Free Cardiology mock exam

What the real Cardiology licensing exam looks like

What is on the Cardiology exam: the full blueprint

The published blueprint splits into 13 domains and 232 testable sub-topics. The diagnostic above samples across all of them, which is why its breakdown maps onto the structure the real paper is built from.

• Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Coronary Syndromes~20%20 topics

  SCFHS published: 20%; DHA lists 'Coronary Artery Disease' as a named coverage area

• Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies~14%20 topics

  SCFHS: Cardiac Failure 15% and Cardiomyopathies 5% in the classification blueprint; 13% combined in the Fellowship final

• Valvular Heart Disease and Infective Endocarditis~11%18 topics

  SCFHS classification: Valvular Diseases 10%; Fellowship final 17%; DHA lists Valve Disease and Infective Endocarditis separately

• Arrhythmias, Electrophysiology and ECG Interpretation~10%20 topics

  SCFHS published: Cardiac Arrhythmia 10%; DHA lists Arrhythmias

• Cardiac Pharmacology and Therapeutics~7%19 topics

  SCFHS published: 10% classification, 7% Fellowship final; DHA lists Cardiac Pharmacology

• Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostic Testing~6%16 topics

  est. - not a separate DHA/SCFHS classification heading; embedded across sections and heavily represented in the Fellowship blueprint via clinical examination and basic sciences

• Hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension and Preventive Cardiology~6%18 topics

  SCFHS Fellowship: Systemic/Pulmonary hypertension 5%; prevention content is est.

• Pericardial Disease~3%15 topics

  SCFHS published: Pericardial 5%; DHA lists Pericardial Disease

• Adult Congenital Heart Disease~4%16 topics

  SCFHS published: Congenital Heart Disease 5%

• Aortic Disease and Peripheral Vascular Disease~5%16 topics

  SCFHS Fellowship: Aortic disease/pregnancy 6%; classification blueprint lists Peripheral Vascular Disease 5%; DHA lists Peripheral Vascular Disease

• Systemic Disease, Cardio-Obstetrics and Special Populations~5%18 topics

  SCFHS published: Systemic Diseases 5%; DHA lists Systemic Disease

• Basic Cardiovascular Sciences and Clinical Examination~4%17 topics

  SCFHS Fellowship: Basic sciences/pathology/physiology 9%, Clinical examination 7%; not a separate DHA heading - est. weight for the licensure paper

• Professionalism, Ethics, Patient Safety and Quality~5%19 topics

  SCFHS published: Patient Safety 5% and Professionalism and Ethics 5%; DHA lists 'Professionalism and Ethics' as a named coverage area

Questions

~150 (DHA Specialist Cardiology, code CRD5751 - confirmed). SCFHS Cardiology classification exam is 200 MCQs. SCFHS Adult Cardiology Fellowship final written exam is 80-120 MCQs plus up to 10% unscored calibration items. QCHP/NHRA/MOHAP specialty papers are typically ~150.

Duration

3 hours (DHA, inclusive of registration and process introduction). SCFHS classification exam 4 hours. NHRA 3-hour seating with 2.5 hours of exam time. OMSB CBT durations vary by classification.

Pass mark

65% (DHA Specialist Cardiology - confirmed; higher than the 60% DHA default for many other titles). SCFHS 65% Registrar / 70% Senior Registrar; SCFHS Fellowship final 70% with an absolute floor of 65%. NHRA 60%. QCHP 60% general, 65% for several specialty papers. DOH/MOHAP/OMSB cardiology cut scores unverified.

Single-best-answer MCQs, predominantly clinical vignettes with ECGs, echocardiographic and angiographic stills, haemodynamic tracings and cath-lab waveforms. DHA/MOHAP/SCFHS/QCHP/NHRA deliver through Prometric; DOH and OMSB deliver through Pearson VUE. DHA reports Pass/Fail only and does not release the numeric score. SCFHS may lower the pass score one mark at a time to reach the target pass rate but never below the stated floor, and states blueprint distribution may vary +/-3% per category (+/-5% for the Fellowship final). Result is a Pass/Fail decision written back to Sheryan (DHA) / the authority portal. Where an oral assessment applies (DHA Consultant, SCFHS Consultant classification, OMSB viva), the oral is a separate, additional hurdle and, where both are required, the CBT must be passed first.

A worked Cardiology exam question

Every question in the diagnostic and in the paid bank is written to this standard: a clinical stem, four plausible options and the reasoning for the answer, with its source.

How to use this diagnostic properly

1. 1Sit it cold, once. Do not look anything up. A diagnostic you help yourself through tells you nothing. The number you get is only useful if it is honest.
2. 2Read every rationale - especially the ones you got right. Getting a question right by elimination is not the same as knowing it. The worked reasoning is free above, whether or not you buy anything.
3. 3Work weakest domain first. The breakdown orders your domains worst-first for exactly this reason. Studying what you are already good at feels productive and moves nothing.
4. 4Re-sit under full exam conditions later. The real paper is far longer than this and stamina matters. Full-length timed papers are what the paid bank is for.

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