Advice for doctors sitting MRCGP test

14 December 2009

DOCTORS who are about to sit the MRCGP applied knowledge test to become GPs can find advice online.

A new guide offers tips on how to tackle the three-hour computer-based exam. The AKT is one of a number of exams doctors must pass to become a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and qualify as a GP. It can be taken at any point during GP specialty training at one of 150 professional testing centres around the UK and is offered three times a year.

Questions comprise single best answers, extended matching questions and interpretation of data, diagrams, tables and pictures. About 80 per cent are on clinical medicine, 10 per cent are on critical appraisal and evidence based clinical practice, and 10 per cent are on health informatics and administrative issues. There was an 83 per cent pass rate in the AKT in April 2009 when more than 1100 trainees took part.

The guide, published by BMJ Careers, recommends preparing at least three months in advance when trainees should familiarise themselves with statistics and research topics related to the RCGP curriculum. It highlights revision resources and offers study tips and techniques.

Read the advice here