You do not need to hold the whole six-month plan in working memory. Choose the current week, choose today’s capacity, and finish one defined unit.
The exam is broad, split across two different kinds of reasoning, and contains enough basic science that a purely clinical question-bank strategy leaves a predictable hole. Every week therefore contains Clinical Applications, Medical Sciences, visual interpretation and old-system maintenance.
Train diagnosis, investigation, therapeutics, competing comorbidity and the next best step. From Week 1, about three of every five bank questions should be clinical-application work.
Train mechanisms, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, epidemiology and test interpretation. Label these questions separately in the error log.
Cardiology, respiratory, neurology, gastroenterology and endocrinology are not removed from the plan. Together their blueprint ranges account for roughly 40–60 of 170 items. The task is now retention and application, while the uncovered core fields receive concentrated teaching.
It carries the largest blueprint range and is not simply another organ-system week. Tag undifferentiated presentations, multimorbidity, perioperative care, sepsis/shock, VTE, prescribing, psychiatry, epidemiology and cognitive error wherever they appear.
For each specialty, cover key presentations and conditions first, then investigations and foundational sciences. Less common or complex conditions are targeted when a lecture, official sample item or question-bank miss exposes the gap.
| Week | Primary curriculum work | CLS lectures to prioritise | Questions + exam practice | Spaced return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase A · calibrate and build the largest uncovered fields | ||||
| 1 | Baseline + General Medicine I Undifferentiated illness, deterioration, sepsis/shock, perioperative risk. | Perioperative Medicine; ICU 1; ICU 2. Start Introduction to Biostatistics. | 85-question baseline: 30 official RACP sample items for format calibration plus 55 fresh commercial-bank items; keep CA and MS scores separate. Check for overlap before later official simulations. | Maintenance A: cardiology + gastroenterology. |
| 2 | Nephrology I Renal physiology, fluid/electrolytes, acid–base, AKI, nephrotoxicity. | Renal Physiology 1 + 2; Acute Kidney Injury; Glomerular Disease 1. | 80–100 total; 60:40 CA:MS; one ABG/electrolyte image/data set. | Maintenance B: respiratory + endocrinology. Retest Week 1 errors. |
| 3 | Nephrology II Nephritic/nephrotic syndromes, CKD complications, dialysis, transplantation. | Glomerular Disease 2; CKD Complications and Renal Bone Disease; Dialysis; Renal Transplantation. SGLT2/kidneys only if time. | 90–110; include urine, biopsy and dialysis-access interpretation. | Maintenance C: neurology + lowest-scoring covered system. Neph I at D7. |
| 4 | Haematology I Anaemia, haemolysis, transfusion, haemostasis, thrombosis. | Anaemia; Haemolysis and Transfusion Medicine; Coagulation Disorders; Anticoagulation Reversal. | 90–110; first EMQ set; blood film and coagulation data set. | Maintenance A. Neph II at D7; Neph I at ~D21. |
| 5 | Haematology II Myeloma, acute/chronic leukaemias, MDS/MPN, lymphoid malignancy, emergencies. | Multiple Myeloma; AML and MDS; CLL; pair CML with MPN. Use Febrile Neutropenia during cases. | 100–120; include marrow/report interpretation. First timed 25-question block. | Maintenance B. Haem I at D7; older renal mixed set. |
| 6 | Infectious Diseases I Microbiology, antimicrobial choice, stewardship, common/serious infection, sepsis. | Microbiology; Serious Infections; Common Infectious Diseases; Sepsis. | 100–120; culture/CSF interpretation; 60:40 CA:MS maintained. | Maintenance C. Haem II at D7; Haem I at ~D21. |
| 7 | Infectious Diseases II HIV, tuberculosis, immunocompromised host. | HIV 1 + 2; TB Epidemiology/Microbiology/Diagnosis; Management of TB; immunocompromised host if capacity. | 100–120; one timed 35-question MS half-block. | Maintenance A. ID I at D7; older renal/haem mixed set. |
| 8 | ID III + first audit Travel, viral disease, STI/public health; repair uncovered General Medicine. | Returning Traveller; Viral Infection; Common STIs. Use catch-up space for one missed core lecture. | 110–130; 50 CA / 90 min. Substitute a small unseen set from the RACP Adult Medicine MCQ database if available; it replaces bank volume rather than adding work. | Maintenance B. ID II at D7; full Weeks 1–4 audit. |
