DRCOG 2027: exam dates, booking windows, format and how to prepare

The DRCOG runs twice in 2027: Saturday 3 April 2027 and Saturday 2 October 2027. It is one three-hour computer-based paper of 120 single-best-answer questions, sat at a test centre in the UK or Republic of Ireland, and the RCOG currently lists the fee as £578 at UK centres. Below are the RCOG’s published booking windows and results dates for both 2027 sittings, the format and pass mark, the seven syllabus modules, and a preparation plan that fits around a GP rotation. Checked against rcog.org.uk on 21 September 2026.

Key dates

Sitting	Expression of interest closes	Booking opens	Booking closes	Exam	Results
October 2026	17 July 2026 (closed)	6 August 2026	3 September 2026 (closed)	Saturday 3 October 2026	Wednesday 4 November 2026
April 2027	Wednesday 16 December 2026	Thursday 21 January 2027	Thursday 4 March 2027	Saturday 3 April 2027	Tuesday 4 May 2027
October 2027	Friday 16 July 2027	Thursday 5 August 2027	Thursday 2 September 2027	Saturday 2 October 2027	Wednesday 3 November 2027

The RCOG runs an expression of interest round before each booking window — for October 2026 it closed on 17 July — and you cannot book without having registered interest first. The 2027 deadlines are published: Wednesday 16 December 2026 for the April 2027 sitting and Friday 16 July 2027 for October 2027. The 2027 dates above are from the RCOG’s exam booking calendar; the DRCOG key-dates page itself still shows only October 2026 and will be updated by the college in due course.

Who can sit it

Any doctor registered with the GMC or the Medical Council of Ireland. There is no prerequisite course and no portfolio. The RCOG lists GP trainees, GPs, FY2 and core-training doctors, and doctors working in O&G who are not pursuing the MRCOG as the intended candidates. For a GP registrar the natural time is during or immediately after the obstetrics and gynaecology block, while the ward round is still fresh.

Exam format and pass mark

• 120 single-best-answer questions, each worth two marks, in three hours — 90 seconds a question.
• Computer-based, at a test centre in the UK or Republic of Ireland. It is an in-person exam; there is no remote option.
• The pass mark is set by the modified Angoff method: a panel of consultants and GPs judges each question against the standard a competent GP trainee should reach. There is no fixed pass mark and no quota, so the pass mark and pass rate both move between sittings.
• A maximum of five attempts.

Fees

The RCOG currently lists the fee as £578 including VAT for UK test centres and £482 for the Republic of Ireland; the banding follows the centre you sit at, not where you live. Check the figure on the RCOG booking page when you book, as fees can change between sittings.

The syllabus: seven modules

1. The individual seeking fertility regulation and sexual health assessment
2. The couple with subfertility
3. The woman in early pregnancy
4. The pregnant woman
5. The peripartum woman and the neonate
6. The girl or woman with emergency or urgent gynaecological problems
7. The girl or woman with non-urgent gynaecological problems

The paper samples across all seven, but the emphasis is primary care: contraception and its eligibility criteria, antenatal screening and the common problems of pregnancy, menstrual disorders, menopause, and what to refer and how urgently. Questions are set to UK guidance — NICE, the RCOG Green-top guidelines and the UKMEC for contraception — and much of the paper is the material a GP uses every week.

A realistic way to prepare

1. Twelve weeks out: a module a week for seven weeks, in the RCOG’s order, reading the relevant NICE and Green-top summaries alongside. The RCOG’s own DRCOG revision resource has question practice with feedback and is worth working through once.
2. Weeks eight to ten: contraception and early pregnancy again. Modules 1 and 3 are where GPs have the most daily exposure and where the details — UKMEC categories, missed-pill rules, the management of a pregnancy of unknown location — are most precisely examined.
3. The final fortnight: two full 120-question mocks in three hours. The paper is long enough that pacing matters; most candidates who run out of time do so because they re-read stems rather than because they do not know the answers.

How this fits the platform

The DRCOG hub brings together the question bank, the revision guide, the daily Core 10 and the Core Calendar, which already carries both 2027 sittings. Everything is built around the seven RCOG modules so that a weak module in your mock results points at a chapter.

Quick answers

When is the DRCOG in 2027?

Saturday 3 April 2027 (expression of interest by 16 December 2026; booking 21 January to 4 March; results 4 May) and Saturday 2 October 2027 (expression of interest by 16 July 2027; booking 5 August to 2 September; results 3 November).

Who can sit the DRCOG?

Any doctor with GMC or Medical Council of Ireland registration. There is no prerequisite course.

What is the format?

One computer-based paper of 120 single-best-answer questions in three hours, each worth two marks, at a UK or Irish test centre.

How much does the DRCOG cost?

£578 including VAT at UK centres (£482 in the Republic of Ireland), as currently listed by the RCOG. Check the booking page for the fee when you book.

How is the pass mark set?

By the modified Angoff method for each paper, against the standard of a competent GP trainee. There is no fixed pass mark.

How many attempts are allowed?

Five.

Keep reading

• Is the DRCOG worth it for GPs and GP trainees?
• How the DRCOG expression of interest works and what if you miss it
• A 12-week DRCOG plan alongside GP training
• The DRCOG pass mark and pass rate explained
• The DRCOG Diploma hub
• The DRCOG Revision Guide
• The DRCOG Core 10 — ten questions a day

Dates, fees and format are set by the RCOG and can change — always confirm on rcog.org.uk before you book. Core Revision is an independent revision resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCOG.