Building Your Study Plan
Most successful candidates prepare for at least 3 months. Here is a recommended phased approach:
Months 3–2 Before Exam: Foundation Phase
- Work through this entire course from start to finish — complete all modules before you begin intensive case practice
- In surgery, use 15-minute appointments and time yourself to finish the consultation within 12 minutes. The remaining 3 minutes are for documentation — this mirrors the SCA rhythm exactly
- Start a study group (3 people is ideal: one plays the doctor, one the patient, one the examiner/observer — then rotate)
- Begin practising SCA cases by clinical topic. Do not jump straight into random cases. Instead, work through one clinical area at a time to build your knowledge systematically: start with cardiovascular cases, then move to respiratory, then neurology, then women's health, then paediatrics, then mental health, and so on. For each topic area, revise the relevant NICE CKS guidance first, then practise 3–5 cases in that area before moving on. This approach builds deep clinical confidence in each domain before you start mixing them
- Revise your prescribing knowledge as you go — for each clinical area, make sure you know the first-line drugs, doses, side effects, and monitoring without the BNF
| ⭐ KEY POINT: The foundation phase is about depth, not speed. It is far better to feel confident across all the major clinical areas than to rush through hundreds of cases without truly learning from them. Build the knowledge first — the exam technique comes next. |
Months 2–1 Before Exam: Intensive Phase
- Shift your case practice from topic-based to mixed. Alternate between two approaches: some sessions should be filtered by clinical experience group (e.g., "today we focus on older adults and frailty"), while others should be completely random — just as the real exam will be. A good rhythm is two filtered sessions per week and one fully random session
- Increase your practice frequency to 3–4 sessions per week with your study group or SimsBuddy AI
- Record your practice consultations and review them critically — look for patterns: Are you consistently running out of time? Missing cues? Forgetting safety netting? Identify one thing to fix each week
- Discuss challenging cases with your GP trainer or educational supervisor — they can spot blind spots you cannot see yourself
- Start practising under strict 12-minute conditions with no pauses or restarts. Get comfortable with the time pressure now, not on exam day
Final 2–4 Weeks: Exam Readiness
- All case practice should now be fully random — no filtering by topic, no choosing cases you feel comfortable with. You need to be ready for anything, in any order, just as the exam will present it
- Practise under strict timed conditions every session: 3 minutes reading, 12 minutes consulting, hard stop. If you do not finish, you do not finish — learn to manage the clock
- Run at least two full mock circuits (4–6 cases back-to-back with no breaks between reading times) to build stamina and practise the mental reset between cases
- Complete the Osler platform walkthrough and device check as soon as you receive your login details
- Run through the self-assessment checklist (Module 9) — if you cannot honestly answer "yes" to every item, you know where to focus your final days
- Confirm your room booking, test your equipment, and inform your practice colleagues of your exam day
| ⭐ KEY POINT: Divide your total revision time into three equal parts: (1) clinical knowledge — knowing what to do, (2) consultation skills practice — demonstrating what you know under timed conditions, and (3) self-review and feedback — watching yourself back and improving. All three are essential. Candidates who only read and never practise fail. Candidates who only practise without reviewing never improve. |