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Free Practice Questions for PGIM MD Family Medicine

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Exam pass rate: Merit-based; a maximum of 15 Ministry of Health places were offered in the November 2025 sitting.
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Exam Review

Key Facts: PGIM MD Family Medicine Exam

60

MCQ paper questions

1,040

Total marks (MCQ 240 + OSCE 800)

50%

Pass mark per component

Rs. 104k

Full fee (state sector)

The PGIM Selection Examination for MD Family Medicine is a two-component examination worth 1,040 marks: a 60-question MCQ paper (30 true/false plus 30 single-best-answer, 240 marks) and an 800-mark OSCE. Candidates need 50% in the MCQ paper to reach the OSCE and 50% in each component plus 50% overall to be selected.

Sample PGIM MD Family Medicine Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the PGIM MD Family Medicine exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which statement best describes the fundamental difference between George Engel's biopsychosocial model and the traditional biomedical model in primary care practice?
A.The biopsychosocial model integrates biological pathology with psychological distress and sociocultural context to understand disease and illness experience.
B.The biopsychosocial model replaces physical and laboratory diagnostic tests with psychodynamic family assessments.
C.The biomedical model focuses primarily on public health epidemiology rather than individual cellular pathophysiology.
D.The biopsychosocial model restricts clinical responsibility solely to self-reported psychiatric symptoms.
Explanation: George Engel proposed the biopsychosocial model in 1977 to broaden clinical medicine beyond reductionist biology. It acknowledges that biological processes interact intimately with psychological states and social circumstances to determine both disease pathophysiology and personal illness experience. In family medicine, this framework enables comprehensive care that addresses not only organ pathology but also patient suffering and interpersonal function.
2During a primary care consultation, a family physician asks an anxious 52-year-old bank officer, 'What are you worried this persistent chest tightness might be, and what were you hoping we would achieve today?' Which patient-centered consultation framework is being directly explored?
A.The patient's Ideas, Concerns, and Expectations (ICE)
B.The doctor's apostolic function and counter-transference
C.The Calgary-Cambridge closing the consultation phase
D.The Family APGAR score assessment
Explanation: Eliciting Ideas, Concerns, and Expectations (ICE) is a core component of patient-centered communication. It allows the clinician to understand the patient's personal illness model, underlying fears (such as fear of sudden myocardial infarction), and hopes for the encounter (such as an ECG or specialist referral). Aligning the management plan with ICE significantly improves patient satisfaction, treatment adherence, and clinical outcomes.
3A family physician is reviewing practice records to improve quality of care. Which description correctly identifies 'relational continuity' of care?
A.An ongoing therapeutic relationship between an individual patient and a specific doctor across multiple episodes of illness
B.The availability and seamless transfer of medical records between primary care and tertiary hospitals
C.A standardized clinical management protocol used by all clinics in a regional health district
D.The round-the-clock telephone triage service provided by an on-call nursing team
Explanation: Relational (or personal) continuity refers to an ongoing therapeutic alliance over time between a patient and a single practitioner or small team. It builds mutual trust, tacit knowledge, and context-specific understanding. In contrast, informational continuity concerns data availability, and management continuity ensures consistent care pathways across healthcare providers.
4The Family APGAR instrument, developed by Gabriel Smilkstein, evaluates family function across five domains. Which parameter is represented by the letter 'A' in the acronym APGAR?
A.Adaptation
B.Affluence
C.Autonomy
D.Attachment
Explanation: Smilkstein's Family APGAR consists of Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve. Adaptation assesses how family members utilize internal and external resources to solve problems and manage crises. The questionnaire provides a rapid, validated measure of functional support or family dysfunction in primary care.
5According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Guide to Good Prescribing, what does the concept of a 'P-drug' (Personal Drug) entail?
A.A medication selected and prioritized by the clinician for regular use based on efficacy, safety, suitability, and cost
B.An unlicensed proprietary drug requested by an individual patient through a private prescription
C.A high-risk narcotic medication that requires personalized counter-signature by a consultant pharmacologist
D.A placebo compound prescribed exclusively for psychological reassurance in somatization disorder
Explanation: A 'P-drug' (personal drug) is a core medication that a prescriber chooses in advance for common clinical conditions after systematic evaluation of efficacy, safety, patient suitability, and cost. Having well-defined P-drugs avoids hasty, arbitrary prescribing and familiarizes the practitioner with dosages, contraindications, and adverse reaction profiles. This concept forms the cornerstone of rational pharmacotherapy in primary care.
