About the exam
First FRCR Exam structure
An independent study guide aligned to the current First FRCR Clinical Radiology Anatomy and Physics modules, official candidate guidance and current clinical radiology curriculum.
Issuer and path
First FRCR Radiology Study Guide is administered through The Royal College of Radiologists. Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
First FRCR Anatomy
100 scored + 0 pretest
A 90-minute image-viewing module of 100 free-text identification questions, marked 0, 1 or 2 for anatomical precision.
First FRCR Physics
40 scored + 0 pretest
A two-hour MCQ module of 40 stems, each containing five independently scored True/False statements.
Before applying and before examination day
Recheck the live CR1 page, regulations, venue notice and candidate communications for eligibility approval, module booking, identification, platform, timing and any adjustment. Do not assume that online delivery means remote sitting.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anatomy: Head, Neck and Spine | 25 | 76 | 16 | Strong |
| Anatomy: Thoracic and Cardiovascular | 25 | 75 | 16 | Strong |
| Anatomy: Abdomen and Pelvis | 25 | 75 | 32 | Strong |
| Anatomy: Musculoskeletal | 25 | 75 | 8 | Strong |
| Physics: Matter and Radiation | 3 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| Physics: Radiography and Fluoroscopy | 6 | 45 | 4 | Strong |
| Physics: Radionuclide Imaging | 6 | 45 | 4 | Strong |
| Physics: Radiation Safety | 6 | 45 | 4 | Strong |
| Physics: Computed Tomography | 6 | 45 | 4 | Strong |
| Physics: Magnetic Resonance Imaging | 6 | 45 | 4 | Strong |
| Physics: Ultrasound | 6 | 45 | 4 | Strong |
| Physics: Other and Common Themes | 1 | 8 | 4 | Strong |
How to use this guide
How to prepare for the current First FRCR
Build precise radiological-anatomy recall across modalities, then connect each Physics statement to image formation, quality, dose, safety and current UK regulation.
1. Identify the module task
For Anatomy, determine exactly what the arrow and command require. For Physics, separate the stem into five independent propositions.
2. Establish the frame
Orient modality, plane, side and level in Anatomy; identify the mechanism, system boundary, units and assumptions in Physics.
3. Use discriminating relationships
Trace anatomical continuity and neighbours, or follow energy, signal, dose and information through the imaging chain.
4. Check precision and currency
Name the exact structure and laterality, or verify whether a Physics statement uses current UK legislation and valid conditions.
5. Commit within time
Type one precise Anatomy response or mark each Physics statement True or False; answer all Physics statements because there is no negative marking.
Official allocation
Cover four Anatomy areas and eight Physics groups
The Anatomy rows total 100 image questions and the Physics rows total 40 five-statement stems; cross-cutting Anatomy modality percentages are not double-counted.
Anatomy: Head, Neck and Spine
Brain, skull, face and neck plus the spinal content grouped here to follow the live Anatomy body's 25% Head, Neck and Spine allocation.
Choose a topic to open below
Anatomy: Thoracic and Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular, bronchopulmonary, chest-wall, diaphragmatic, breast and axillary anatomy across the examinable modalities.
Choose a topic to open below
Anatomy: Abdomen and Pelvis
Bowel, upper abdominal viscera, body wall, spaces, genitourinary and gynaecological structures, vessels and lymph nodes.
Choose a topic to open below
Anatomy: Musculoskeletal
Upper and lower limb bones, joints, muscles, nerves and vessels, including the growing skeleton; Spine is counted in the live Head, Neck and Spine allocation.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Matter and Radiation
Atomic and nuclear structure, photon and electron interactions, beam filtration, radioactivity, decay and radiopharmaceutical production.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Radiography and Fluoroscopy
X-ray production, receptors, scatter control, contrast, mammography, fluoroscopy, angiography, digitisation and image quality.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Radionuclide Imaging
Gamma-camera, collimation, acquisition, SPECT, PET, hybrid imaging, reconstruction, quantification, safety and quality.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Radiation Safety
Dose quantities, biological effects, optimisation, UK statutory duties, staff and patient protection, incidents and contamination.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Computed Tomography
Scanner geometry, acquisition, reconstruction, image quality, advanced techniques, dose metrics, optimisation and artefacts.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Signal generation, spatial encoding, contrast, sequences, diffusion, flow, acceleration, artefacts, safety and quality assurance.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Ultrasound
Wave behaviour, transducers, beam formation, pulse-echo imaging, controls, Doppler, advanced techniques, artefacts and safety.
