FCPS Part 1 Basic Sciences: High-Yield Subjects Across Every Specialty

The basic-science subjects shared across every FCPS Part 1 paper — Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology and Microbiology — with sample MCQs for each.

Whichever specialty you're sitting FCPS Part 1 for, Paper 1 tests the same foundation: Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology and Microbiology, with Forensic Medicine appearing across every specialty bank as well. Getting these five subjects solid pays off no matter which specialty paper you sit.

Anatomy

1. The total number of bones in the adult human skeleton is:

A) 196
B) 206 ✅
C) 216
D) 226

Biochemistry

2. The primary immediate energy currency of the cell is:

A) Glucose
B) ATP ✅
C) NADH
D) Glycogen

Pathology

3. Cell swelling is a classic early sign of which type of cell injury?

A) Irreversible injury
B) Reversible injury ✅
C) Apoptosis only
D) Neoplasia

Pharmacology

4. The study of how the body affects a drug over time — absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion — is called:

A) Pharmacodynamics
B) Pharmacokinetics ✅
C) Pharmacogenetics
D) Pharmacovigilance

Microbiology

5. The Gram stain differentiates bacteria based primarily on differences in:

A) Nuclear structure
B) Cell wall composition ✅
C) Flagellar arrangement
D) Ribosome size

Forensic Medicine

6. The branch of medicine concerned with the detection and effects of poisons is called:

A) Pathology
B) Toxicology ✅
C) Pharmacology
D) Serology

Why This Foundation Applies to Every Specialty

These five subjects — Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology — are what every FCPS Part 1 specialty paper actually has in common, which is why time spent solidifying them transfers directly, whichever paper you sit next.

See our specialty-specific "most repeated" guides for Radiology, Medicine, Surgery, Gynae & Obs, Anesthesia and Dentistry. Try the first 20 questions of this basic-sciences bank free, no sign-in required, from the Post-Grad QBank catalogue.