How we made this
We built this guide from the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) website and from the recalled FCPS Part 1 papers in our own question bank (more than 11,000 recalled MCQs, 2007 to October 2026). Written in October 2026. CPSP changes rules, fees and dates by notification, and some CPSP documents could not be read for this guide, so we have left out anything we could not check, including the number of questions and the time allowed. Always read the current FCPS Part I notification and guideline on cpsp.edu.pk before you apply.
The exam in one minute
- FCPS Part 1 is the first step of the CPSP fellowship (FCPS). You pass it before you register for FCPS Part II training.
- It is a computer-based examination of multiple-choice questions, and each candidate sits the paper for their own speciality group, for example Medicine and Allied, Surgery and Allied, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Anaesthesia or Radiology.
- It tests the basic sciences behind your speciality: anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, biochemistry and microbiology.
- Passing Part 1 does not last for ever. CPSP says Part 1 stays valid if you pass the IMM examination within six consecutive attempts, counted from the end of two years of training, and that Part II training must start within three years of passing Part 1.
- The number of questions, the time allowed, the fee and the dates are set in each CPSP notification. Check the current one on cpsp.edu.pk.
Who can sit it
- You need a medical or dental degree (MBBS or BDS), PMDC registration and a house job certificate.
- If your permanent documents are not ready yet, CPSP may give provisional permission on a temporary house job certificate, a provisional PMDC registration, or a provisional certificate from your college in place of the degree.
- If you sit on provisional permission, CPSP gives your result only when you submit the permanent certificates.
High-yield subjects
- Anatomy — about 30% of the recalled questions in our bank
- Physiology — about 27%
- Pathology — about 18%
- Pharmacology — about 13%
- Microbiology and biochemistry — about 6% each
From the 11,000+ recalled FCPS Part 1 MCQs in our bank, all speciality groups together. Recalls show what candidates remembered, not an official table, and each speciality group's paper leans towards its own subjects.
If you prefer books on paper
- SK and Rafi
- Past papers on paper, the book candidates actually work through.
- First Aid
- The high-yield basics across every subject.
- BRS Physiology and the BRS series
- Short books instead of long textbooks.
- MedSurgOnline
- Your speciality group's recalled papers and the explained MCQ pool, online — the exam is on a computer.
If you can study from a screen
If you prefer to revise on screen, MedSurgOnline has an FCPS Part 1 portal built from the recalled papers.
- Mixed MCQs pool: every recalled and textbook MCQ, subject by subject, each with an explanation.
- Speciality-wise past papers: choose your speciality group, then the recalled papers year by year, in practice mode or against the clock.
- Recalled answers are often wrong, so every answer key is checked against the standard textbooks before it goes live.
Look inside any exam free for 90 seconds at medsurgonline.com — no account needed.
Step by step
- Read the current CPSP notification Check the dates, fee, centres, the papers for your speciality group and the closing date on cpsp.edu.pk before you plan anything.
- Get your documents in order early Degree, PMDC registration and house job certificate. If any are provisional, read CPSP's rules on provisional permission first.
- Study by subject, then test by subject Read a topic, then do its MCQs straight away. Read the explanation for every question, including those you got right.
- Spend your time where the marks are In the recalled papers, anatomy and physiology together make up more than half the questions; pathology and pharmacology most of the rest.
- Finish with your speciality's past papers In the last weeks, sit your speciality group's recalled papers against the clock and review every wrong answer.
A timetable
- Weeks 1–4
- Anatomy (regional, then neuroanatomy, histology and embryology). MCQs on each region the same day.
- Weeks 5–7
- Physiology, system by system, with MCQs after each system.
- Weeks 8–9
- Pathology: general pathology, then the systems most relevant to your speciality.
- Week 10
- Pharmacology: general principles, then drugs by system.
- Week 11
- Biochemistry and microbiology.
- Week 12
- Your speciality group's recalled past papers, timed, then every wrong answer reviewed.
A 12-week plan for someone studying alongside a job; stretch or squeeze it to fit your date. Keep one day a week for revising the weeks before.
Short on time?
- Anatomy and physiology first: more than half the recalled questions.
- Then pathology and pharmacology, by MCQs rather than reading.
- Sit at least two of your speciality group's recalled papers against the clock.
Common mistakes
- Applying without reading the current CPSP notification.
- Reading textbooks cover to cover without doing MCQs.
- Trusting recalled answers without checking them in a standard textbook.
- Leaving biochemistry and microbiology to the last day.
Screen or paper?
Try one week on screen. If you remember what you read and can keep going for 2–3 hours, stay on screen. If not, use Route 1 and use the website only for MCQ practice.
Practise for CPSP FCPS Part 1 on MedSurgOnline
Open our FCPS Part 1 resources straight away.
Practise the Mixed MCQs pool →Open speciality-wise past papers →Sources
- CPSP — frequently asked questions (provisional permission, validity of Part I)
- CPSP — College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (notifications and examination guidelines)
Always check the latest official notice before you rely on any date or rule.