Theory & Standards team

We provide two examinations at RCPCH: the Membership examination (MRCPCH) and the Diploma in Child Health (DCH).

As the Theory & Standards team, we support the delivery of the theory components of these exams: Foundation of Practice (FOP), Theory & Science (TAS) and Applied Knowledge in Paediatrics (AKP).

We support exam candidates as they register for exams, and apply for and sit their theory exams. We work with clinical leads to develop theory exam questions, review and standard set those questions and produce results for all theory and clinical examinations.

We work closely with the Clinical Assessment team  which supports the delivery of the clinical components of our exams: the MRCPCH Clinical and the DCH Clinical.

Contact the Theory & Standards team on theoryexams@rcpch.ac.uk for:

  • Registration for an RCPCH exam account
  • Any enquiry or request about applying to, preparing for, sitting or querying results for one of the three theory exams: Foundation of Practice (FOP), Theory and Standards (TAS) and Applied Knowledge in Practice (AKP)
  • Resending documents about theory exams, for example, theory exam placement or results letters
  • Complaints about theory exams
  • Requests for letters to use for tax purposes in relation to theory exams that have been sat (if you need a letter for multiple exams, including a clinical exam, then you should also contact clinicalexams@rcpch.ac.uk). 

Recent content

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Theory exams - tips from the experts to help you prepare

Taking theory exams? Fantastic news! Want some great tips on how to approach the exams and how (or what) to study? This page houses videos giving tips from experts on a wide range of principles for theory exams. We highly recommend not leaving these to the last minute; remember it's not just about w...
Volunteering opportunity

Exam and assessment development - get involved

From question setting groups, where new questions and scenarios are generated, right through to the post-examination question review process where exam questions are reviewed and judged one final time after the exam, our clinicians and College staff ensure the quality and rigorousness of every exami...
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Education and training standard setting

Our MRCPCH (membership exam) questions go through various quality controls from the start when they are selected for use in upcoming exams, right up to the end when they are graded following an exam. The type of standard setting is a Modified Angoff Method. Here is information on how we ensure our ...
Document

Your exam results (MRCPCH and DCH)

You can access your results on your online account six to seven weeks after the exam. We will email your detailed results breakdown approximately one week after that. For clinical exams, candidates wishing to submit a complaint or feedback after receiving their results should do so as soon as possib...
Basic page

Get your exam account

To apply for the MRCPCH (Membership exam) or DCH (Diploma in Child Health), you first need to register for exams. You just need to do this once. You need an RCPCH online account (with an RCPCH number). Then you can complete our short registration form - with your GMC number (UK trainees only) or ...
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Theory exams - sample papers

The three RCPCH theory exams are delivered via computer-based testing (CBT). We provide links to sample papers to help you understand what to expect.