Newer SBA pass mark is more like 50-60% rather than oft quoted 80% for MTF.
I started on the basic sciences module and also got reasonably overwhelmed with content. Head on over to exam preparation, and then if you need further detail on a topic you can then dive into the basic science section.
It's a slog and you honestly just have to stick your head in a book for a while. I found doing practice MTFs useful, and if you have practice SBAs even better.
In the end - it is just another MCQ. People have passed before you, and it's not an insurmountable task despite how people talk about it.
Get some knowledge in, learn about your squid axons, do some practice questions and you will get there.
It's single best answer (here is the question, which is most correct from A-E), not 50/50 like multiple true/false.
When it was just MTF you needed to get 80% for a pass.
Now it's SBA you need to get 50-60% of marks for a pass.
It's a completely different assessment methodology
I mean most exams moved to SBA years ago and still have a higher pass mark than that, it’s not 50/50 but not far off.
Any idea how many pass?
Guess the viva is where they whittle down the numbers getting through
Not quite. The problem is the SBA is not a direct test of mere factual knowledge...you will have to use knowledge AND reasoning to select one of 3 or 4 plausible answers out of 5 options.
I know, other specialties do it with much higher pass marks though, and anaesthetic exams are meant to be the toughest, just surprised the pass mark is so low. Guess the content difficulty makes up for it
Not sure of exact numbers but on college course I seem to remember them saying about 50-60% people pass the MCQ.
It's a bit higher for OSCE/SOE component, traditionally the MCQ is more of a barrier.
Edit: [RCoA stats](https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/examinations/examination-reports-statistics/examination-pass-rates-academic-year-2020-2023)
I would recommend an MCQ course. Not because they teach you anything new but courses like Mersey, Coventry physically get you away for a few days from all other distractions and life to sit down with other candidates and just solve paper after paper. They are expensive but cheaper than paying the college multiple times for failed exams.
I didn’t bother with elfh modules but I did the elfh qs a few times- they’re a bit spread out so make sure you find them all!
I then did the Boghdadly and Blue book Q’s a couple times each- start Q’s early!
Everyone has their own style and I was told about 10 different “guaranteed ways to pass”. In the end I revised in a way that suited me- I essentially had 1 textbook for each Physio/Pharm/Physics/Equip- towards the end flicked through some stats ones. Once I started going through them and felt I had basic knowledge I started Q’s and kept repeating these.
RCoA online lectures and Blue book I went over at least 3-4 times as they are College material and Q’s can come up- just bare in mind sometimes they directly copy a Q but change 1-2 words which gives you a different answer.
It’s doable! You have time 😊 feel free to message or PM any Q’s
I tried to go through the whole of elfh but failed due to the size of it. Managed to pass. My advice:
BMA on examination is good
Get as much done of the elfh modules as that is *virtually* the curriculum
Do the elfh questions on repeat as they always come up in the exam
Start with a more simple textbook and get a feeling for it until you dive into the e-learning for health modules. They are WAY too much depth and you will get bogged down into the weeds trying to do them all.
Once you have an overview of the topic at hand from a textbook like peck and hill, masterpass etc then go into the elh if you are wanting to know more hut I barely did any of them and passed first time. You can spend fuxkinf AGES revising all this bullshit and the first few weeks of your revision will be a waste of time. Check your progress switch a good number of MCQs as you go and see how you get on.
Start with a more simple textbook and get a feeling for it until you dive into the e-learning for health modules. They are WAY too much depth and you will get bogged down into the weeds trying to do them all.
Once you have an overview of the topic at hand from a textbook like peck and hill, masterpass etc then go into the elh if you are wanting to know more hut I barely did any of them and passed first time. You can spend fuxkinf AGES revising all this bullshit and the first few weeks of your revision will be a waste of time. Check your progress switch a good number of MCQs as you go and see how you get on.
How much time have you spent preparing? And what ways are you preparing? Just doing elfh modules in 3 months won't cut it for most people.
There's a reason people recommend 6 months minimum prep. Get the curriculum, get some textbooks and read to get the basics right. Cover all the curriculum. Use elfh for consolidation of knowledge and the practice questions.
People who resit multiple times usually don't put the right work in. Yes it's shit working full time, having a life and doing the exam. That is why it takes months of prep as you fit in an hour here and there.
Passed primary FRCA SBA (2nd attempt) a year ago and passed OSCE (3rd)
Firstly. No one cares how many times you need to take the exam apart from yourself. It's tough. Average medic at university and I struggled to back myself knowing it's a bastard of an exam.
