AKT - Hints and Tips
Preparation
Allow plenty of time to revise (most candidates allow 16-18 weeks to prepare with two to three evenings a week and some weekends set aside for revision). Calculate how many quality hours of revision you need to do.
Apply for the AKT at a good time for you (quieter jobs, good time in personal life)
Use two (or more) question banks eg Pass Medicine and GP self tests
Aim to go through all questions at least twice. The purpose is for ‘needs self-assessment’ and to identify revision areas.
Knowledge
Focus your revision of core GP knowledge such as hypertension, asthma, COPD, diabetes and IHD. Read BNF Therapeutics areas.
During clinical practice, identify PUNS and DENS and revise topics.
There are useful check lists for high yield topics (e.g. https://www.emedica.co.uk/Emedica-MRCGP-High-YieldTopics.pdf)
Towards the end of revision ensure data interpretation and admin are fresh in your mind.
Question banks
Use question banks to identify areas of knowledge that you need to revise.
Do 10-20 questions at a time and learn around the topics.
Identify questions that repeatedly come up and learn the topic.
Avoid doing too many questions at once and not learning from your incorrect answers.
Towards the end of revision do 2-3 complete exams to practice time management.
Technique
Cover Test – after reading the question, cover the answers and if you know the answer then pick the option that matches
Read the question twice and identify the key words
Complete the questions that you feel confident with and flag the ones that you have difficulty with such as long, wordy questions and come back to them at the end.
Use the FourteenFish facility to review if answers you have changed is positive or negative
(i.e. Do you trust your first answers?)
Guidelines
Do some questions first, then read guidelines. Establish the common themes in the questions.
Discuss topics with your Educational Supervisor especially practice organisation
Innovait and RCGP are useful resources
Involve partner, family, and colleagues
Establish a revision pattern.
Organise a revision group either in person or virtual. Divide up topics between you to share with all. Write your own MCQs having read up on a topic.
Drs Simon Huins and Claire Fox
South West HEE Exam Support