Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
On my General Practice rotation, I tried to dedicate each spare moment that I could, to doing questions. I would utilise anything from my lunch breaks, spare time while waiting to debrief with my supervisor, during slots in which patients DNA’d etc. and soon those 10-15 spare minutes started adding up. Unsurprisingly, I initially wasn’t scoring so well, especially on topics such as Infectious Disease, Dermatology and Ophthalmology. However, after repeating the question sets in my weaker areas on Emedica, my scores soon started improving to 85% minimum. The information I learnt was also invaluable for my GP rotation where I was commonly seeing skin/eye/ear complaints; my supervisors noted that my general confidence in diagnosing and managing these was vastly improving. Managing to practice the information learnt on Emedica daily was the most useful way to ensure that the guidelines remained clear in my mind ready for the exam e.g. acne management, hypertension guidelines, type 2 diabetes control etc. The Clinical Problem Solving Paper is designed to assess your ability to apply your clinical knowledge and make clinical decisions within the context of everyday practice. The scenarios are based across an array of settings that F2 doctors might be in, for example, hospital wards, general practices and out-of-hours clinics. Some questions may be based outside medical settings. The settings are there to provide context. However, the judgement required to answer the questions is not specific to one setting. I applied for GPST in 2012 in my FY2 year, scored band 3 for both papers at stage 2 (MSRA), but was unsuccessful at the Selection Centre. I had heard it was easy to pass, so I felt pretty confident and didn’t do too much preparation. Naturally I was devastated. General Practice was all I really wanted to do. However, my husband had just been offered a job internationally, so I decided to take some time out of formal training, and get some more experience through volunteering. The planned one year away turned into five, we started a family, and I worked in public hospitals in Rwanda and Malawi. However, I was keen to reapply for General Practice and aimed for the August 2017 intake. Get there early, or consider staying in a hotel nearby the night before. Walk to the test centre before the exam, partly to clear your head and calm nerves. They may let you book in earlier than your slot too, so it’s worth deciding if you want to do that.
The Pearson Vue centres are the places where many exams such as driving test theory are taken. You book a slot to take an exam, and the people in the room with you may be taking completely different exams. The CPS paper tests five main competencies: investigation, diagnosis, emergency, prescribing and management (non-prescribing). 1 The questions are posed in straightforward language and do not test knowledge that is specific to certain areas to ensure fairness for all candidates. Pilot questions are also included alongside the test for the purpose of item development; however, you will not be scored on these. Professional Dilemmas Paper
The very focused way of studying made it possible for me to feel like I was making progress and gain some confidence which was definitely needed and also to study in the little time I had available. Anyone with other commitments, especially small children will know how hard it is to study (at all or to combine this with feeling like a good enough parent) and I found keeping to a set structure the best way to do this over the summer holidays: My mum to whom I am eternally grateful, would look after the children after lunchtime for an hour or a little longer on a good day and I would furiously work my way through another section. If I had the energy in the evenings once the children were asleep I would do a further hour. I found it crucial to have my revision mapped out for the next few days ahead of time so that I could just sit down and work rather than waste time “planning”. Until now, the only way to access personalised learning for exams like the MSRA was to pay for expensive courses. These don’t represent value for money for most candidates who instead use question banks to prepare for their exam.