| Phase B · finish first coverage while mixed practice grows | ||||
| 9 | Oncology I Oncogenesis, staging, screening, treatment classes and toxicities. | New Cancer Drugs and Pathways; Breast Cancer; Lung Cancer; Colorectal Cancer. | 110–140; treatment-toxicity pairs; image/staging set. | Maintenance C. ID III at D7; weakest of neph/haem at six weeks. |
| 10 | Oncology II Common cancers, metastatic complications and oncological emergencies. | Upper GI; Urological; Gynaecological; Immunotherapy Toxicities. Learn emergencies through cases. | 120–140; 35 MS / 60 min; one EMQ set. | Maintenance A. Oncology I at D7; Weeks 5–6 mixed return. |
| 11 | Rheumatology I RA, crystal arthritis, spondyloarthritis, septic arthritis and common MSK disease. | Rheumatoid Arthritis; Gout and Crystal Arthropathies; Axial Spondyloarthritis; Psoriatic Arthritis. | 120–140; synovial-fluid and imaging set; 50 CA / 90 min. | Maintenance B. Oncology II at D7; Weeks 7–8 mixed return. |
| 12 | Rheumatology II SLE, systemic sclerosis, inflammatory myopathy, GCA/PMR, vasculitis. | SLE; Systemic Sclerosis; Inflammatory Myopathies; Giant Cell Arteritis. Move Vasculitis to Week 13 if needed. | 120–150; antibody/organ-pattern set; 35 MS / 60 min. | Maintenance C. Rheum I at D7; older oncology mixed set. |
| 13 | Immunology and Allergy Immune mechanisms, immunodeficiency, anaphylaxis/drug allergy, complement, immunosuppression. | Basic Immunology; Immunodeficiencies; Drug Allergy and Anaphylaxis; Vasculitis; Immunosuppression in Rheumatology. | 120–150; mechanism-heavy MS block plus acute anaphylaxis cases. | Maintenance A. Rheum II at D7; Weeks 9–10 mixed return. |
| 14 | Pharmacology, Toxicology and Addiction PK/PD, organ failure, interactions, TDM, toxidromes, overdoses, withdrawal and harm reduction. | Pharmacokinetics and Dosing; Practical Prescribing; Toxicology and Medication Safety; Safe/Effective Use; QUM/Governance. | 130–150; 50 CA / 90 min; ECG/toxicology data set. Fill addiction gaps from curriculum and questions. | Maintenance B. Immunology at D7; Weeks 11–12 mixed return. |
| 15 | Genetic and Metabolic Medicine Inheritance, pedigrees, test selection/interpretation, penetrance/VUS, cancer and cardiac genetics. | Fundamentals; Clinical Genetics; Testing Overview; Requesting/Interpreting Tests. Add Cancer or Cardiac Genetics according to misses. | 130–150; pedigree/test-result set; 35 MS / 60 min. | Maintenance C. Pharm/tox at D7; Weeks 6–8 mixed return. |
| 16 | Geriatrics + Palliative Medicine Frailty, delirium/dementia, falls, polypharmacy, symptom control and end-of-life care. | Polypharmacy; Dementia; Delirium; Falls; Pain Management; ACD/End-of-Life Care. | 130–150; 50 CA / 90 min; prescribing/deprescribing and opioid-conversion cases. | Maintenance A. Genetics at D7; Weeks 9–12 mixed return. |
| 17 | Small fields + buffer Medical obstetrics, dermatology, psychiatry and disability medicine; close any red curriculum gaps. | Medical Disorders in Pregnancy; CKD in Pregnancy; Dermatological Manifestations of Systemic Disease; common psychiatric presentations/psych-drug adverse effects. Disability topics are targeted reading. | 130–160; 35 MS / 60 min; blueprint audit after the block. | Maintenance B. Geri/palliative at D7; Weeks 13–14 mixed return. |
| Phase C · integration and blueprint repair | ||||
| 18 | Full blueprint audit No routine lecture sequence. Rank every specialty by fresh accuracy and curriculum gaps. | At most two targeted rescues from the audit. | Full simulation 1: exact 100 CA + lunch + 70 MS. Spend a separate session on review. | Maintenance C. Genetics at ~D21; older renal/ID mixed return. |
| 19 | Repair pair 1 Two weakest 8–14-item fields, one CA-dominant and one MS-dominant if possible. | Only the segment that fixes a named error cluster. | 150–190 fresh/mixed; 50 CA / 90 min; one visual set and two EMQ sets. | Re-test errors from Simulation 1 at 7–10 days. |
| 20 | Repair pair 2 Next two weakest weighted fields; include General Medicine presentations. | Maximum two targeted lectures or guideline sections. | 150–190; 35 MS / 60 min; unseen items kept separate from repeats. | Small-field sweep plus covered-system three-week rotation. |
| 21 | Execution audit Pacing, confidence calibration, answer-changing and recurrent stem errors. | No planned lectures. | Full simulation 2. Compare paper-specific performance and error types, not just total percentage. | Re-test Week 19 repairs; build the final four-week repair list. |
