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If you are an MBBS graduate interested in the field of emergency medicine, you might have heard about these five prestigious letters, ‘MRCEM’, at some point in your life. But what exactly is it, and why is it such a big deal? The Membership of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine is an internationally recognised postgraduate qualification that validates a doctor has the core knowledge, clinical understanding, and decision-making skills required to work safely and effectively in emergency departments across the globe, especially in the NHS UK.
The MRCEM qualification is completed in three stages, with the MRCEM Primary exam being the first one, followed by the MRCEM Intermediate SBA and OSCE. In this blog, we are going to focus entirely on MRCEM Primary, so if you are someone who is just starting out, you will get a clear understanding of it.
What is MRCEM Primary?
First of all, imagine MRCEM Primary as the scientific backbone of emergency medicine. You need a strong understanding of how the human body works and how it fails under stress, injury, or disease before going to manage critically ill patients or make rapid clinical decisions.
It’s a three-hour exam featuring 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) that are single-best answer (SBA) questions. Every question will have multiple options, with one being the most correct answer. The objective of this exam is to check whether you can apply your basic science knowledge to real-world emergency scenarios, rather than checking random facts.
What does the exam cover?
The exam syllabus is carefully structured by expert examiners, with questions distributed across six major subject areas.
Questions distributed
| Subjects | Number of questions |
| Anatomy | 60 |
| Physiology | 60 |
| Pharmacology | 24 |
| Microbiology | 17 |
| Pathology | 9 |
| Evidence-based medicine | 10 |
| Total | 180 |
How is the pass mark set? The Angoff method explained
When it comes to the pass mark setting, the MRCEM Primary uses a well-established and transparent standard setting process called the Angoff method. It is approved by the General Medical Council in the UK and the Academy of Royal Colleges. So, how does it work?
In this method, a panel of experienced emergency medicine consultants carefully reviews every single question. For each question, they estimate how many minimally competent candidates would answer it correctly. Each expert assigns a score based on this judgement. If there are variations in the ratings, the panel discusses the question in detail and adjusts the scores. Once this process is completed, the individual Angoff scores for all questions are averaged and added together to determine the final pass mark.
Common mistakes made by candidates in MRCEM Primary
Most candidates fail the MRCEM Primary exam because of poor exam technique, not because they don’t study enough. The exam evaluates clinically relevant knowledge. For example, anatomy questions often focus on the functional consequences of injuries in different parts of the body. Therefore, to pick the correct answer, candidates need to use reasoning as well as memorised knowledge.
If you are planning to appear for the upcoming MRCEM Primary exam and want to learn more about the techniques that will help you select the correct answers, enroll in our MRCEM Primary courses. Our proven teaching methods will help you interpret questions quickly, eliminate false options, and select the correct answer. You can even explore our high-quality learning materials for free through the StudyMEDIC LMS 3.0 before enrolling in the course.
You are welcome to know more about our courses.
Authored By: Sarath
By : patrick