6A 15-year-old schoolgirl presents unaccompanied to a family physician requesting oral contraceptive pills. Under the Fraser guidelines and Gillick competence principles, which condition must be met before providing confidential contraception without parental consent?
A.The adolescent understands the advice, cannot be persuaded to inform parents, and her physical or mental health would likely suffer without treatment
B.The clinician must obtain written permission from the school principal or educational welfare officer
C.The adolescent must agree to attend mandatory psychiatric counseling prior to medication initiation
D.The physician may only prescribe barrier contraception as hormonal methods require parental consent regardless of maturity
Explanation: The Fraser guidelines outline criteria where confidential contraceptive or sexual health advice may be provided to minors under 16 years of age. The clinician must verify that the patient understands the advice, cannot be persuaded to inform her parents, is likely to begin or continue sexual activity without contraception, and that her physical or mental health would suffer without intervention. If these criteria and competence are established, the duty of confidentiality applies.
7In primary care, a significant proportion of presenting complaints cannot be assigned a definitive pathological diagnosis at the initial visit. What is the most appropriate management approach for such early undifferentiated illnesses in the absence of red flags?
A.Structured watchful waiting combined with clear safety-netting instructions
B.Immediate empirical broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and parenteral steroids
C.Urgent admission to an acute tertiary medical ward for invasive workup
D.Reassurance that symptoms are purely psychogenic without scheduled follow-up
Explanation: Primary care physicians frequently manage undifferentiated symptoms before classic signs of disease evolve. In the absence of alarm features ('red flags'), the strategic use of time ('watchful waiting') combined with explicit safety netting allows benign self-limiting conditions to resolve while ensuring prompt review if signs of serious pathology emerge. This avoids unnecessary invasive investigations and adverse drug effects.
8According to Stott and Davis' classic model of the consultation, which four areas should a family physician consider during every patient contact?
A.Management of presenting problems, modification of help-seeking behaviour, management of continuing problems, and opportunistic health promotion
B.History taking, physical examination, laboratory testing, and prescription generation
C.Symptom appraisal, diagnostic coding, insurance pre-authorization, and specialist referral
D.Connecting, summarizing, handing over, safety-netting, and housekeeping
Explanation: Stott and Davis (1979) described the consultation in general practice as encompassing four concurrent tasks: 1) management of presenting problems, 2) modification of help-seeking behaviour, 3) management of continuing problems (e.g. reviewing long-term conditions like hypertension), and 4) opportunistic health promotion (e.g. smoking cessation, immunization review). This model highlights the unique preventive and comprehensive scope of primary care.
9When constructing a standard three-generation family genogram in family practice, which symbol convention is universally accepted to designate the index patient (proband)?
A.A square or circle enclosed within a double border (or indicated by an arrow)
B.A triangle with an internal question mark
C.A filled diamond with two horizontal intersecting lines
D.A shaded oval placed above the ancestral horizontal bar
Explanation: In standard medical genograms, males are depicted as squares and females as circles. The index patient (proband or consultand) is identified by drawing a double line around the square or circle (or by pointing an arrow directly at the symbol). This allows immediate recognition of the focal individual across multigenerational pedigrees.
10In Roger Neighbour's consultation model ('The Inner Consultation'), what is the primary purpose of the fifth checkpoint termed 'Housekeeping'?
A.Allowing the doctor to mentally debrief, manage internal stress, and clear cognitive fatigue before seeing the next patient
B.Ensuring that the clinic room examination table and diagnostic equipment are disinfected by cleaning staff
C.Completing the electronic insurance claim documentation and billing ledger at the end of the shift
D.Filing physical laboratory reports into the paper archive folders alphabetically
Explanation: Roger Neighbour's 5 checkpoints are: Connecting, Summarizing, Handing Over, Safety Netting, and Housekeeping. Housekeeping is an internal self-care process where the clinician recognizes emotional residue, frustration, or cognitive fatigue from the preceding consultation, and resets their mindset. This prevents emotional burn-out and protects the quality of attention given to subsequent patients.

About the PGIM MD Family Medicine Exam

The Selection Examination for MD Family Medicine is conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, to select medical officers for the stand-alone MD (Family Medicine) training programme leading to certification as a Specialist in Family Medicine in Sri Lanka. It is set and sat in English under the 2020 Family Medicine Prospectus.

Exam sponsor: Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Component 1 is an MCQ paper of 30 true/false and 30 single-best-answer questions (240 marks). Candidates scoring 50% or more proceed to Component 2, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (800 marks) held several weeks later. The two components total 1,040 marks.

