Your highest-yield written exam study, based purely on how much each exam contributes to the overall unit mark, should be:
Priority ranking by exam sitting
| Priority | Exam | Overall unit weighting | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Combined Prosthodontics / RPD / MIR / RETT exam | 15% | Biggest single exam-period mark. Strongest “study → weight” return. |
| 2 | Combined OM + OFP exam/OSCE | 10% | Equal second highest exam-period weighting. |
| 2 | Combined CDP + Perio exam | 10% | Equal second highest exam-period weighting. |
| 4 | Oral Surgery final exam/OSCE | 5% | Lower weighting, but still a failed component. |
| 4 | Paeds final exam | 5% | Same as OS. |
| 4 | Ortho final exam | 5% | Same as OS and Paeds. |
These exam-period assessments add up to 50% of the overall unit mark, and all are failed components/barriers, so you cannot ignore the 5% exams.
Priority ranking by actual content weight inside combined exams
| Priority | Content area | Effective exam-period weighting |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prosthodontics: RPD + MIR / indirect restorations | 11.25% |
| 2 | CDP content | 7.5% |
| 3 | OM | 5% |
| 3 | OFP | 5% |
| 3 | Oral Surgery | 5% |
| 3 | Paeds | 5% |
| 3 | Ortho | 5% |
| 8 | RETT | 3.75% |
| 9 | Perio content in the CDP/Perio exam | 2.5% |
Best study-time allocation
Assuming equal difficulty and equal current confidence, I’d allocate your written exam study time roughly like this:
| Area | Suggested time share |
|---|---|
| Prosthodontics/RPD/MIR | 22–25% |
| CDP | 15% |
| OM | 10% |
| OFP | 10% |
| OS | 10% |
| Paeds | 10% |
| Ortho | 10% |
| RETT | 7–8% |
| Perio | 5% |
Practical takeaway
The best study-to-weight ratio is:
Prosthodontics/RPD/MIR > CDP > OM/OFP/OS/Paeds/Ortho > RETT > Perio
But because each assessment is a failed component, use this rule:
First get every exam to safe-pass level, then pour extra time into Prosthodontics/RPD/MIR and CDP, because those are where high marks move your overall unit grade the most.