The secret of passing the MRCP part 1 exam. You may not like the answer but read on ... Going on the right course? Reading

2017-08-07 19:49:14

The secret of passing the MRCP part 1 exam. You may not like the answer but read on ...

Going on the right course? Reading the right books? Forming a question group? Signing up to an online question bank? Doing the right job whilst sitting the exam? Joining a Facebook forum? Doing past papers? All of the above?

This exam - originally introduced by the Royal College of Physicians to ensure that candidates arriving at the clinical examinations were sufficiently prepared - is often the first exam that many doctors fail. I know it was for me (if you don't count my O Level French or undergraduate neonatology). To many it seems that the endless donations of exam fees to the College must be going to some good cause as the candidate is not seeing much benefit!

I've had the rare opportunity of 'teaching' tens of thousands of candidates at onexamination and a few years ago took the opportunity to look at the data of those that had used the website and told us they'd passed. The graph shows massed average data over multiple exam cohorts with an internal performance estimate on the Y axis, days to the exam (finishing where the data points stop) on the X axis, the data points are grouped performance measures, and the curve is a best fit.

If I were to conclude anything from all the data it was this - it is time spent revising in the weeks leading up to the exam. The main thing that happens for those who actually pass is more intense revision in the 6 weeks or so prior to the exam with a steady improvement in performance.

It makes great sense too. Intensity of work reflects higher motivation, perhaps better scheduling of time commitments (perhaps a less stressful phase of a job rotation), and consistent work by those that ultimately pass.

I said you may not like the answer but the exam is simply a screening tool. It screens out those who are not able to commit the time required to get the exam behind them. I believe anyone who has got into and through medical school is more than capable of passing the MRCP but to boost your chances you simply need regular revision before the exam. If there were a simpler answer I'd happily share it but I'm afraid it's a case of getting stuck in to books and MCQs - and lots of them.

exam data answer axis right mrcp performance candidates

Thinking Allowed

The secret of passing the MRCP part 1 exam. You may not like the answer but read on ... Going on the right course? Reading

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