Many doctors aim no higher than to just pass their specialist exams. If you’re not aiming for a prize, surely the exam is a hurdle that needs to be cleared. So why not just aim for a pass?

Registrars who consistently pass practice exams in the lead up to the big day are statistically more likely to pass their exams. Unfortunately, just passing in practice exams is not a reliable recipe for success because realistically, most doctors are likely to perform a little worse than their average practice exam on the big day. The whole experience is stressful and there are usually at least one or two surprises you could never have prepared for. It is wise to anticipate that there will be areas of the exam that you will not pass with flying colours. 

That is why it is essential that you prepare yourself a buffer. In other words, it is important that each doctor has areas they know very well and in which they are likely to clearly pass. Performing well in these parts of the exam will compensate for those areas that may not be your strongest.

In practice this means that a registrar may not actually be quite ready for a specialist exam if they are only just passing practice exams. All is not lost though. The key is knowing when to sit. This will be the topic of our next blog post.