Medical Exam Revision Tips

By Hannah Brown in Revision on Thursday, June 11, 2009 @ 10:19

Before You Start…

Work backwards from the exam date and make sure you’ve got enough time to work through your personal revision strategy without rushing, then sit down and plan exactly what you’ll need to revise, and what areas will need more attention.  Flick through your diary at the same time – be realistic about working around birthdays and other celebrations and factor in a fair amount of lost time for flexibility.  Consider your learning needs – if you’re going to attend a revision course do you want to get the bulk of your revision out of the way by the time you attend so you can consolidate what you’ve learnt, or do you want to use the course as a way of focusing your revision and identifying weak areas to concentrate on?  Apply for any study leave funding at this time too, and consider booking the week before the exam off work for last minute revision.

Read up as much as you can about the structure of the exam and the types of questions involved.  You can get this information from the Royal College websites, and there’s exam information in most of the PasTest revision texts.  Make sure you understand the types of questions, how they’re marked, and how to answer them.  Practise all the different types of questions, either in books or online, as much as possible.

Accept that there will be times when your revision plan will go out of the window.  This will happen, and all you can do is get back on track as soon as possible and work through it.  If you’re struggling to concentrate, try changing the way you revise.  Online question sites give you instant feedback and will help you identify your weak areas and give you new focus.

Revising…

One of the most common reasons for failure is poor knowledge through ineffective revision – revision of the wrong things, in the wrong way, at the wrong time.  Don’t waste time practising inappropriate questions – make sure any books you’re using are up to date, and that the questions are in the right format.

Revise when you’re at your best, not when you’re exhausted – you won’t retain anything worthwhile.  Put time aside and sit in a quiet room away from disturbances.  Work in short bursts – 20 to 30 minutes at a time, followed by a break.  Try not to get distracted during your breaks (NO ‘quick check’ of Facebook ot Twitter!), just take a short time to clear your mind and get away from your desk.

Try forming a study group or get a study buddy and test each other, or split the syllabus between you, making comprehensive notes on your ‘areas’ and sharing them throughout your revision.  In a group of people studying together it’s likely you’ll all have different weaknesses, and different strengths – use this to help and support each other.  Remember the onus is on you and your motivation though, you need to be independent in your own revision and can’t rely on a third party – you’ve got a lot to lose if they let you down.

Make your revision work for you.  If you’re attending a revision course, don’t cheat and look at the MCQs and their answers as soon as you get the course binder.  Course material is carefully designed to draw out your knowledge and test what you’ve retained from the lectures, so reading ahead would be counterproductive.  As the course progresses, make a note of areas of weakness that are in moderate or high profile areas of the exam and adjust your revision strategy to factor these in.

As you come to the end of your revision the key is to practise, practise, practise.  Go through high volumes of questions in the time allocated to the exam, and make sure you’re working at the right speed.

The night before…

Don’t try and learn any new material, use the time to review the syllabus, and consolidate everything you’ve learnt.  If you haven’t been to the test centre before plan your travel and make sure you know where the nearest car park is if you’re driving.  Make sure you’ve got all the stationery you need plus any other equipment if it’s a clinical exam.  Try and get a really good nights sleep and leave plenty of time in the morning, you don’t want to rush.

On the Day…

Don’t panic.  It sounds obvious, but if you panic you’ll make basic mistakes.  At each MRCP 1 diet someone will forget to write their name/number on the exam paper, don’t let it be you!  Breathe deeply, open the paper, and read all the instructions.  Twice.  Then read the questions carefully and write your name/number on the paper.  Choose your strategy: read through the entire paper before answering any questions OR answer items you are sure of as you go OR answer systematically, guessing things you’re not sure of.  By the time you start you’ll probably know what your strategy is going to be, and different people approach the paper in different ways.  Whichever way you choose, practise your strategy beforehand with timed mock exams.  Not only should you not run out of time, but you should also leave enough time to re-read your answers and make any last minute changes.

After the exam…

Relax.  By all means engage in post-exam dissection of every question you can remember with your friends, but don’t be too disheartened if this lowers your mood.  It might even do you good to get away from everyone exam-related if you feel it didn’t go well. 

Whatever you feel the outcome was, you can celebrate – you’ve got through the exam.  Go home, chill out; celebrate, or drown your sorrows, and wait for the results.