Stage 1
Learn the concept
Short, focused reading on one mechanism or relationship. Stop when you can state it in one sentence and say which direction each variable moves.
Revision strategy
How to revise for FRCR Part 1 Physics.
First FRCR comprises Anatomy and Physics modules. The Physics module is a 40-question multiple choice examination delivered over 2 hours, with five True/False items per question and 200 independently marked statements in total. The revision approach below is built around that format rather than around reading time.
What the exam is testing
The RCR describes the purpose of the Physics assessment as understanding the physical principles that underpin image generation, the rational selection of imaging modalities, the recognition and cause of artefacts, risk, safety and quality, and the justification of ionising radiation exposures. Read as revision instructions, that means the paper rewards three things:
- Mechanism. Why a signal exists at all, and what physically produces contrast in each modality.
- Direction of change. If a parameter increases, what happens to noise, resolution, dose, contrast or scan time — and whether the relationship is linear, inverse or conditional.
- Consequence in practice. Artefact recognition, safety rules and the reasoning behind justification of exposures.
Current RCR candidate guidance also notes that syllabus sections 4.22, 4.23 and 4.24 relating to molecular imaging are not currently examined. Confirm the position for your own sitting before you decide to skip anything.
Dividing time across the eight headings
The current RCR Physics distribution is set out below. It tells you how the marks are spread; it does not tell you how long you personally need on each heading. Weight your time by the product of exam weight and your own weakness, not by question count alone.
| RCR heading | Questions | Statements |
|---|---|---|
| Matter and radiation | 3 | 15 |
| Radiography and fluoroscopy | 6 | 30 |
| Radionuclide imaging | 6 | 30 |
| Radiation safety | 6 | 30 |
| CT | 6 | 30 |
| MRI | 6 | 30 |
| Ultrasound | 6 | 30 |
| Other | 1 | 5 |
Two practical consequences. First, no single heading can carry you: six questions is thirty statements, so a strong modality is worth real marks but not a pass on its own. Second, Matter and radiation is small in question count yet underpins attenuation, interactions and dose concepts that appear inside other headings, so it is usually a poor place to economise.
The three-stage loop
Stage 2
Answer statements
Immediately work stems on that concept. Commit to all five items before revealing anything. The statement is the test, the reading was only preparation.
Stage 3
Diagnose the misconception
For each wrong item, name the failure: missing fact, wrong direction, unit or magnitude, misread condition, or misapplied rule. Write the corrected principle, not the question.
The loop is deliberately short. A block of ten stems with honest diagnosis beats an afternoon of reading, because it produces a list of specific corrections instead of a general feeling of familiarity.
Error logs and spaced review, kept small
An error log is useful only while it stays smaller than your practice. Keep one line per corrected misconception, in this shape:
Heading · the statement that caught you · the corrected principle · the failure type
- Review the log at the start of the next session, not at the end of the current one.
- Re-test entries by answering fresh statements on the same concept rather than rereading your own line.
- Retire an entry after two clean re-tests, so the log shrinks as your accuracy improves.
- Cap note-making at roughly ten minutes per hour of practice. If notes take longer, the ratio is wrong.
When to move from topic blocks to mocks
- Topic blocks while a heading is still being learnt. You know a block is finished when your errors are edge cases rather than mechanisms.
- Mixed blocks once two or three headings are secure. Mixing forces you to identify the modality and the relevant principle before answering, which is what the paper actually demands.
- Timed full mocks in the final phase, spaced so that each mock is followed by repair work. Two well-reviewed mocks are worth more than five unreviewed ones.
An adaptable 12-week framework
This is an example, not a prescription. Compress or extend it around clinical commitments and your own diagnostic results.
Weeks 1–2
Baseline and foundations: review the official format, Matter and Radiation, radiography and fluoroscopy, and radiation safety. Work untimed topic blocks and read explanations after each complete stem.
Weeks 3–4
CT and MRI: build the core acquisition, image-quality, artefact, dose and safety relationships. Add short retrieval blocks from the first fortnight.
Weeks 5–6
Ultrasound and radionuclide imaging: connect wave or decay physics to detector behaviour, artefacts, safety and practical image formation.
Weeks 7–8
First consolidation: rotate across all headings, revisit recurring misconceptions and introduce longer mixed blocks without abandoning focused repair work.
Weeks 9–10
Timed performance: use an exam-length mock, separate incorrect from unanswered items, and complete targeted recovery blocks before another full paper.
Weeks 11–12
Final consolidation and taper: use one final representative mock early enough to review it, revisit a small error log, protect sleep and avoid opening large new resources in the final 72 hours.
Common inefficient revision behaviours
Rewriting textbooks
Long, linear notes feel productive and generate almost no retrieval. Notes should be short and written after you got something wrong, not before you have tested it.
Reading explanations passively
If you read the explanation before committing to an answer, you lose the diagnostic signal. Commit to all five statements first, then read.
Rehearsing strengths
Repeatedly practising the modality you enjoy inflates confidence. Let the error log, not preference, choose the next block.
Timing too early
Timing added before concepts are secure trains speed at guessing. Add timing once you can justify why a statement is true or false.
Collecting resources
Switching between several banks and courses replaces practice with logistics. One primary source plus the official RCR guidance is enough.
Ignoring the boundary cases
Most incorrect statements are true-in-general but false in a stated edge case. Note the condition that flipped it, not just the fact.
Start the loop today
Work five complete stems with no account to calibrate where you are, then use the exam-length mock once a few headings feel secure.
Physics revision guides
Choose your next guide
Core candidate guides
Exam format and syllabus distribution
The 40-stem, 200-item paper, timing, marking, current topic distribution and official candidate guidance.
Pass mark and standard setting
How modified Angoff and Hofstee standard setting work, and why there is no permanent fixed percentage.
True/False exam technique
Statement-level pacing, absolutes, units, proportionality, trade-offs and a disciplined review method.
Mock exams and question-bank practice
Use targeted stems and exam-length mocks for different jobs, then convert each result into focused recovery work.
Topic revision guides
Matter and Radiation
FRCR Physics matter and radiation revision: atomic structure, photon energy, attenuation, interactions, inverse square law and common True/False traps.
Radiography and Fluoroscopy
FRCR Physics radiography and fluoroscopy revision: X-ray production, detectors, grids, AEC, image quality, fluoroscopic dose and common exam traps.
Radionuclide Imaging
FRCR Physics radionuclide revision: decay, gamma cameras, collimators, SPECT, PET, counting statistics, corrections, dose and common True/False traps.
Radiation Safety
FRCR Physics radiation safety revision: dose quantities, biological effects, IRR17, IR(ME)R 2017, duty holders, optimisation, DRLs and common traps.
Ultrasound
FRCR Physics ultrasound revision: acoustics, transducers, pulse and beam properties, resolution, Doppler, artefacts, safety and common True/False traps.
Computed Tomography
Attenuation, Hounsfield units, helical acquisition, reconstruction, dose indices, artefacts and dual-energy CT.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Precession, relaxation, encoding, k-space, SNR trade-offs, artefacts and MRI safety.
Practise what you have revised
Work five complete stems with no account, or sit an exam-length mock with a free account.
Further reading
- RCR: FRCR Part 1 (CR1) guidance notes for candidates
- RCR: Purpose of assessment statement — Physics
- RCR: Tips for preparing for your exams — CR1 Physics
The Physics Bank is independent examination preparation. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Royal College of Radiologists. Exam rules change: always check the current RCR candidate guidance for your own sitting.