NMRCGP Applied Knowledge Test: How to Pass It Successfully

All general practice trainees are now required to take the Royal College of General Practitioners (nMRCGP) new membership examinations, including the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), to qualify as a General Practitioner (GP). Passing candidates have demonstrated competence in the application of knowledge and interpretation of information at a level sufficiently high for independent practice.

test format

Candidates take the AKT at any time during their GP specialty training. It is a three-hour computer-based exam consisting of 200 questions and is taken at one of 150 Pearson VUE Career Assessment Centers across the UK. The exam is offered three times a year.

Questions include best individual answers, extended matching questions, and interpretation of data, diagrams, tables, and images. About 80% are dedicated to clinical medicine, 10% to critical appraisal and evidence-based clinical practice, and 10% to health informatics and administrative issues.

In the April 2009 AKT, the average score of the candidates was 143, with the top candidate scoring 183. The passing grade was 126 (63.3%) and 83.8% of the 1,102 candidates were successful. . The mean scores per subject were: clinical medicine 74%; interpretation of the evidence 68.2%; and administration issues 60.1%.

The subsequent report from the Royal College of General Practitioners identified gaps in the candidates’ knowledge. For example, questions on childhood asthma management (within curriculum statement (CS) eight, child and youth care), gender-specific health problems (CS10), and fitness to drive and work (CS15) did not fare well. answered. There were also no questions about less common and potentially lifesaving procedures under CS7 (care of the acutely ill).

test preparation

Start preparing three months before the exam. Make sure you are familiar with the Royal College of General Practitioners syllabus and read up on any weak areas. We strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with statistics and research topics.

There are many review sites with practice questions, such as OnExamination. There are also many good review guides, such as nMRCGP Practice Papers: Applied Knowledge Test by Rob Daniels (ISBN 1905 635 354); nMRCGP Applied Knowledge Test Study Guide by Khan, Jabbour, and Rehman (ISBN 9781846192302);EMQ for the nMRCGP applied knowledge test by Dawson and Trigell (ISBN 9781846192456); and Winning at the nMRCGP AKT by Mehta, Williams, and Mehta (ISBN 978-1-906839-10-9).

We also suggest the following resources: Oxford Manual of General Practice; Oxford Manual of Clinical Medicine; Oxford Manual of Clinical Surgery; British National Form (BNF); clinical knowledge summaries; Medicines and Therapeutics Bulletin; British Medical Journal; Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners; and InnovAit.

other tips

• Develop a review schedule. Your e-portfolio can be used to help
• Lack of reading and self-assessment are much better than marathon reading sessions followed by multiple mock exams.
• Self-assessment is the only way to test your knowledge.
• Group review is more helpful to some people than others. Find out early if it works for you or not. Group sessions should be structured, and not just an opportunity to relax or relax with each other.
• Don’t panic if your review doesn’t go to plan. Find a mentor to help you get back on track and stay positive. You may not know everything, but there are many things you do know
• Eat right and exercise. It is not healthy to lock yourself up for three months; or party every weekend

for the same day

• Practice on the test center website beforehand to familiarize yourself with the system
• Sleep early
• arrive on time
• Bring all the requested documents
• Read the questions well
• Enter answers carefully
• If you’re not sure, skip a question and come back to it later
• Guess the unanswered questions at the end. There is no negative mark.
• Check for silly bugs if you have time left
• Look at the clock. Two hundred questions in three hours means 54 seconds each, but they vary in length and complexity, so some will take longer than others.