Read the command word and the marks
List, define, describe, explain and discuss each ask for something different. The marks tell you how many distinct points the examiner expects. Four marks rarely need a page.
Paper I · Knowledge and understanding
DFPH Paper I: knowledge and revision
The knowledge paper. Compulsory short-answer questions across the breadth of the syllabus, sat in two parts (IA and IB) on the same day.
Reviewed 23 October 2026Official format and timings
At a glance
How Paper I is organised
Format and timing are set by the Faculty of Public Health and can change. The notes here describe the shape of the paper so you can plan your preparation; confirm the specifics on the official page.
Paper IA
Published guidance describes IA as centred on research methods, disease prevention, health promotion and health information.
Paper IB
Published guidance describes IB as centred on medical sociology, social policy, health economics and the organisation and management of health care.
What it tests
What Paper I expects you to be able to do
Epidemiology, statistics and research methods, including study design, bias, confounding and the interpretation of measures of effect
Disease causation, prevention and screening, including the principles used to judge whether a screening programme is worthwhile
Health protection: communicable disease control, environmental hazards and the first steps in an outbreak
Health promotion, behaviour change and the wider determinants of health
Health information, surveillance and the strengths and weaknesses of routine data
Medical sociology, social policy, health economics, and the organisation, management and leadership of health services
How to approach it
Habits that earn marks
These are the working methods that tend to separate a comfortable pass from a near miss. None are secrets; the difference is practising them until they are automatic.
Structure before you write
A short framework (for example: individual, community, system; or time, place, person) keeps answers complete and easy to mark. Structured notes and bullet points are usually clearer than prose under time pressure.
Define terms, then apply them
Many questions reward a crisp definition followed by application to the scenario. Giving a textbook definition without linking it to the question leaves marks on the table.
Rehearse the whole paper, not single questions
Time management across compulsory questions is a skill of its own. Practise sets of questions against the clock so that no single question swallows the time meant for three others.
Common pitfalls
Where marks are usually lost
- Writing everything you know about a topic instead of answering the specific question asked
- Ignoring the mark allocation and spending equal time on every question
- Leaving a question blank because the topic feels unfamiliar; structured reasoning from first principles can still score
- Vague generalities where a precise term, figure or example was expected
Practise Paper I questions
The free set currently includes 5 original Paper I questions on screening, bias and confounding, measures of effect, each with an explanation or model answer points. Every question is illustrative and original, not an official exam question.
Independent preparation resource. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Faculty of Public Health.
All questions on DFPHprep are original and written to resemble the style of the exam. They are not official questions and have no connection to past or future papers. For the official syllabus, regulations and dates, see the FPH exam pages.
Revision advice that respects your time
A practical guide to planning DFPH revision around all four parts of the exam, with timed written practice as the backbone.