133+ Free MFOM Written Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: MFOM Written Exam

100

SBA Questions

RCPI MFOM Regulations

3 hours

Exam Duration

RCPI MFOM Written

€620

Fee (Ireland)

RCPI Examinations Schedule 2026

6 years

Completion Window

RCPI MFOM policy from Sept 2024

Max Attempts per Component

RCPI MFOM Regulations

TestReach

Remote Invigilation

RCPI MFOM Written

The MFOM Written Exam is a 3-hour, 100-question SBA paper costing €620 for Ireland-based candidates (€700 international) from 2026. It is the first MFOM component, delivered online via TestReach remote invigilation, and covers hazard assessment, fitness-for-work, Irish OSH law (SHWW Act 2005), toxicology, and occupational disease management per the Faculty syllabus.

Sample MFOM Written Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your MFOM Written exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 133+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Under Ireland's Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, which document must an employer prepare that identifies hazards, assesses risks, and specifies protective and preventive measures?

A.A safety statement

B.A health surveillance protocol

C.A fitness-for-work register

D.An occupational health policy only

Explanation: Section 20 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires employers to prepare a written safety statement identifying hazards, assessing risks, and detailing protective and preventive measures. It must be brought to employees' attention and reviewed when circumstances change.

2In the hierarchy of controls for occupational hazards, which measure is generally considered the most effective?

A.Elimination of the hazard at source

B.Administrative rotation of exposed workers

C.Health surveillance of exposed employees

D.Provision of personal protective equipment

Explanation: The hierarchy of controls ranks elimination and substitution above engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE. Removing the hazard at source prevents exposure rather than merely managing it downstream.

3When conducting a workplace risk assessment under Irish law, who bears the primary legal duty to carry out the assessment?

A.The occupational physician

B.The Health and Safety Authority inspector

C.The employee's general practitioner

D.The employer

Explanation: Employers have the primary duty under the SHWW Act 2005 and associated regulations to identify hazards and assess risks. Occupational health professionals advise and support but do not assume the employer's statutory responsibility.

4A chemical storage area shows inadequate ventilation and unlabelled containers. In risk-assessment terms, this combination primarily represents:

A.A hazard with elevated likelihood and potentially severe consequences

B.A psychosocial stressor unrelated to chemical exposure

C.An ergonomic mismatch

D.A health surveillance deficiency only

Explanation: Poor ventilation and missing labels increase both the probability of harmful exposure and the severity of potential outcomes. Risk is a function of hazard, likelihood, and consequence.

5What is the primary purpose of a walk-through survey in occupational health practice?

A.To certify machinery for CE marking

B.To systematically observe work processes, hazards, and control measures in the actual workplace

C.To perform statutory HSA prosecutions

D.To replace the employer's written safety statement

Explanation: Walk-through surveys allow the occupational health professional to verify how work is actually performed, identify uncontrolled hazards, and assess the effectiveness of existing controls—essential for credible risk assessment and MFOM portfolio workplace projects.

6In risk assessment, the term 'ALARP' (as low as reasonably practicable) means that risks should be reduced:

A.To zero regardless of cost

B.By PPE alone when engineering controls are inconvenient

C.Only when HSA issues an improvement notice

D.Until further reduction would involve grossly disproportionate cost or effort relative to the benefit gained

Explanation: ALARP is a cornerstone of UK and Irish risk-management practice: residual risk should be minimised until additional measures would be grossly disproportionate to the risk reduction achieved.

7Which Irish body is the national statutory authority for workplace health and safety enforcement?

A.The Medical Council of Ireland

B.The Environmental Protection Agency only

C.The Health and Safety Authority (HSA)

D.The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA)

Explanation: The HSA enforces occupational safety and health legislation in Ireland, provides guidance, and inspects workplaces. OH physicians interact with HSA standards when advising employers.

8A noise survey shows an 8-hour time-weighted average of 87 dB(A) in a manufacturing bay. Under the General Application Regulations 2007, the employer must:

A.Rely solely on disposable ear plugs without training or audiometry

B.Implement a hearing conservation programme including audiometry where action levels are exceeded

C.Provide hearing aids to all workers regardless of audiometry

D.Defer action until workers develop clinically significant hearing loss

Explanation: Irish noise regulations require risk assessment, information, training, and health surveillance (audiometry) when exposure reaches prescribed action levels. Engineering and administrative controls should also be considered.

9When prioritising risks in a large manufacturing site, which factor should most strongly influence the order of intervention?

A.Whether the hazard has ever caused an injury in the past

B.The combination of severity of potential harm and likelihood of occurrence

C.The chronological order in which departments were established

D.The number of staff in each department regardless of risk

Explanation: Risk prioritisation uses severity × likelihood (and sometimes number exposed). Past injury history informs but does not replace assessment of current risk profiles.

