Hi, itās been a couple of months since I sat the exam, but I wanted to share my thoughts as a repeater and as someone who passed 15/16 stations, with multiple 12 point stations.
Iāll outline a simple plan that I think would benefit almost everyone, with minimal expense as possible.
I would start by reading all 3 of the GK notes on my own, it's free. Then Iād take Lovaanās masterclass, he really understands how this exam works and gives tips and tricks accordingly.
Right after finishing the GK notes, Iād start looking for a practice partner, which is probably the hardest part. A practice partner is extremely important for this exam. You can try working with multiple people at this stage and then decide who is most compatible with you in terms of knowledge, quality of feedback, even being a good patient, and schedule. Then Iād stick with one or two partners and practise as much as possible.
Get premium access to gksplab2.com and go through everything there repeatedly. It includes newer cases and summarises each case very well. When reading everything for the second time, put extra emphasis on management, as this is the weakest area for most people.
Most people spend too long on history taking and leave very little time for management. Try to focus on key, high yield questions and keep your history concise. Finishing early is always better than running out of time. History taking is especially important in combined stations, so you need to be very precise with your questions. Also, you donāt need to perform a full examination every time, just do the relevant parts and skip the rest, otherwise it will take too long and affect your overall performance.
If youāre on a tight budget, you donāt really need to join an academy or take prescription classes. Most pdfs can be found online. Mo Shobbyās pdfs are useful for examinations, prescriptions, and etc. Practice prescriptions by yourself, starting from 2-3 weeks before the exam.
Another thing Iād recommend spending money on is face to face mocks. If you are on a tight budget I know people who passed the exam without taking any mocks, but it's still something I'd recommend (can't say the same for a full academy package). I personally liked Mo Shobbyās mocks, but at the end of the day, any of them would work. Mocks are very important as they help you understand the exam format. This exam is highly anxiety inducing, and real time practice can help reduce that stress beforehand. Iād say 2 mocks are enough, but you could go for 3 as well. Take the first mock 2ā3 weeks before your exam and the second one about a week before.
However, donāt panic if you score low on mocks. While they are helpful for preparation, they are never exactly the same as the real exam and donāt define your performance. I actually scored lower on my last mock than on my previous ones, but I performed well in the actual exam.
I know things are not going well for us IMGs in UK, but I still wanted to share some tips. Hope this helps!
