PREPARATION FOR THE EXAM
Do as many MCQs as possible. Preparation for the
exam is best done, in my opinion, with MCQs. No amount of textbook reading will be enough,
on its own. Collect MCQs from various sources: books, course material, Internet websites
(like mine) and CD-ROMs.
Although everyone varies in their capacity to
prepare for exams, a reasonable time to prepare for the MRCPCH Part I exam would be 2
months.
Past test papers are very useful - many MCQs are
repeated. Many of the MCQs on this site are based on past exam topics.
Do sets of 60 MCQs like a real exam, under time
limitations. Score yourself at the end, assess your strengths and weaknesses, then revise
topics from a textbook (or a review article). This is especially very important in the
final 2-3 weeks and resist the temptation to do MCQs in bits and pieces. If you want to
prepare at work, in a short break, use the textbook to revise topics; do not use this time
to do MCQs!
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AT THE EXAMINATION ITSELF
I personally prefer to do a first round of
answering MCQs, where the "I-know-the-answer-to-this-question-100%" choices are
marked. Then, a second round of tidying up, where the
"I-am-not-100%-sure-but-I-am-reasonably-certain" choices can be marked.
I personally do not advise a further round: doubts
about the already marked choices may crop up, raising the chances of negative marking!
Considering that the pass percentage rarely
exceeds 60%, a total of 220-240 choices may be safely marked. Even if 20 answers were
incorrect, the final result would vary from 180-200 (60-66%).
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