How the RANZCOG exams are marked
Each RANZCOG exam turns your answers into a pass in its own way. Knowing how it is marked, and how much time each question gets, changes how you should answer.
FRANZCOG Written Examination
How it is passed: From 2026 the SAQ and MCQ are separate components and both must be passed; up to three attempts per component.
On the clock: 12 questions in 4 h: about 20 minutes each.
How it is passed: The MCQ component must be passed in its own right, separately from the SAQs.
On the clock: 100 questions in 2 h: about 72 seconds each.
FRANZCOG Oral Examination
How it is passed: The College does not publish the oral pass standard; examiners score each station across eight domains, including rapport, respect and communication.
On the clock: 12 stations, 4 min reading and 12 min each.
What that means for how you answer
Written answers are marked against a fixed list of points. A point you do not write earns nothing, however obvious it seemed; a long answer that misses the points earns nothing more.
Single-best-answer papers reward the best option for this patient, not a true statement. Read the last line of the stem first, and do not let one hard question eat the time of three easy ones.
Clinical stations are marked against a station guide. Do what the task asks, in the time given, and say your reasoning out loud so the examiner can credit it.
Where marks are most often lost
- SAQ answers written as an unstructured list: marks are awarded for structure (resuscitate, assess, cause, treat, escalate, follow up) as well as content.
- Drugs named without dose, route and sequence, e.g. "give uterotonics" in a postpartum haemorrhage answer.
- Time lost on early SAQs so the last questions in each part are left incomplete or in note fragments.
Pass marks and formats change. Always confirm the current rules on the RANZCOG website before you sit.
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