5 MRP Exam Mistakes I Made (So You Don't Have To)

I'll be honest - I passed my MRP exam on the first attempt, but it wasn't pretty. Looking back, I made some rookie errors that cost me unnecessary stress and probably a few marks. Here's what I learned the hard way.

Mistake #1: Starting with the Hard Topics

When I first sat down to study, I thought I'd tackle the stuff I was worst at first. Radiation physics? Bring it on. Quality assurance calculations? Let's go.

Bad idea.

Three weeks in, I was demoralised and seriously questioning my career choices. Those difficult topics are important, but starting with them is a fast track to burnout.

What I should have done: Start with topics you're reasonably comfortable with. Build momentum and confidence first. Hit the hard stuff when you've got a solid foundation to fall back on.

Mistake #2: Memorising Without Understanding

I spent hours making flashcards with dose limits, exposure factors, and imaging protocols. I could recite them in my sleep. But when the exam gave me a scenario that required me to apply those numbers? I froze.

The MRP exam isn't testing your ability to memorise. It's testing whether you can think like a radiographer.

What actually works:

• After learning a fact, ask yourself "when would I use this?"
• Create mental scenarios where you'd apply each concept
• If you can't explain something to a non-radiographer, you don't really understand it

Mistake #3: Ignoring Australian-Specific Guidelines

I'd trained overseas and figured radiation safety is pretty universal. Wrong.

Australia has specific regulations, particularly around:

• ARPANSA guidelines
• State-based radiation safety requirements
• Medicare item numbers and referral requirements
• Scope of practice specifics

I lost marks on questions that weren't about radiography knowledge at all - they were about knowing how things work here. Spend time on the Australian regulatory framework. It comes up more than you'd think.

Mistake #4: Doing 500 Practice Questions in One Weekend

The weekend before my exam, I panicked and smashed through every practice question I could find. By Sunday night, I was exhausted and my brain was mush.

This approach is useless because:

• You don't have time to understand why you got things wrong
• Fatigue makes you perform worse, not better
• You burn out right before you need peak performance

Better approach: Do 20-30 questions per day consistently for weeks. After each session, spend time reviewing your wrong answers. One properly reviewed question teaches you more than 50 rushed ones.

Mistake #5: Not Practising the Clock

During practice, I'd take as long as I needed on each question. "I'll be faster in the real exam," I told myself.

Spoiler: I wasn't.

In the actual exam, I was scrambling at the end, making rushed decisions on questions I could have handled easily with more time.

Fix this early:

• Set a timer when you do practice questions
• Aim for 90 seconds per question maximum
• Practice making decisions under time pressure
• Learn when to flag and move on vs. when to push through

Bonus Mistake: Not Looking After Myself

I pulled all-nighters. I lived on coffee and whatever was fastest to eat. I cancelled on friends and skipped the gym.

By exam day, I was physically and mentally wrecked.

Your brain doesn't work well when you're sleep-deprived and malnourished. All those extra study hours were probably net negative because of how badly I was functioning.

Non-negotiables:

• 7+ hours sleep (especially the week before)
• Actual meals, not just snacks
• Some physical activity, even just walks
• Occasional breaks to do something fun

The Good News

Despite all these mistakes, I still passed. The MRP exam is hard, but it's not impossible. If you avoid even half the errors I made, you're already ahead of where I was.

You've got this.