Choose a topic to open below
Physics: Other and Common Themes
Pixels, voxels, display, image quality, processing, reconstruction, DICOM, storage, quality assurance and cross-modality decisions.
Choose a topic to open below
Brain
Ventricles, CSF spaces, cerebral and cerebellar anatomy, deep nuclei, major white-matter tracts, cranial nerves, vessels and sellar structures.
Key rules
Rule 1
Ventricles, CSF spaces, cerebral and cerebellar anatomy, deep nuclei, major white-matter tracts, cranial nerves, vessels and sellar structures.
Exam cue: Orient axial, coronal and sagittal CT or MR images by side, level, ventricle, grey-white landmarks and the skull base.
Rule 2
Distinguish paired structures, named arterial territories, venous sinuses, basal nuclei and the components of the posterior fossa and sellar region.
Exam cue: Distinguish paired structures, named arterial territories, venous sinuses, basal nuclei and the components of the posterior fossa and sellar region.
Common traps
Naming only a lobe or organ when the arrow identifies a precise gyrus, nucleus, tract, vessel, ventricle or cistern.
Prevention: Read the image marker and command before committing; a correct structure with wrong side or insufficient specificity can lose marks.
Memory anchors
How should a cross-sectional brain image be oriented?
Confirm modality, plane, side and level, then use ventricles, midline, grey-white structures and skull-base landmarks.
What precision does an arrowed cerebral vessel require?
Name the specific artery or venous sinus, including the side when the structure is paired.
Which structures organise posterior-fossa anatomy?
Cerebellar hemispheres and vermis, brainstem, fourth ventricle, cisterns, cranial nerves and major vessels.
What is the key sellar orientation sequence?
Identify sphenoid sinus, sella and pituitary, cavernous sinuses, carotid arteries and suprasellar structures.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
At the level of the foramen of Monro, which structure forms the lateral wall of the frontal horn of the lateral ventricle?
Which artery normally travels in the Sylvian fissure before dividing over the lateral cerebral surface?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
RCR: FRCR Part 1 (Radiology) - CR1
Current examination landing page, qualification purpose, 2026 sittings, venues, fees and candidate resources.
RCR: CR1 guidance notes for candidates
Current module structure, entry requirements, Physics distribution, Anatomy timing, marking, standard setting and conduct.
Guidance for the First FRCR Examination
Detailed current Anatomy and Scientific Basis of Imaging learning outcomes and syllabus tables.
RCR: Anatomy purpose of assessment
Purpose, modality boundary, ST1 expectation, 100-question format and precision of anatomical recall.
RCR: Anatomy advice for candidates
Current body-area, modality, age and normal-variant blueprint plus marking and answer precision advice.
RCR: Physics purpose of assessment
Scientific Basis of Imaging purpose, modality coverage, selection, quality, risk and justification outcomes.
RCR: Clinical radiology curriculum
Official current curriculum index and May 2023 update link.
Clinical Radiology Curriculum update, 15 May 2023
Current curriculum framework and summative assessment mapping for the two First FRCR modules.
RCR: exam regulations and policies
Current eligibility, module order, attempt, exemption and candidate-conduct rules.
RCR: Physics specimen questions
Official examples of the five-statement True/False item form; use current guidance rather than legacy specimen wording for legislation.
FAQ
Common First FRCR questions
Is this an official RCR resource?
No. This is an independent study guide. The RCR's live CR1 page, candidate guidance, curriculum, regulations and direct candidate communications remain authoritative.
What does the frcr-part-1 slug cover?
It covers First FRCR in Clinical Radiology, also labelled CR1: the Anatomy and Physics or Scientific Basis of Imaging modules. It does not cover the separate First FRCR in Clinical Oncology, Final FRCR Part A or Final FRCR Part B.
Must Anatomy and Physics be taken together?
No. Candidates may enter one or both modules at a sitting, take them in either order and retain a module pass. Both modules must eventually be passed for overall First FRCR success.