The MSRA is an important part of the assessment process for entry into specialty training at ST1 / CT1 level for many different specialties. In this article Dr Georgina Ormerod shares here experience of how she managed to get one of the highest scores in the country while juggling studying with work and young children, and her tips on how to prepare effectively. That being said, the MSRA is competitive, and as discussed previously, outperforming your peers can have significant advantages for your ST recruitment; therefore, the importance of preparing well for the MSRA should not be underestimated. Effective preparation will develop your understanding of the types of questions you’ll be asked and the exam expectations, allowing you to build experience and confidence when answering the questions. The ‘how to revise’ section below will provide guidance and tips on preparing successfully for the MSRA. What is a good score on the MSRA? Another very common question that I get asked is ‘which question bank should I use?’ I have not had experience of all banks on the market but all I would say is try and have some variety. Often doctors rely on only one question bank and get very used to a certain style of question-writing – doing the same style of question 2-3000 times is bound to trigger your brain to think in a certain way and it can be very confusing when another ‘style’ is suddenly encountered in the exam. There is an optional five-minute break between the two papers. If candidates take a longer break, this extra time will be subtracted from the time available in which to complete the CPS paper. 2Scoring highly in the MSRA exam can be hugely advantageous as candidates are more likely to get their top choice of training program. Dedicate enough time to covering each specialty to ensure that you are confident in all areas that will be included within the paper. Focusing on one specialty at a time will also allow you to identify common themes and consolidate your learning within each topic. Your mastery level for each topic in the Medibuddy MSRA question bank will help you decide which areas you should focus on. The MSRA is delivered in Pearson VUE test centres across several consecutive days within the MSRA window. The exam is offered throughout the UK and internationally; you can find your closest test centre here . It’s worth noting that there may not be availability at your nearest or preferred Pearson VUE test centre, due to the demand within the short assessment window, so you may be required to travel further to sit your exam.
Our super smart question bank adapts to YOU, providing all the benefits of personalised learning at a fraction of the cost of a course. We’re really excited about it (I’m sure you can tell!) and probably a bit biased, but we think it’s the best way to prepare for the MSRA in 2024! MSRA TipsYou will be given a set of responses (usually between 5 – 8 in this instance) and asked to select the most appropriate option for a single scenario. All applicants to GP specialty training are required to sit the MSRA. Candidates who do not achieve the minimum score required for GP specialty training must resit. 2 A successful outcome from the previous recruitment year cannot be transferred. TheScienceofPaediatrics(WillCarroll)–thisisthededicatedtextbookfortheexam.Veryexpensive,butitdoescontainalltheinformationyouneed,andischeaperthananotherattemptattheexam.Trytogetasecondhandorlibrarycopyifyoucan.
If you’re applying for a Specialty Training (ST) post in 2024, you may need to undertake the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) as part of the recruitment process. Our MSRA exam revision guide will provide you with advice and tips on preparing effectively, as well as information about the ‘exam difficulty’ and ‘what is a good score?’. Don’t underestimate the difficulty of the MSRA, start studying early, and do as many questions as you can afford to. It will pay off. It’s so basic, but remember to read the question carefully – it’s easy to miss things when you’re rushing and the information provided will help you to give the best possible answer to the question. Therearecertainscenariosinthisexamwhichcomeuptimeandtimeagain:renaltransplant,chronicliverdisease,prostheticheartvalves,aorticstenosis,myotonicdystrophy,RA,pulmonaryfibrosisetc.TheRyderseriesisespeciallygoodatgoingthroughconditionsbasedontheirlikelihoodofcomingupintheexambasedonpreviouscandidatesurveys.Becomingwellacquaintedwiththesecommonscenariosandbeingabletofluentlypresentyourfindingsandanswercommonvivaquestions(indicationsforrenaltransplant,approachtoascites,whentoconsidersurgeryinASetc)isimportant.Soundingconfidentunderpressureisalsoaveryimportantpartoftheexam. As well as focusing on high-quality content, much work is put into producing innovative features such as customized revision study notes and an updated continuous histogram to compare your achievement to other applicants.You will be given eight plausible actions for each scenario and asked to select the three most appropriate actions. You will be required to consider the appropriateness of each individual action and select three responses that will fully resolve the situation when used in combination. WouldalsorecommendtheUCDneurologychannel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHdemSStztKaB0A_iqfdiepvRwljoI1dF The MSRA is a computer-based exam which is designed to assess essential competencies. It is currently used for entry in postgraduate medical training for the following specialities:
Related:
Great Deal 
New Comment