What is MRCGP [INT]?
The Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners International (MRCGP [INT]) is a globally recognized postgraduate qualification designed to assess and certify the competence of doctors working in family medicine and primary care outside the United Kingdom. This qualification is awarded by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), the UK’s leading body for general practice education and standards, in collaboration with accredited international examination centers worldwide.
Purpose of MRCGP [INT]
The primary aim of the MRCGP [INT] is to ensure that doctors practicing in different regions of the world meet a high, consistent standard of clinical knowledge, communication skills, and professional behavior in family medicine. It is designed to:
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Benchmark clinical competence against internationally recognized standards.
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Support continuing professional development in primary care practice.
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Enhance the quality of patient care delivered by family physicians globally.
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Provide a pathway to career progression, recognition, and potential equivalence with UK-trained GPs in some regions.
Examination Centers
The MRCGP [INT] program is delivered through multiple accredited centers, allowing candidates worldwide to sit for the exam under standardized guidelines. While the core examination content and assessment criteria are the same globally, each center operates under the governance of the RCGP to ensure consistency and fairness.
Prominent MRCGP [INT] centers include:
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South Asia (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and neighboring countries)
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Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
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Cyprus
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Other centers established in different regions in collaboration with local health authorities, such as Kuwait, Malta , Kosovo, Egypt, however those centers require enrollment in training program inside the country, unlike southasia , dubai and cyprus where training program is not mandatory.
Regardless of where candidates sit for the exam, the qualification is identical, carrying the same weight, recognition, and professional standing as all other MRCGP [INT] awards.
Structure of the Examination
The MRCGP [INT] program generally consists of two main parts, each assessing different competencies:
1. Part 1 – Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
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A multiple-choice written examination assessing knowledge across the breadth of family medicine.
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Covers clinical medicine, evidence-based practice, and principles of primary care.
2. Part 2 – Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
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A practical, scenario-based assessment evaluating doctors’ ability to apply their knowledge in real-life consultations.
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Tests skills such as history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, patient education, and ethical decision-making.