(UK) examination blueprints and regulations, MRCP(UK) Federation. How we verify.

The MRCP PACES curriculum, section by section

Every question in this bank is tagged to one of the sections below, and the tag traces to MRCP(UK) examination blueprints and regulations. That is what makes a coverage claim checkable instead of a marketing line. The table shows exactly how many items exist in each section today, including the sections where the answer is none.

Curriculum sectionShare of the blueprintItems in this bank
Physical examination 20% 1
Identifying physical signs 15% 1
Clinical communication 15% 1
Differential diagnosis 15% none yet
Clinical judgement 15% none yet
Managing patient concerns 10% none yet
Maintaining patient welfare and professionalism 10% none yet

Coverage today: 3 of 7 sections. We publish the gap rather than hiding it.

OSCE stations

MRCP PACES is a clinical examination, so the material is structured as stations rather than multiple choice: a candidate brief, a simulated patient brief, and the mark scheme as separate scorable criteria you can tick against your own performance.

  • Respiratory station — chronic breathlessness with clubbing — 9 marked criteria, 20 minutes
  • Communication and ethics — declining escalation in advanced heart failure — 9 marked criteria, 20 minutes
  • Abdominal station — hepatosplenomegaly with stigmata of chronic liver disease — 10 marked criteria, 20 minutes

Where MRCP PACES sits in the pathway

UK physician training (MRCP) runs MRCP Part 1 → MRCP Part 2 → MRCP PACES. One DocPasser account covers all of them, so moving to the next stage does not mean a new subscription and a progress history you can no longer see.

MRCP Part 1 · MRCP Part 2

Questions people actually ask about MRCP PACES

What are the seven PACES skills?

Physical examination, identifying physical signs, clinical communication, differential diagnosis, clinical judgement, managing patient concerns, and maintaining patient welfare. You are marked on each one independently, which is why a strong performance in four cannot rescue a failure in a fifth.

What does MRCP PACES preparation cost?

MRCP PACES is a flat £20 for 12 months of access — one price, one purchase, no tiers. The first 1 station is free, with the full explanation for every option, so you can judge the quality of the explanations before paying for anything.

DocPasser is exam preparation material, not clinical guidance. Nothing here should be used to make a decision about a real patient. Always work from your own local guidelines and seniors.