To prepare for the RACP written exam, the Divisional Written Examination (DWE), work through it in order. Find your weak specialties with a timed baseline, apply in the window, plan your weeks around the blueprint and your roster, start the Medical Sciences paper early, and sit full timed papers in the last month. The next sitting is Tuesday 9 February 2027, and applications open at 10am AEDT on Monday 23 November 2026.
This page is the checklist, with each step linked to the detail. For the study method itself, see how to pass the RACP written exam.
The February 2027 sitting at a glance
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Applications open | 10am AEDT, Monday 23 November 2026 |
| Applications close | 5pm AEDT, Tuesday 8 December 2026 |
| Exam day | Tuesday 9 February 2027 |
| Reserve date | Tuesday 9 March 2027 |
If you start in mid-November, you have about 12 weeks. That's enough for a full run of the syllabus if you keep to a plan. The RACP's own DWE pages are the official source, so check them before you apply or book leave. The RACP exam dates 2027 page converts the application times to your state.
What you're preparing for
The adult medicine DWE has two papers, both single best answer with a few extended matching items, and no negative marking:
| Paper | Questions | What it asks |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Sciences | 70 | The physiology, pharmacology, statistics and mechanisms behind clinical decisions |
| Clinical Applications | 100 | Diagnosis, investigation and management in realistic clinical scenarios |
The RACP blueprint spreads the questions across the specialties. General Medicine has about 10 to 14, ten specialties have about 8 to 12 each, and Geriatric Medicine about 5 to 9. No single specialty carries the exam, so breadth comes first. For what the questions look like, with a worked example, see what RACP written exam questions look like.
Your preparation checklist
1. Sit a baseline this week
Before you open a textbook, sit a timed set across every specialty. It shows where you actually stand, so your first weeks go on your gaps rather than on topics you already know.
The free FRACP DWE Diagnostic is built for this: 40 questions in 71 minutes, weighted to the blueprint, with results by specialty. It needs no sign-up.
2. Apply early in the window
Applications run from 23 November to 8 December 2026. Apply early rather than on the last day, and keep the confirmation. How to apply for the RACP written exam has a checklist of what to have ready.
3. Choose your resources, and keep them few
You need three things: exam-style questions with explanations, full timed papers, and material that follows Australian guidance. One good question bank used well beats three used half-way. What to look for in an RACP or BPT question bank explains how to test one before you pay.
4. Plan your weeks around the roster
Write down your rotations, nights and leave between now and February, then fit the study around them:
- 20 to 40 questions on a ward day;
- a longer block on days off;
- your weakest specialties first, the strong ones later and lighter.
The 16-week RACP written exam study plan sets out the phases week by week. Starting in mid-November, shorten the specialty block and keep the last four weeks for timed papers and the taper.
5. Start the Medical Sciences paper early
It's 70 of the 170 questions, and it rewards steady practice more than a late cram. Statistics and pharmacology are two areas that are easy to leave late. The Biostatistics & Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics courses cover both.
6. Answer the Australian way
Management questions assume Australian practice: Therapeutic Guidelines (eTG) for prescribing, the PBS and TGA for what's funded and registered, and the Australian society guidelines. If you revise from overseas books, check the points where the right answer differs. The Australian Guidance Versus Overseas course is built around those questions.
7. Sit full timed papers from mid-January
Sit at least two full papers under real conditions: the right length, no interruptions, no phone. Spend as long reviewing each one as you spent sitting it, and turn what it shows into the next week's plan.
8. Taper in the last week
Keep doing short mixed sets, but stop heavy study a day or two before the exam and protect your sleep. Read the RACP's candidate information for the exam-day arrangements well before the day, so nothing is a surprise.
If you're re-sitting
Take a week off first. Then start from a fresh baseline rather than from the topics you remember finding hard: your gaps will have moved. The checklist above works the same way, and RACP written exam results: what to do next has more on planning the next attempt.
Where Physify fits
Physify is FRACP written and clinical exam preparation built on Australian guidance. Everything Physify has for the written exam is on one page: 11,100+ exam-style MCQs across 352 courses in 17 specialties, 18 full timed mock exams, spaced review of the questions you miss, and a daily plan that paces you to your exam date. Free, with no sign-up:
Common questions
How long does it take to prepare for the RACP written exam?
Most study plans run for 3 to 6 months alongside work. Twelve weeks is enough if you follow a plan, weight your time to your weak specialties and sit full papers before the day.
When should I start preparing for the February 2027 exam?
Now, with a baseline. Applications open on 23 November 2026, and the exam is on 9 February 2027, so a timed baseline this week tells you how to use the weeks in between.
Is the BPT written exam the same as the FRACP written exam?
Yes. Basic physician trainees (BPT) sit the RACP Divisional Written Examination, a step on the way to Fellowship (FRACP).
What should I prepare for after the written exam?
The Divisional Clinical Examination (DCE), with long and short cases. See how to prepare for the RACP clinical exam.