Before you reading this I assume that you know basic stuff about psychiatry
(for example the difference between Piaget and Piaggio. Yes you are right one is
persons name and later is a two wheeler manufacturer. I mean you do not need to
know too much about psychiatry at this stage. If you know the answer then you
are ready for part 1 exam. You just need four months to pass this exam. Some did
it in one month but, here I discuss about four month’s technique.
Four months prior to exam
Start collecting all past papers, collect as many as you can. There are some
very good websites where you can get all past papers. Do not worry about courses
at this stage. Once you have collected papers (at least 2000 questions) now it
is time for to organise them in topic wise. Like psychopathology, psychology
etc.
Three months prior to exam
Read all the questions at least once. Do not worry if you don’t know the
answers. By this time you will know your week area pf topics. Now it is time for
applying courses. Some say it is waste and some say it is essential. I think it
is good idea to attend one course (there is one very good course in northwest
England; I can’t post their name here). Usually these courses costs about
£200-£300, but if you fail then re-sitting for the exam costs you £500.so you
decide which is best for you.
Select the course, which will be conducted 4-5 weeks prior to exam so that there
is plenty of time for you to improve your self.
Two months prior to exam
This is the time for you to start reading questions. IF YOU WANT TO PASS THE
EXAM PLEASE DO NOT READ TEXT BOOKS. I will explain why later.
Give one week for each topic and answer the questions. If you do not know the
answers try to find it in the textbooks. Whilst you are looking for the answers,
read around the topic not just answer.
One month prior to exam
By this time even after your huge efforts you left with some controversial
questions. Leave them for now. Divide this month in to 2 blocks. In the first 15
days allot 3 days to each topic and finish all the questions in that time. Now
you have only 15 days left for your exam. Don’t worry you will make it. Now
allot one day for each topic. By this time when you see the first few lines of
the question you know the answer.
About controversial questions
No matter what you do there will be 5-10% of questions for which there is no
right or wrong answers. You are not going to fail with those questions. Many
people fail because there are too worried about these questions and neglect easy
and straightforward questions, which makes 90-95% of the paper.
Because there is NO negative marking, attempt all questions.
If you don’t know the answers try this method: one month prior to exam collect
some 50 questions (for which you don’t know the answer) and answer them with
your initial instinct. That means as soon as you see the question if you feel
wrong then answer as false. After answering all 50 questions assess the answers.
If you scored well then follow your instinct in the real exam, if not then
answer opposite to your instinct in the exam.
Group study
It is personal choice and also depends up on the group. It is always a good
idea to form a small group (3-4 members) and meet every week to discuss
questions. It helps a lot. If you have friend lives other side of the country
then you can discuss questions over the phone (BT land line is free after 7 pm.
There are so many companies’ gives you unlimited free minutes to land lines).
But remember; always choose the person who knows little more than you if
possible.
The Exam
Be calm and DO NOT discuss questions just before exam.
Read the question carefully. Always look for wording and how the question is
framed. Some people start with EMIs and some with ISQs. Again it is depends up
on you. But I think, it is wise to start with ISQs as long as you keep close eye
on time. If you don’t know the answer, leave that question and move on. Other
wise you lose precious time.
Remember 40-70% of the questions are repeaters. Gain the time by answering those
questions quickly and spend that time for tricky questions.
I hope this helps. If you have any doubts about anything I mentioned above
please feel free to ask me.
Soon I will update you all about OSCE preparation. Good luck for the exam.
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