FRCR exam prep, the whole journey.

The map: the stages, sat in order

Each stage must be passed before the next. Anatomy and Physics belong to the same first stage and can be taken together or separately.

First FRCR: Anatomy and Physics

Anatomy

An image-based paper: radiological anatomy, recognised on the kinds of images you will read for the rest of your career. Preparation is repetition with images in front of you, not lists. Our Part 1 Anatomy bank is in the works; leave your email on that page to hear the day it opens.

Physics

The physics paper covers the physics behind every imaging modality plus radiation safety, including the UK radiation regulations. Two properties shape how to prepare: there is no negative marking, so an unanswered item is a wasted item, and no fixed pass mark is published in advance, so the lever you control is coverage.

That makes physics a question-first exam: work the syllabus as questions, mark every statement true or false, and re-drill what you get wrong. Our FRCR Physics question bank is verified against current UK radiation legislation and its radiation hazards and protection chapter is free in full, so you can test the method before paying anything. When you are close to the date, sit a timed physics mock exam to rehearse pacing.

Final FRCR Part A (2A)

The 2A is a written single-best-answer exam spanning all six clinical modules, which makes it a breadth exam: the preparation problem is volume and recall across the whole of clinical radiology, not depth in one corner. Question banks and spaced repetition carry most of the load here.

Our FRCR 2A bank is coming; the page takes an email address and nothing else.

Final FRCR Part B (2B)

The 2B is where preparation has to change shape, because the exam stops asking what you know and starts scoring what you do and say. It has three components:

• Rapid reporting. 25 abnormal plain radiographs, marked out of 125, double-marked, pass mark set per sitting. Speed and the discipline of the committed sentence. Full detail in our rapid reporting guide.
• Long cases. Six cases in 75 minutes, marked out of 30, double-marked. Fewer cases, reported in structured depth. Full detail in our long cases guide.
• The oral. Since the June 2025 reform, every viva case is scored on five domains - knowledge, observation, clinical reasoning, clinical safety and management, communication - not the diagnosis alone. How that works is our marking scheme guide and viva guide.

Two more pages earn their place in any 2B plan: the examiners' reports, digested - the recurring mistakes the markers themselves describe, sitting after sitting - and an honest comparison of 2B prep options if you are deciding where to spend.

Timing: bookings and results

The calendar is the part of FRCR prep nobody teaches and everybody gets burned by. Three patterns from the published RCR dates are worth internalising:

• Booking windows open months ahead - for some sittings the window opens many months early - and close two to three months before exam day. If you wait until you feel ready to book, you will book a later sitting than you meant to.
• Results follow a steady rhythm: 2B results about five weeks after the reporting day, Part 1 results three weeks after the exam, 2A results just over three weeks after the papers.
• Sittings move. Dates are the RCR's to set and occasionally shift, so plan from the published calendar, not from last year's pattern.

Every published date, booking window and results day for the current cycle is on our FRCR exam dates page, verified against the RCR and updated after each sitting.

A prep method that survives a rota

Whatever the stage, the same four habits separate calm preparation from the frantic kind:

1. Book the date, then count backwards. A booked sitting turns "revise more" into a number of weeks, and a number of weeks into a weekly job list. Planning forwards from today always overestimates the time left.
2. Work question-first, little and often. Reading feels like progress; questions measure it. Short daily sessions on a phone beat rare heroic weekends, because the rota always wins against the weekend.
3. Train the scored behaviour, not just the knowledge. For physics that means true/false discipline under time. For 2B it means saying answers out loud, in the structure the marking rewards, until the structure is automatic.
4. Mock before the real thing. A timed rehearsal exposes pacing problems while they are still cheap to fix, and replaces "it felt fine" with a number.

Free material to start with

You can start every stage without spending anything, and you should - it is the fastest way to find out how you learn best:

• Radiopaedia's 2B playlists - free case sets candidates work through for the reporting components.
• The RCR's own published material - the examiners' reports and exam pages are free, primary-source coaching most candidates never read.
• Radiology Cafe - free revision notes and resource lists across the FRCR stages.
• Tungsten People's free tier - 15 fully scored 2B cases and one complete free chapter of the physics bank, no card required. A map of what each free source trains, and what it cannot, is on our free 2B cases page.

Common questions

In what order do you sit the FRCR exams?

The stages are sequential: First FRCR (Anatomy and Physics) first, then Final FRCR Part A, then Final FRCR Part B. Each stage must be passed before you move to the next. Anatomy and Physics can be taken in the same sitting or separately. Always confirm current eligibility rules on the RCR website.

How long does FRCR exam prep take?

The RCR publishes no official preparation time, and candidates sit the stages across several years of training. In practice most people give each stage its own dedicated block of months. The reliable way to size it is to book the sitting first and count the weeks backwards from the exam date, so every week has a defined job.

Can I prepare for the FRCR from outside the UK?

Yes. Many candidates prepare and sit from outside the UK. The specific gap to close is the UK pathway: 2B management answers are marked against UK practice, so preparation should teach the named UK guideline behind each answer rather than local practice.

Where can I practise FRCR cases for free?

Radiopaedia's FRCR 2B playlists, the RCR's own published material such as the examiners' reports, and Radiology Cafe's free revision notes. Tungsten People's free tier adds 15 fully scored 2B cases and one complete free chapter of the physics question bank, with no card required.

Is there a fixed FRCR pass mark?

No fixed mark is published in advance. Pass marks are standard-set per sitting, so the bar moves with the difficulty of the paper. That is why coverage and rehearsal matter more than chasing a target percentage.