MRCEM Primary: Course Overview
MRCEM Primary: Course Overview
MRCEM Primary: Course Overview
Everything you need to know about the exam before you start revising — structure, blueprint, eligibility and how it fits into your Membership journey.
What is the MRCEM Primary?
The MRCEM Primary is the first of the three Membership examinations of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. It tests the basic sciences that underpin Emergency Medicine practice and is mapped to the Emergency Medicine 2021 Curriculum, with detailed coverage set out in the RCEM Basic Sciences Curriculum.
It sits at the start of the Membership pathway:
Exam at a glance
|
Format
180 single best answer questions (SBAQ)
|
Duration
3 hours
|
|
Delivery
Computer-based (Pearson VUE)
|
Standard setting
Angoff method
|
|
Language
English (IELTS Level 7 standard)
|
Results
~5 weeks after the exam
|
The exam blueprint
The 180 questions are distributed across six basic science domains. Use this as your weighting guide — anatomy and physiology together make up two-thirds of the paper.
| Category | Sub-categories | Qs |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomy | Upper limb · Lower limb · Thorax · Abdomen · Head and Neck · Central Nervous System · Cranial Nerve Lesions | 60 |
| Physiology | Basic cellular · Respiratory · Cardiovascular · Gastrointestinal · Renal · Endocrine | 60 |
| Pharmacology | Gastrointestinal · Cardiovascular · Respiratory · CNS · Infections · Endocrine · Fluids and electrolytes · Musculoskeletal · Immunological products and vaccines · Anaesthesia | 24 |
| Microbiology | Principles of microbiology · Pathogen groups | 17 |
| Pathology | Inflammatory responses · Immune responses · Infection · Wound healing · Haematology | 9 |
| Evidence Based Medicine | Statistics · Study methodology · Principles of critical appraisal | 10 |
| TOTAL | 180 | |
Who can sit it?
You are eligible if you hold a medical qualification approved by the General Medical Council (GMC) for the purposes of registration.
- GMC-registered candidates: include your registration number on the application form.
- IMC or international council registration: upload a copy of your current medical registration document at the time of application.
Note: a pass taken outside of training only counts towards CCT if you enter or re-enter a GMC-approved EM training programme within seven years of passing.
Attempts & currency
- A maximum of six attempts is permitted to pass the MRCEM Primary.
- Previous FRCEM Primary attempts after August 2016 count towards your total.
- A pass remains current; if it is ever to be time-expired, holders receive a minimum of 24 months' notice.
How MRCEM Primary Pro prepares you
This course is built around the blueprint above. Each domain is broken into focused topics with high-yield notes and single best answer practice that mirrors the real exam format, so your revision time maps directly onto where the marks are.
Exam regulations, fees and dates are set by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and may change. Always confirm current requirements on the official RCEM website before applying. This overview is for educational guidance and reflects the published MRCEM Primary regulations.
Site mode