How does the Anatomy module work?
It is a 90-minute computer-based image-viewing examination containing 100 images and associated questions. One structure is indicated by one or more arrows, and candidates type a free-text answer to the question about that structure.
How precise must an Anatomy answer be?
The RCR awards two marks for complete accuracy, one for a less accurate but still correct answer and zero for an incorrect or insufficiently precise answer. Laterality and the requested level of anatomical detail matter, and examiners recognise internationally used terminology.
What is the Anatomy content blueprint?
The live advice page gives four equal body-area allocations of 25% each: abdomen and pelvis; head, neck and spine; musculoskeletal; and thoracic and cardiovascular. The same paper is cross-blueprinted by modality, patient age and normal-variant status.
Why is Spine grouped with Head and Neck in this guide?
The live Anatomy advice blueprint allocates 25% to “Head, Neck, Spine”, while the detailed syllabus table lists Spine beneath its Musculoskeletal system heading. This guide keeps Spine in the live blueprint allocation for counting and preserves its detailed vertebral, neural and soft-tissue syllabus coverage as a dedicated topic.
Which Anatomy modalities are represented?
The published weighting is 10% contrast studies, 22% CT, 22% MRI, 18% ultrasound and 28% radiographs. The detailed syllabus also says nuclear medicine, including PET, is excluded from the Anatomy curriculum.
Is paediatric Anatomy examinable?
Yes. The live blueprint assigns 5% to paediatric imaging and 95% to adults. Candidates need to recognise the growing skeleton, ossification centres and common normal variants across the relevant modalities.
How does the Physics module work?
It is a two-hour computer-based MCQ module containing 40 question stems. Each stem has five statements labelled a to e, and each statement is answered True or False. Any number of the five statements may be true, including all or none.
How is Physics distributed?
The current guidance allocates 3 stems to Matter and Radiation; 6 each to Radiography and Fluoroscopy, Radionuclide Imaging, Radiation Safety, CT, MRI and Ultrasound; and 1 to Other. These sum to 40 stems and are not 200 separately blueprinted questions.
Is there negative marking in Physics?
No. Each correctly answered True/False statement earns one mark and an incorrect statement earns zero. The RCR therefore encourages candidates to answer every statement. A calculator is not required.
Which UK radiation legislation is current for this module?
The current guidance specifies the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017. Some live specimen questions still display superseded 1999 and 2000 wording, so they should be used to learn item form rather than current legislative detail.
Is every topic in the detailed Physics syllabus currently examined?
No. The live candidate guidance explicitly says syllabus sections 4.22, 4.23 and 4.24 relating to molecular imaging are not currently examined. The wider radionuclide, SPECT, PET and hybrid-imaging syllabus remains within scope subject to that stated exclusion.
Which curriculum is current?
The RCR's current curriculum page links the Clinical Radiology Specialty Training Curriculum implemented in August 2021 and updated on 15 May 2023. It identifies Anatomy and Scientific Basis of Imaging as the two First FRCR summative modules. The detailed First FRCR syllabus remains the RCR guidance document labelled Clinical Radiology Curriculum 2021.
When should First FRCR normally be completed?
The RCR purpose statements say the Anatomy and Physics knowledge is essential to clinical radiology practice and that the examination should be completed during the first year of clinical radiology training, ST1.
Who may enter First FRCR Clinical Radiology?
Applicants need to hold or have held a formal clinical radiology training post. The RCR states that no minimum period of clinical experience or radiology training is required. UK specialty trainees need Training Programme Director approval for each application.
How many attempts are allowed?
No candidate is automatically permitted more than six attempts at an FRCR examination or module. A seventh or later attempt requires evidence of additional educational experience under the current rules.
Are the 601 practice items an RCR figure?
No. The live modules contain 100 Anatomy questions and 40 Physics stems. This independent bank contains 601 original four-option concept and application questions, divided into 301 Anatomy and 300 Physics items for broad practice coverage rather than to represent an official combined score.
Can the current practice framework reproduce a full official mock?
Not faithfully. Authentic Anatomy requires licensed radiological images and free-text marking, while Physics groups five True/False statements under each stem. This asset therefore disables a full mock instead of misrepresenting either format.