FCPS-I Exam-Day Format: Two Papers, 200 MCQs, Sessions and Centres

Candidates spend months on the content of FCPS-I and about ten minutes on its mechanics, which is a mistake: timing, sessions and centre logistics decide a surprising number of marks. This article sets out the format of the examination as the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) describes it in its own sitting notifications, with the January 2026 notification as the reference, and adds practical advice for the day.

The paper

• Two papers, 100 questions each. FCPS-I is computer-based, with 100 single-best-answer MCQs in Paper I and 100 in Paper II.
• Two hours per paper. That is 72 seconds a question, with no time carried between papers.
• Two sessions a day. Session 1 runs Paper I from 8:30 to 10:30 and Paper II from 11:00 to 13:00; Session 2 runs Paper I from 14:00 to 16:00 and Paper II from 16:30 to 18:30. You are allotted a session; you do not choose it.
• Up to three days. Depending on candidate numbers the examination may run for two or three days around the published date; your exact date and time are on the admit card.

Subjects and centres

Eleven subject groups are offered: Anaesthesiology, Community Medicine, Dentistry, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Pathology, Diagnostic Radiology, Psychiatry, Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Medicine and Allied, and Surgery and Allied. Centres listed in the 2026 notification are Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Abbottabad, Multan, Hyderabad, Larkana, Quetta, Peshawar, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad and Gilgit; the college reserves the right to drop a centre or move candidates for logistical reasons. Subject and centre changes are made only through the e-Portal, and refund requests follow the same route; the college does not accept hard-copy or email requests.

Eligibility and attempts, briefly

You need an MBBS (or BDS for Dentistry) registered with PM&DC, a completed one-year house job at a recognised institution finishing at least one month before the exam date, and a valid registration certificate. The exam is held four times a year, but a candidate may appear in a maximum of three sittings in a calendar year. The 2027 dates are 5 January, 6 April, 6 July and 5 October.

Practising the mechanics

1. Sit timed 100-question blocks. Not 50, not 200: the real unit is 100 questions in 120 minutes. Do at least six of these before the exam, two of them back to back with a 30-minute gap to mimic the session.
2. Learn your pace at the 25-question marks. At 30 minutes you should be past question 25; at 60 minutes past 50. If you are behind, mark and move; the computer interface lets you return within the paper.
3. Decide a guessing policy in advance. With single-best-answer questions, an unanswered question earns nothing; a reasoned guess has a one-in-five floor and usually better. Never leave blanks at the end.
4. Rehearse the break. The half-hour between papers is for water, a small snack and silence. Discussing Paper I with other candidates is the fastest way to lose Paper II.

The week before

• Download the admit card from the e-Portal as soon as it is released and check the date, session and centre against your travel plan.
• Visit the centre if it is in another city; morning sessions start at 8:30 and traffic in Karachi or Lahore is not a defence.
• Pack your identification and admit card the night before. Mobile phones and smart watches are not allowed into the hall; plan where they will be kept.

What this means for your preparation

Build your final month around the exam's real shape: timed 100-question papers, subject-mixed, reviewed the next day. FAME's FCPS-1 mock tests are set to the 100-question, two-hour format with a session-style pair available, so the day itself holds no surprises.

Sources and references

• CPSP: Notification for the FCPS-I online examination (January 2026): format, sessions, eligibility, centres
• CPSP: Examinations schedule 2026 and 2027