No one outside the GMC knows how often each topic appears, so be wary of “guaranteed” lists. A sensible way to prioritise is to start with common, serious and safety-critical conditions, then fill gaps from the GMC’s content map.
A practical order
| Priority | Areas | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emergencies: sepsis, anaphylaxis, acute coronary syndromes, stroke, head injury, upper GI bleeding, ABCDE assessment | Safety-critical and tested in every setting |
| 2 | Common chronic disease: hypertension, diabetes, asthma, COPD, heart failure, CKD | First-line drugs and monitoring come straight from NICE |
| 3 | Obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, mental health | Large areas where many candidates have less UK exposure |
| 4 | Prescribing and safe practice: BNF, interactions, renal and pregnancy cautions | Common source of wrong answers |
| 5 | Ethics, law and professionalism, evidence and statistics | Marks that are quick to gain; see Good Medical Practice |
How to revise each topic
- Open the current NICE guideline or CKS page.
- Write: presentation, key investigation, first-line, second-line, when to refer.
- Do 10 questions on it the same week.
- Add every missed question to a revision list and revisit it after a week.
The map from topic to guideline is in the UK guidelines to learn. Put the topics into a calendar with a study plan.
Related guides
General education, reviewed 24 October 2026. Guidance changes: confirm with the official sources. Not medical, legal or immigration advice.