MBBS 1st Year: Subjects, PYQs and Syllabus

1st Year MBBS Subjects

Phase 1 has three paper-bearing subjects. Each subject is examined separately by your university, with both theory and practical or viva components. The subjects run concurrently throughout the year.

Anatomy

Anatomy is the study of the structure of the human body, covering gross anatomy, histology, embryology, and neuroanatomy. It is typically the highest-volume subject in Phase 1, with a large number of topics spanning the upper limb, lower limb, thorax, abdomen, head and neck, and neuronatomy regions. Practical examinations include bone identification, histology slide spotters, and surface marking.

Anatomy is the subject where PYQs are most immediately useful. The question types are consistent across universities and across years, which means a student who has worked through three to four years of Anatomy papers for their university is well-prepared for the structure of the theory exam.

Resources:

• Anatomy Question Papers
• Anatomy Notes for MBBS 1st Year
• Anatomy Handwritten Notes PDF
• Anatomy Viva Questions and Answers
• Anatomy Practical Exam Questions
• Anatomy Mnemonics

Physiology

Physiology covers the functions and mechanisms of the human body, including cardiovascular physiology, respiratory physiology, renal function, gastrointestinal physiology, reproductive physiology, and neurophysiology. The subject integrates closely with Anatomy (where structures are covered, Physiology explains how they work) and with the clinical subjects in later phases.

Physiology practical and viva sessions are a significant part of the Phase 1 assessment. Examiners frequently draw from cardiovascular and respiratory physiology for viva questions, and students who understand the physiological principles behind their Anatomy knowledge answer these questions with more confidence.

Resources:

• Physiology Question Papers
• Physiology Notes for MBBS 1st Year
• Physiology Notes PDF Free Download
• Physiology Viva Questions and Answers
• Physiology Practical Viva Questions

Biochemistry

Biochemistry covers the molecular biology and metabolic processes of the body, including carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation), lipid metabolism, protein synthesis, enzyme kinetics, vitamins and minerals, and clinical biochemistry. Of the three Phase 1 subjects, Biochemistry is the one that most students underestimate — the volume appears smaller than Anatomy but the conceptual density is high, and practical examinations require a separate preparation track.

Biochemistry PYQs show consistent patterns around metabolism pathways, enzyme questions, and vitamins. The Krebs cycle diagram is one of the most frequently examined diagrams in Phase 1 across all seven universities.

Resources:

• Biochemistry Question Papers
• Biochemistry Notes for MBBS 1st Year
• Biochemistry Notes PDF Free Download
• Biochemistry Viva Questions and Answers
• Biochemistry Practical Exam Questions
• Krebs Cycle Diagram
• Amino Acids Mnemonic

1st Year MBBS Syllabus 2026

MBBS 1st Year follows the NMC CBME syllabus, which defines the competencies for Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry in terms of learning outcomes rather than topic lists alone. The syllabus specifies what a 1st Year student is expected to know, demonstrate, and integrate by the end of Phase 1. University examinations are designed to assess these competencies, which is why PYQs and syllabus reading are complementary, not competing, preparation methods.

The national syllabus applies across all NMC-affiliated colleges in India. University-specific variations are minimal for 1st Year subjects, but each university's question papers reflect its own examiner preferences within the NMC framework.

• MBBS 1st Year Syllabus (National)
• RGUHS 1st Year Syllabus
• KNRUHS 1st Year Syllabus
• TNMGRMU 1st Year Syllabus
• NTRUHS 1st Year Syllabus
• WBUHS 1st Year Syllabus
• KUHS 1st Year Syllabus
• RUHS 1st Year Syllabus

MBBS 1st Year Question Papers (2025 to 2021)

Question papers for all three 1st Year subjects are available by university below. Tier-1 universities (RGUHS, KNRUHS, TNMGRMU) have five paper years in the archive (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021). Non-Tier-1 universities (NTRUHS, WBUHS, KUHS, RUHS) have three paper years (2025, 2024, 2023).

Anatomy Question Papers

Physiology Question Papers

Biochemistry Question Papers

Browse all MBBS 1st Year Question Papers

How to Study for MBBS 1st Year

• Start Anatomy PYQs early, not at the end. Anatomy has the highest topic volume in Phase 1, but the question patterns in university papers are predictable. Running through two to three years of your university's Anatomy papers in the first month tells you which regions (upper limb, neuroanatomy, embryology) your university examines most heavily. This shapes how you allocate study time rather than leaving you to cover everything equally.
• Keep Biochemistry current throughout the year. Biochemistry is the easiest Phase 1 subject to deprioritise because the content feels less visual than Anatomy and less clinical than Physiology. This is a common mistake. Biochemistry practical examinations and viva sessions carry weight, and the metabolism pathway questions (Krebs cycle, glycolysis, urea cycle) reward students who have revised them multiple times across the year, not just in the final weeks.
• Learn Physiology alongside Anatomy, not after. The two subjects are taught separately but they are most efficiently understood together. Learning the brachial plexus in Anatomy is faster when you already understand motor and sensory nerve physiology. Cardiac anatomy makes more sense once you have covered the cardiac cycle in Physiology. Use the heart anatomy topic page and cardiac cycle page as cross-subject reference points.
• Prepare histology spotters as a separate track. Histology slide identification in Anatomy practical exams is a distinct skill from theory preparation. Slides of epithelium, connective tissue, and organ-specific histology appear consistently in spotters. The histology slides identification guide on GeckoMed is built specifically for this.
• Use mnemonics for high-volume recall, not comprehension. Anatomy in particular has genuinely large memory loads: carpal bones, cranial nerves, brachial plexus roots, foramina of the skull. Mnemonics handle the recall, but examiners at university level test application, not recitation. Know what each mnemonic stands for, not just the mnemonic itself.

Do not compare your pace with students in other years. Phase 1 is a foundational phase and the volume of new information is substantially greater than anything most students experienced before MBBS. A slower, well-understood pass through the content is worth more than a fast, surface-level pass done under comparison pressure.

Other MBBS Year Resources

• 2nd Year
• 3rd Year
• Final Year

Frequently Asked Questions