How the DRCOG expression of interest works and what if you miss it

Short answer: the expression of interest is an online form you must submit by each sitting’s deadline; miss it and you cannot book that sitting. Only candidates who submit it in time are given the chance to book. After a missed deadline your next chance is the following sitting, six months later. For the April 2027 exam the form closes on Wednesday 16 December 2026. Checked against rcog.org.uk on 16 October 2026.

What the expression of interest is

Booking the DRCOG takes two steps. First you tell the RCOG you want to sit, by submitting the expression of interest form before the deadline. Then, when the booking window opens, you book a seat at a test centre and pay the fee.

The form is not a booking. The RCOG says plainly that completing it “does not guarantee a place on the next exam”. It only gives you the opportunity to book.

You also need a new form for every sitting. Forms sent for earlier exams are not valid, so the one you filled in before a previous attempt will not carry over to a resit.

What to have ready

• An RCOG online account. You need one before you start the form. If you already have an account, use it; the RCOG asks you not to create a second one. Enter “Dr” as your title and make sure your name matches your degree certificate.
• Your College account number. It has six digits and is shown on your “My Account” page. The account number and email address on the form must match your RCOG account. If they do not, you will not be eligible to book.
• Your GMC or Medical Council of Ireland number. It must be in your account under “My Details” before you book. If it is missing or wrong, email the exams team at exams@rcog.org.uk.
• A declaration. The form asks you to confirm that you are not suspended or removed from practice and not involved in disciplinary proceedings.

How to submit it

The form is on the RCOG’s DRCOG expression of interest page, behind the “Start application” link. Check your details before you submit. You will then see a confirmation screen in your browser.

Take a screenshot of that screen. The RCOG recommends this. No confirmation email is sent, so keep the screenshot until you have booked.

What happens after you submit

Nothing happens until the booking window opens. Then the RCOG emails eligible candidates with instructions for booking a place at an available Pearson VUE test centre. The fee is paid at that stage: £578 including VAT at UK centres or £482 in the Republic of Ireland.

There are 137 Pearson VUE centres across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Those are the only places you can sit it; there is no remote option. The RCOG cannot guarantee space at every centre on a given date. In our view it pays to book in the first few days of the window if you want the centre nearest home.

The 2027 timeline at a glance

For April there are five weeks between the form closing and booking opening, so expect the booking email around 21 January. For October the gap is under three weeks and the booking window lasts four weeks, not six. Results dates and the rest of the year are in DRCOG 2027: dates, booking windows and how to prepare.

What if you miss the deadline

Then you cannot book that sitting. The RCOG says only candidates who submitted the form within the deadline will be given the opportunity to book. We found no late route on its pages.

In practice your next chance is the following sitting. Miss Wednesday 16 December 2026 and you are looking at October 2027, with the form closing on Friday 16 July 2027.

If you think something went wrong, such as account details that did not match, contact the exams team straight away. Do not assume a late form will be accepted.

Missing April is not a disaster. Six more months of question practice does no harm, especially if the AKT or SCA is competing for your evenings.

Our advice

Put the deadline in your diary today. 16 December falls in the run-up to Christmas, when forms are easy to forget.

Check your account well before the deadline. Make sure your GMC or MCI number is under “My Details”. If anything needs fixing, the exams team needs time to sort it.

How this fits the platform

Once you have booked, the Core Calendar is our revision planner for the weeks up to exam day. It sits in the DRCOG hub with the question bank of 850 single-best-answer questions across the seven RCOG modules. There is a timed mock of 120 questions in three hours too. You also get the twelve-chapter revision guide, the Core Tools and the Core 10, ten questions a day. Access is £49.99 for 12 months as a one-off payment with no auto-renewal. You can try ten questions free first.

Quick answers

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