| Phase D · exact-paper conditioning, then taper | ||||
| 22 | Controlled repair Three highest-yield recurring gaps only. | Short source checks; no catalogue completion. | 160–200 mixed; one half-paper; images/EMQs; review every lucky guess. | Simulation 2 errors at 7–10 days. |
| 23 | Full simulation 3 Rehearse food, breaks, timing and sitting tolerance. | None unless a single repeated gap demands it. | Exact two-paper day, then detailed review. Answer every item; there is no negative marking. | Keep due cards and one short old-system set only. |
| 24 | Final curriculum sweep Look for blank domains, not interesting rabbit holes. | No new lecture unless it closes a blueprint blank. | 150–180 mixed, lighter late in week; one EMQ and one visual set. | Simulation 3 errors; high-risk facts and repeated reasoning failures. |
| 25 | Dress rehearsal Last full test early enough to recover and correct it. | None. | Full simulation 4 early in the week. Later work is short, targeted and confidence-calibrated. | One final check of recurrent errors; stop adding cards. |
| 26 | Taper Sleep, routine, logistics, brief recall of your own high-yield list. | None. | 60–80 familiar or targeted items early in the week; no late full mock. | Light due reviews only. Arrive rested rather than newly informed. |
Spacing is built into the timetable rather than left to good intentions. The intervals below are practical defaults; shorten them when recall is poor and lengthen them when performance is stable.
Week A cardiology + gastroenterology Week B respiratory + endocrinology Week C neurology + the lowest-scoring of the other four.
Repeat the cycle. Each focus block is 15–25 questions or one concentrated image/management set. All five also remain eligible for ordinary mixed blocks.
Protect, in order: due retrieval, the timed block, review of wrong/lucky answers, then new lectures. Move one lecture forward; do not create a six-lecture catch-up weekend.
Minimum viable week: 60 well-reviewed questions, two recall sessions, one visual set and due cards. Resume the sequence next week.
Three to four lecture-equivalents, 100–140 questions during coverage, daily short retrieval and one protected long question/review block.
Add questions and review, not extra note-making. Complete a half-paper or simulation when scheduled.
Use the minimum viable week. Keep spacing intact, accept slower new coverage and use Week 8 or 17 to recover one core gap.
Do not backfill everything. Re-enter with a 15-minute restart block, identify the highest-weight unfinished item, move only that item to the next buffer, then continue with the current week. A missed optional lecture is parked rather than converted into debt.
Give each source one job. That reduces platform-switching and stops a familiar or reconstructed item from masquerading as an unseen test.
Use the sample papers, practice questions and released Adult Medicine MCQ database to calibrate wording, paper balance and standard. Spend them slowly and record overlap.
Supplies most weekly volume: targeted sets after teaching, covered-system maintenance and the main mixed block. Verify questionable management answers against current Australian sources.
Use for unseen mixed and adaptive drills. It is a second measurement surface, not a second syllabus; stop adding volume if correction quality falls.
Use privately only if permitted under the current RACP agreement. Reconstruct and verify the answer. Old management, dose and threshold questions are quarantined by default.
| Source | Allocation | Job |
|---|---|---|
| PassFRACP | 70 | Current specialty plus scheduled maintenance. |
| iatroX | 30 | Unseen mixed/adaptive transfer. |
| Permitted recalls | up to 20 | Verified topic prompts; do not include in the fresh bank score. |
| Official RACP | checkpoint | Replaces an equal number above in scheduled calibration weeks. |
Keep the total near 60% CA / 40% MS. On a 100-question or survival week, reduce each commercial allocation proportionally rather than dropping Medical Sciences.
Never reproduce confidential exam stems publicly. Check the current participant agreement and RACP academic-integrity requirements before using circulated material.
There are useful additions, but no need for a third routine question bank. Add a resource only when it fills a defined gap.
Released items from the College’s own DWE database. Use small unseen sets at audits and log any overlap with the downloadable sample papers.
Complete the RACP course once for standards, logistics and the study toolkit. It is orientation, not a recurring weekly task.
The 2021/22 book covers both Clinical Applications and Medical Sciences with MCQs and EMQs. Useful for weak foundations; verify time-sensitive management.
Use your hospital access to settle Australian drug choice, dosing, interactions and common management disputes. Read the relevant entry; do not browse either cover to cover.
A recent RPA, Dunedin or comparable Australian/NZ course paper can provide an unfamiliar mock. Do not buy another complete lecture course merely to obtain more notes.
Useful extra volume for physiology, mechanisms and generic clinical reasoning. UK management answers require checking against Australian guidance.
Spaced retrieval is useful; a large flashcard deck is not compulsory. Use Anki only if it saves fragile facts without displacing questions, sleep or clinical reading.
The fact is discrete and durable: a threshold, dose, adverse effect, association, discriminating criterion, mechanism or repeated error. Add the source and specialty tag.
The prompt needs a paragraph, reproduces a slide, asks “tell me everything,” or tests a management pathway better learned through a case.
Start at 10–15 new cards/week and 15–20 min/day. If reviews exceed 25 minutes for three days, freeze new cards and prune duplicates or poor prompts.
CA Q30 ≈ 55 minCA Q65 ≈ 115 minfinish ≈ 165 min
MS Q30 ≈ 52 minMS Q60 ≈ 104 minfinish ≈ 112 min
These are buffer-building practice points, not College rules. Answer every item because incorrect answers are not penalised.
Create one tracker with: specialty, curriculum domain, coverage state (blank / learned / applied / stable), last retrieval date, fresh-question accuracy and next return. Import no giant premade deck. Choose the main bank and archive duplicate notes.
Do 50 mixed Clinical Applications questions and 35 mixed Medical Sciences questions on separate days, timed but without performance theatre. The result decides which “lowest-scoring” systems fill the maintenance slots.
Exam structure, dates and logistics. Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Divisional Written Examination, February 2027: application dates, exam and reserve dates, 2-paper format, item counts, MCQ/EMQ composition, timing, Adult Medicine blueprint, Victorian timetable, permitted items, scoring and preparation resources.
Official questions. The February 2027 RACP preparation page links member-only Adult Medicine practice questions, 100-question Clinical Applications and 70-question Medical Sciences sample papers, and a 30-question combined sample. RACP Online Learning search describes the Adult Medicine MCQ database as released DWE items for safe-practice learning and examination preparation.
Curriculum coverage. Eighteen supplied RACP Adult Internal Medicine Knowledge Guide exports, one for each blueprint specialty, read in full. RACP Knowledge Guides describes them as the baseline knowledge expected by the end of training. Key presentations/conditions were prioritised before less common/complex material.
Available teaching. Supplied College Learning Series – Current lectures 2025: Adult Medicine (updated 19 December 2025) and Acute Presentations for First Year Basic Physician Trainees – 2025. The sequence names available lectures rather than inventing a separate content course. Items marked “not live yet” were excluded from the core schedule.
Question-bank roles. PassFRACP and iatroX Australia product descriptions were used only to map their advertised features to distinct jobs. No independent head-to-head validation was found. RACP states that it does not endorse commercial preparation courses.
Optional book and mock. Gleadle J, Li J, Wu D, Kleinig P. How to Pass the FRACP Written Examination. Wiley, 2021/22. The RPA BPT Revision Course is an example of a current Australian course offering a 100-question, 3-hour trial; it is not required by this plan.
Spacing evidence. Maye & Hurley, Clinical Teacher 2026: systematic review/meta-analysis found improved objective-test performance with spaced repetition, while noting uncertainty about optimal delivery and long-term outcomes. Karpicke & Blunt, Science 2011: retrieval practice outperformed elaborative concept mapping in the studied experiments.
Attention and accessibility. W3C cognitive-accessibility guidance supports short critical paths, removing unnecessary content and clear reorientation cues. NICE NG87 supports individually chosen environmental modifications; examples include reducing distraction, shorter focus periods with movement breaks and reinforcing verbal requests in writing. These principles informed the quiet view, defined task units and written next-action rule; they do not prove this exact interface will suit every person with ADHD.
Caveats. Weekly source allocations, question volumes, spacing intervals, card limits and checkpoint times are planning defaults, not College requirements. Commercial-bank answers and old book content require current Australian verification. Circulated recalls should be used only if permitted by the current participant agreement and RACP academic-integrity requirements; they are not reproduced here.