Imperial Phase 1a and 1b Cheat Sheet

Every medicine module of Imperial's Phase 1a and 1b (Years 1 and 2), with the SimpleMed articles that cover it. Find your module, open the articles, revise.

  • 2 years
  • 26 units
  • 356 SimpleMed articles

Independent guide, not endorsed by Imperial College School of Medicine. About this page

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Phase 1a, Year 1

Year 1 exams

Principles of Medicine (PoM)

80 articles

The science under all later teaching: cells, metabolism, genetics, blood, immunity and the basic processes of disease.

Cell Physiology and Biology

Pathology

Metabolism

Genetics

Haematology

Infection

Immunology

From other subjects

Practice questions on SimpleMed+: Cell Physiology and Biology, Metabolism, Genetics, Haematology, Immunology

Bioregulatory Systems 1: Neuroscience and psychiatry (BRS)

25 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 1: Endocrinology and reproduction (BRS)

31 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 1: Cardiovascular and respiratory (BRS)

17 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 1: Gastroenterology (BRS)

12 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 1: Urology and renal (BRS)

11 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 1: Dermatology (BRS)

9 articles

Clinical and Scientific Integration Year 1 (CSI)

20 articles

Sessions that tie the science to real patient presentations (how a condition shows itself in a patient). These articles cover common conditions, their mechanisms and first-line management (the treatment tried first).

Cardiovascular System

Respiratory System

Haematology

Immunology

From other subjects

Practice Pathology questions on SimpleMed+

Patients, Communities and Healthcare Year 1 (PCH)

11 articles

Lifestyle Medicine and Prevention Year 1 (LMaP)

9 articles

Prevention and behaviour change: diet, weight, alcohol and the population view of health. Use these articles to learn the evidence behind the behaviour-change and communication skills you are taught.

Patient-Centred Care

Metabolism

From other subjects

Practice questions on SimpleMed+: Patient-Centred Care, Population and Social Science

Phase 1b, Year 2

Year 2 exams and CPA

Bioregulatory Systems 2: Neuroscience and psychiatry (BRS)

21 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 2: Endocrinology and reproduction (BRS)

24 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 2: Cardiovascular and respiratory (BRS)

27 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 2: Gastroenterology (BRS)

14 articles

Bioregulatory Systems 2: Urology and renal (BRS)

14 articles

Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease, glomerular disease (disease of the filtering units in the kidney), infection, obstruction and the common urological cancers (cancers of the kidney, bladder and prostate).

Urinary System

From other subjects

Practice Urinary System questions on SimpleMed+

Bioregulatory Systems 2: Musculoskeletal and rheumatology (BRS)

35 articles

Clinical and Scientific Integration Year 2 (CSI)

29 articles

Patients, Communities and Healthcare Year 2 (PCH)

11 articles

Lifestyle Medicine and Prevention Year 2 (LMaP)

11 articles

Behaviour change and the social determinants of health (the social and economic conditions that shape health). Read alongside the conditions that prevention often targets, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and high cholesterol.

Population and Social Science

From other subjects

Practice questions on SimpleMed+: Patient-Centred Care, Population and Social Science

Clinical Research and Innovation (CRI)

10 articles

Throughout Years 1 and 2

Anatomy and Diagnostics

64 articles

A domain threaded through the modules: anatomy and the tests that turn a finding into a diagnosis. These articles help you revise for the anatomy spot test.

Limbs and spine

Head and neck

Trunk and pelvis

Diagnostic tests

Practice questions on SimpleMed+: Musculoskeletal System, Head and Neck

Pharmacology and Therapeutics

31 articles

Development and Ageing

23 articles

Population Health

12 articles

Professional Skills

40 articles

Clinical, communication and research skills. The examination guides below support them.

Browse every examination guide on the SimpleMed OSCE hub

Start here

Heart, lungs and circulation

Abdomen and groin

Nervous system

Joints and spine

Endocrine

Eyes, ears, nose and neck

Skin, breast and lymph nodes

Practice OSCE questions on SimpleMed+

Professional Values and Behaviours

9 articles

The domain on ethics, law, safety and professional identity. These articles cover safe, patient-centred and evidence-based practice.

Population and Social Science

From other subjects

Practice Patient-Centred Care questions on SimpleMed+

How Imperial assesses Phase 1a and 1b

  • Knowledge exams mix single best answer, very short answer and short answer questions, with an anatomy spot test in Years 1 and 2.
  • Clinical skills are assessed from Year 1 by workplace-based assessments (assessments of your patient encounters on placement), starting on your first clinical placement. In Year 2 you take two Clinical Practical Assessments (CPA): a formative one, which shows you how you are progressing, and a summative one, which counts.
  • Pass marks are set by standard setting, a method that works out the pass mark for each exam. They therefore vary between exams and years, and are not fixed at 40%.
  • Imperial College School of Medicine publishes the official dates and formats. Always check your own course materials.

Test yourself

Reading is half of revision. Each unit above links to matching single best answer questions on SimpleMed+.

Browse the SimpleMed+ question bank

SimpleMed+ Encyclopaedia

Hard topics, made short and simple

A free bank of short and simple explanations of complex topics, with memory aids, in bitesize pages. Each one links to the SimpleMed+ questions that test it and to the core knowledge your exams expect.

  • Bitesize explanations
  • Memory aids
  • Linked to the question bank
Open the Encyclopaedia

Getting ready for clinical

Phase 1c (Year 3) is when you move to extended clinical placements, in hospitals and in general practice.

This is an independent revision guide written by SimpleMed. It is not endorsed by, or affiliated with, Imperial College School of Medicine or Imperial College London. Module names follow Imperial's published Phase 1 curriculum. I-Explore, the Year 2 module you choose from subjects outside the School of Medicine, is not covered. Splitting Bioregulatory Systems into topics and mapping the articles are our own. Some articles cover more than one module, so the article counts for each module add up to more than the 356 different articles on this page. Last updated October 2026.