Specific tips to pass the RACGP exams

I will start by saying that no two brains are the same and everyone learns and recalls information differently. In this post I want to go through a few specific steps that I took to help me pass the RACGP exams and reduce stress on the day. But most importantly, reflect on what has worked for you in the past and use those techniques as well.

Participate in the RACGP webinars on exam preparation

A few months prior to the exams the RACGP will run a webinar series to go through what to expect during the exams and also practice questions. These are highly recommended to familiarise yourself with the exam format and what is expected. All registrars in training will receive invitations to the webinars from their regional training team. I would recommend attending them even if you have a paid subscription to another revision resource.

I don't know the answer!

Very few people know answers to every single question on either the AKT (Applied Knowledge Test) or KFP (Key Feature Problem) exam. This is completely normal and do not panic if you encounter this. The most important next step is to manage your time effectively and make an educated guess rather than waste time staring at the question. Some people mark the question and come back to it at the end.

Create your differential diagnosis list

A large part of the exams involve considering likely differential diagnoses for a clinical case. To make this easier, I used a part of my blank paper (given to everyone at the exam venue) to write out the surgical sieve that I regularly use as a prompt. For those who do not know what a surgical sieve is, this is a mnemonic that looks systematically at differential diagnoses of a complaint or issue. There are many different ones on the internet and in the well known GP textbook by Murtagh. I would strongly encourage you to choose one sieve for your revision period and during the exams.

Time management

Break down the 4 hour exam period into segments and aim to finish all the questions with 15-20 minutes to spare at the end. This will help you keep track of how fast you are completing the exam and reduce the risk of you losing marks to unanswered questions.