Core Revision
DCH Core Resources
The official RCPCH links, the guidance that gets examined, and the Core Revision tools that go with them — all in one place.
Straight from the college
The RCPCH sets and awards the DCH. Where this page and the College disagree, the College is right.
The official DCH page
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health awards the DCH. Its examinations pages carry the definitive format, eligibility and results information.
Syllabus & regulations
The FOP is shared with the MRCPCH, so the FOP syllabus is your blueprint for the theory paper. The Clinical has its own station structure and marking domains.
Fees & sitting dates
The FOP runs three times a year and the Clinical twice, each with its own short application window. The FOP fee differs for UK and international candidates, the Clinical fee is the same for both, and fees do change — check before you plan.
How to apply
Applications go through the RCPCH. Note the seven-year window between components and apply for the Clinical in good time.
Key guidance to revise from
Paediatrics is a guideline-heavy exam. These are among the guidelines the questions draw on most.
- NICE NG143 — Fever in under 5sThe traffic-light system. If you learn one guideline properly, learn this one.
- NICE NG254 — Suspected sepsis in under 16sRecognition, risk stratification and escalation in children. Replaced NG51 for under-16s in November 2025; NICE is updating it around the national paediatric early warning score (PEWS). High-stakes, high-yield.
- NICE NG9 — Bronchiolitis in childrenWho to admit, who to send home, and what not to give.
- NICE NG245 — Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma managementThe joint NICE / BTS / SIGN guideline. Diagnosis has changed in recent years — make sure you are revising the current version.
- NICE NG224 — Urinary tract infection in under 16sWhen to investigate, when to image, and when to worry.
- NICE CG99 — Constipation in children and young peopleCommon, examinable, and frequently managed badly in real life.
- The Green Book — Immunisation against infectious diseaseThe definitive UK source on the childhood schedule, contraindications and catch-up. Expect immunisation questions.
- RCPCH clinical guidance and standardsGrowth charts, child protection and the College’s own standards — worth knowing where they sit.
- Safeguarding childrenRecognition, escalation and your duties. It appears in both the paper and the Clinical, and the examiners are unforgiving about it.
Recommended reading
One good textbook, one handbook, and the guidelines above will take you a very long way.
- Lissauer & Carroll, Illustrated Textbook of PaediatricsThe standard undergraduate and diploma-level text. Clear, visual, and pitched at exactly the right depth for the DCH.
- Oxford Handbook of PaediatricsA practical reference for the ward and for filling in the gaps a textbook leaves.
- Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS), Advanced Life Support GroupThe reference for the acutely unwell child. Even if you are not doing the course, the structured approach is what the Clinical rewards.
- RCPCH e-learning and the FOP syllabus itselfFree, aligned to the exam, and written by the people setting it. Underused by most candidates.
Your Core Revision toolkit
Everything below is part of your Core Revision membership. Start wherever you are — there is no wrong door.
The rest of the DCH toolkit
Every part of the DCH track, one click away. Work across them rather than through them — the guide explains it, the tools drill the decision, the bank tests it and the Compass tells you what is left.