Time Limit

Durations are not published by the PGIM; the MCQ paper is held first and the OSCE on a later scheduled date.

Passing Score

50% or more in the MCQ paper is required to sit the OSCE. Selection requires at least 520 of 1,040 marks overall, at least 120 of 240 in the MCQ paper, and at least 400 of 800 in the OSCE.

Exam / Certification Fees

Rs. 104,000 for state-sector candidates (Rs. 15,500 registration + Rs. 8,500 application + Rs. 80,000 examination fees); Rs. 58,500 is payable with the application and the Rs. 45,500 balance only after passing the MCQ paper. Non-state-sector candidates pay 50% more.

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: Merit-based; a maximum of 15 Ministry of Health places were offered in the November 2025 sitting.. The PGIM publishes merit lists and pass index numbers per sitting rather than percentage pass rates. This describes exam candidates, not OpenExamPrep users or results from using our resources. Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

MCQ paper and OSCE

Principles of Family Practice & Consultation

Biopsychosocial care, consultation models and ICE, continuity of care, undifferentiated illness, safety netting, ethics, and family assessment tools.

MCQ paper and OSCE

Chronic Disease & Ambulatory Medicine

Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, asthma and COPD, chronic kidney disease, lipid and cardiovascular risk management, multimorbidity and deprescribing.

MCQ paper and OSCE

Acute Problems & Common Presentations

Acute infections, musculoskeletal and dermatological presentations, red-flag recognition, emergencies in the ambulatory setting, and Sri Lankan presentations such as dengue and snakebite.

MCQ paper and OSCE

Prevention, Screening & Special Populations

National screening programmes and Well Woman Clinics, immunisation, child and adolescent health, mental health, geriatric assessment, and palliative care.

Preparing for the PGIM MD Family Medicine Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 50% or more in the MCQ paper is required to sit the OSCE. Selection requires at least 520 of 1,040 marks overall, at least 120 of 240 in the MCQ paper, and at least 400 of 800 in the OSCE.
  • Assessment: Component 1 is an MCQ paper of 30 true/false and 30 single-best-answer questions (240 marks). Candidates scoring 50% or more proceed to Component 2, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (800 marks) held several weeks later. The two components total 1,040 marks.
  • Time limit: Durations are not published by the PGIM; the MCQ paper is held first and the OSCE on a later scheduled date.
  • Exam / certification fees: Rs. 104,000 for state-sector candidates (Rs. 15,500 registration + Rs. 8,500 application + Rs. 80,000 examination fees); Rs. 58,500 is payable with the application and the Rs. 45,500 balance only after passing the MCQ paper. Non-state-sector candidates pay 50% more. Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

PGIM MD Family Medicine: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the structure of patient-centered consultations, including identifying patients' ideas, concerns, and expectations (ICE).
2Review current Sri Lankan and international clinical practice guidelines for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidaemia.
3Understand the management of undifferentiated clinical presentations in outpatient settings, emphasizing red-flag triage.
4Focus on rational prescribing principles, avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use for viral upper respiratory infections.
5Review common mental health disorders encountered in primary care, including screening and first-line treatment for major depression.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the examination format for the PGIM MD Family Medicine selection exam?

Two components. Component 1 is an MCQ paper of 30 true/false and 30 single-best-answer questions worth 240 marks; candidates scoring 50% or more then sit Component 2, an OSCE worth 800 marks.

What score is required to qualify for the OSCE?

A candidate needs 50% in the MCQ paper to reach the OSCE, then at least 520 of 1,040 marks overall with at least 50% in both the MCQ paper and the OSCE.

What prerequisites are necessary to apply?

Applicants must possess an SLMC-registered medical degree, completed internship, and at least one year of post-internship clinical practice in Sri Lanka.

What qualification is awarded upon completion of training?

Successful completion of the training programme leads to the MD (Family Medicine) degree of the University of Colombo and eligibility for certification as a Specialist in Family Medicine by the PGIM Board of Management on the recommendation of the Board of Study in Family Medicine.

Are these official PGIM examination questions?

No. These are independent study questions created by OpenExamPrep for medical practitioners preparing for the PGIM MD Family Medicine selection examination.

Does this practice bank simulate the official PGIM examination format?

No. The official selection examination uses true/false and single-best-answer MCQs plus an OSCE. This is an independent English-language, four-option MCQ study bank by OpenExamPrep covering the same primary-care knowledge base; it is not an official paper, a format simulation, or a substitute for OSCE practice.