10For crystalline silica exposure during stone-cutting, which control is most appropriate at the upper levels of the hierarchy?

A.Rotating workers weekly without dust control

B.Issuing cotton dust masks without fit testing

C.Annual chest X-ray only

D.Wet cutting or local exhaust ventilation to suppress airborne respirable dust

Explanation: Engineering controls that suppress respirable crystalline silica at source are preferred. Silica causes silicosis and lung cancer; Irish and EU OEL frameworks require proactive dust control.

About the MFOM Written Exam

The MFOM Written Examination is the first of three components toward Membership of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (RCPI). The online invigilated paper tests advanced occupational medicine knowledge including hazard identification and risk assessment, health surveillance, fitness-for-work assessment, occupational toxicology and hygiene, occupational diseases, ergonomics, workplace health law, and professional ethics. Clinical medicine relevant to occupational health problems may also be examined.

Assessment

100 single-best-answer (SBA) vignette questions with five options each in one paper

Time Limit

3 hours

Passing Score

Board of Examiners approved pass mark per sitting

Exam Fee

€620 (Ireland) / €700 (international) (Royal College of Physicians of Ireland — Faculty of Occupational Medicine)

MFOM Written Exam Content Outline

~25%

Hazards, Risk Assessment and Control

Safety statements, ALARP, hierarchy of controls, chemical and biological agents, carcinogens, silica, asbestos risk management, and exposure monitoring

~20%

Fitness for Work and Rehabilitation

Pre-placement assessment, safety-critical and vocational driver standards, return-to-work, disability accommodation, sickness absence, pregnancy and shift work

~15%

Workplace Health Law and Ethics

SHWW Act 2005, HSA duties, GDPR and confidentiality, accident reporting, employee rights, and conflict of loyalty

~20%

Occupational Hygiene and Toxicology

Air and biological monitoring, solvents, lead, welding fume, isocyanates, noise, vibration, radiation, heat stress, and RPE selection

~15%

Occupational Disease and Ergonomics

Occupational asthma, pneumoconiosis, asbestos disease, dermatitis, NIHL, musculoskeletal disorders, DSE, and indoor environment

~5%

Epidemiology and OH Service Management

Study designs, screening statistics, clinical audit, EAPs, and health promotion

How to Pass the MFOM Written Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Board of Examiners approved pass mark per sitting
Assessment: 100 single-best-answer (SBA) vignette questions with five options each in one paper
Time limit: 3 hours
Exam fee: €620 (Ireland) / €700 (international)

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

MFOM Written Study Tips from Top Performers

1Know the employer duty to prepare and review a safety statement under the SHWW Act 2005

2Understand hierarchy of controls and when health surveillance is required after residual risk

3Review RSA medical standards for vocational drivers and safety-critical fitness principles

4Study Irish regulations: General Application 2007, Chemical Agents, Biological Agents, Manual Handling, DSE, and noise/vibration

5Practice interpreting exposure monitoring and biological monitoring results against occupational limits

6Learn distinguishing features of occupational asthma, silicosis, asbestosis, and NIHL audiograms

7Review GDPR and Medical Council confidentiality rules for OH reports to employers

8Time 100 SBA questions in three hours to build exam pace

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format of the MFOM Written examination?

The MFOM Written exam consists of one paper with 100 Single Best Answer (SBA) questions completed in three hours. Questions use clinical vignettes and are delivered online via remote invigilation through TestReach.

How much does the MFOM Written exam cost?

From 1 January 2026, RCPI charges €620 for Ireland-based candidates and €700 for international candidates sitting the MFOM Written exam via remote invigilation. Fees are published on the RCPI Examinations Schedule.

What are the entry requirements for MFOM Written?

Candidates must hold a medical qualification and medical council registration, have completed LFOM or passed LFOM Written within six years, have four years professional training including two years in occupational medicine, and have completed academic training in occupational medicine acceptable to the Faculty.

How is the pass mark determined?

Answers are computer-scored against an answer key. Performance indicators are reviewed by the Board of Examiners, which approves the pass mark for each sitting.

How many attempts are allowed?

From September 2024, candidates have six years from their first attempt to complete all MFOM components, with a maximum of six attempts per component (written, portfolio, OSPE).

What topics does the written paper cover?

The RCPI Faculty guideline syllabus covers occupational health hazards and diseases (including case management, health surveillance, risk assessment, carcinogens, allergic disease, and pneumoconiosis), fitness for work and disability prevention, management and communication, occupational health law, ethics, epidemiology and statistics, occupational hygiene and toxicology, ergonomics, environmental issues, dangerous substances, emergency planning, and workplace health promotion. Clinical medicine relevant to occupational health problems may also be examined.

133+ Free MFOM Written Practice Questions

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