The exam itself

• Conducting body: College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP).
• Structure: Two papers, both MCQ-based (single best answer, computer-based test):
  • Paper I - Basic Medical Sciences, common to ALL specialties: Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology/Immunology.
  • Paper II - Specialty-specific. For Medicine & Allied, this leans into applied/clinical basic sciences relevant to internal medicine and its allied fields (not full clinical medicine yet, that's more Part 2), but it draws heavily on pathology, pharmacology, and physiology applied to disease.
• Frequency: Held 3-4 times a year (roughly Feb-Mar, April, Sep-Oct, Nov), and you can attempt up to 3 times a year.
• Always cross-check the exact current syllabus PDF and exam dates on the official CPSP website since formats get revised - I'm giving you the structure as it's commonly known, not guaranteeing every detail is current for your exact sitting.

The books you mentioned - clarified

• First Aid: This usually refers to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 - the classic high-yield, condensed basic sciences summary book (color-coded, mnemonic-heavy). It's widely used in Pakistan for FCPS Part 1 because Paper I overlaps heavily with USMLE Step 1 content. There's also a Pakistan-specific adapted version called "First Aid Made Easy" that's tailored closer to the CPSP syllabus.
• "Fast Aid": I couldn't verify this as a distinct, well-known standard series in the FCPS prep space - it's possible you mean "First Aid," or it could be a smaller/local publisher's condensed notes some candidates use. I'd rather flag this honestly than guess. If you can tell me the exact title/author you're seeing being recommended, I'll look into it specifically.
• SK series: This refers to SK Pearls / SK Objectives - a widely used MCQ-bank style series in Pakistan, subject-wise, closely aligned with FCPS/USMLE-style basic science MCQs. It's one of the most commonly recommended practice-MCQ resources for FCPS Part 1 alongside First Aid.

Recommended core resources by subject (for Paper I)

6-week plan (1.5 months)

• Roughly 4-5 days per subject rotating through Pathology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Anatomy (in that rough priority order, since Pathology and Pharmacology tend to carry the most weight for Medicine & Allied).
• Daily rhythm: read the relevant First Aid/BRS chapter first (30-45 min), then immediately do 100-150 SK Pearls MCQs on that same topic, review every wrong answer and note the concept, not just the answer.
• Keep a running "error log" notebook - this becomes your single most valuable revision tool in the last week.

• Focus on applied pathology/pharmacology/physiology as it relates to major disease systems (cardio, renal, endocrine, GI, neuro, infectious disease, hematology).
• Use past papers heavily here - Paper II style is less "textbook basic science" and more "which basic science concept explains this clinical scenario."

• Take 2-3 full-length timed mocks under exam conditions (3-hour blocks) to build stamina and pacing.
• Spend remaining days purely on your error log and weakest 2-3 subjects.
• Avoid starting anything new in the last 3-4 days; just revise.

A few tactical tips

• Prioritize volume of MCQs over volume of reading - this exam rewards pattern recognition from repeated questions more than deep textbook mastery, especially in 6 weeks.
• Join a reputable question bank/app (e.g., FcpsWorld, PakPrep, or similar) if you haven't - they track your weak areas automatically, which saves time versus manual logging.
• Don't try to cover every SK Pearls chapter equally; weight your time toward Pathology and Pharmacology, which historically carry more questions for Medicine & Allied.