- You must get as much help as possible if you are from outside the UK. Use social media, but cautiously.
- Learn about the exam well. How many questions, types of questions, how long will you get, what are the guidelines and recommendations for the exam, and what type of exam setting does RCPath suggest? Make sure there is nothing unexpected about the exam before the day you sit for it.
- Read the curriculum—make sure you list topics to read. Unless you do, you may forget something.
- Read the Oxford handbook thoroughly. It is your base. You must read it at least 2 – 3 times, every line. Supplement each topic of the Oxford Handbook with additional notes from guidelines, SMI, EUCAST, and microregistrar moodle (if you subscribed)
- Do questions – past papers, learn infection, Moore’s book, tutorial topic and moodle. Do each of these more than once. When doing questions, time yourself. I suggest 1 minute max for 1 question.
- When you do questions, try to pick up the hints in the stem to help you reach the answer. These hints are important. Highlight these hints in your book (Oxford/your note) or write down against the topic.
- Remember, this is a UK exam. Questions are based on UK problems; answers are expected to reflect how we manage cases in the UK. Even if you do something entirely different in your country, that will not be applicable here. Read UK guidelines and books. You can read US-based guidelines, but beware: US practice, in some cases, is different from the UK. Don’t read CLSI, use EUCAST.
- Make your notes. When revising for the second time, it is easier to read your notes than the book. However, if your prep strategy is different, use that.
- Make a study group or study partner. You can discuss the subjects you read. Your partner might help you pick up points that you have missed.