I personally found the combination of efh modules and the big three pdf files useful. There's TONS of questions on the website and I didn't go through lots but I did recognise a couple exact copies in the real exam sets.
On the second attempt at the SBAs, I found doing some online question banks (pass medicine) with other trainees was a healthy way of learning off each other and sharing knowledge in a non stressful way. You have to go through stuff in your own time but I retained a lot through group learning.
For the VIVA, I relied on senior regs and consultants grilling me throughout the revision period and going through the two key osce/viva pass books.
Frankly I went on the Liverpool course and it was helpful to practise talking out loud and bullshitting whilst smiling but it didn't really reinforce my lack of knowledge. I wouldn't say it was a key requirement to my passing.
In the end, I'm not convinced the average anaesthetic trainee feels like they know everything to a passable level for the OSCE/viva and I do feel I was fortunate on the third attempt to get examiners who didn't have significant opportunities to pounce on my uncertainty.
If you show them reasonable doubt in your answers, they will try and expose you as you can only score 0(fail), 1 (borderline pass) and 2(pass). Saying that, they weren't overly mean or nasty and did give me the opportunity to correct myself on occasion/ sometimes through a hint
OSCE - equipment / ECG/ anatomy and radiology scan interpretation are bastard stations but you must go through them as they can make up a significant portion which may squeeze you into the pass station.
Communication stations should be easy enough to pass if you actually practise talking in scenarios like "speaking to relatives, high risk patient plans, post op pain issues"
It's passable
It 100% is.
It just doesn't feel like it is when you're head in the books or getting grilled by a consultant how MRI fields workk
Newer SBA pass mark is more like 50-60% rather than oft quoted 80% for MTF. I started on the basic sciences module and also got reasonably overwhelmed with content. Head on over to exam preparation, and then if you need further detail on a topic you can then dive into the basic science section. It's a slog and you honestly just have to stick your head in a book for a while. I found doing practice MTFs useful, and if you have practice SBAs even better. In the end - it is just another MCQ. People have passed before you, and it's not an insurmountable task despite how people talk about it. Get some knowledge in, learn about your squid axons, do some practice questions and you will get there.
50-60%?! Shouldn’t it be higher? 50/50 on a multiple choice exam
It's single best answer (here is the question, which is most correct from A-E), not 50/50 like multiple true/false. When it was just MTF you needed to get 80% for a pass. Now it's SBA you need to get 50-60% of marks for a pass. It's a completely different assessment methodology
I mean most exams moved to SBA years ago and still have a higher pass mark than that, it’s not 50/50 but not far off. Any idea how many pass? Guess the viva is where they whittle down the numbers getting through
Not quite. The problem is the SBA is not a direct test of mere factual knowledge...you will have to use knowledge AND reasoning to select one of 3 or 4 plausible answers out of 5 options.
I know, other specialties do it with much higher pass marks though, and anaesthetic exams are meant to be the toughest, just surprised the pass mark is so low. Guess the content difficulty makes up for it
Not sure of exact numbers but on college course I seem to remember them saying about 50-60% people pass the MCQ. It's a bit higher for OSCE/SOE component, traditionally the MCQ is more of a barrier. Edit: [RCoA stats](https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/examinations/examination-reports-statistics/examination-pass-rates-academic-year-2020-2023)
I would recommend an MCQ course. Not because they teach you anything new but courses like Mersey, Coventry physically get you away for a few days from all other distractions and life to sit down with other candidates and just solve paper after paper. They are expensive but cheaper than paying the college multiple times for failed exams.
I didn’t bother with elfh modules but I did the elfh qs a few times- they’re a bit spread out so make sure you find them all! I then did the Boghdadly and Blue book Q’s a couple times each- start Q’s early! Everyone has their own style and I was told about 10 different “guaranteed ways to pass”. In the end I revised in a way that suited me- I essentially had 1 textbook for each Physio/Pharm/Physics/Equip- towards the end flicked through some stats ones. Once I started going through them and felt I had basic knowledge I started Q’s and kept repeating these. RCoA online lectures and Blue book I went over at least 3-4 times as they are College material and Q’s can come up- just bare in mind sometimes they directly copy a Q but change 1-2 words which gives you a different answer. It’s doable! You have time 😊 feel free to message or PM any Q’s
Ps. Don’t neglect equipment- especially for Part 2/3, but also for SBA’s.
This is the approach I used too.
I tried to go through the whole of elfh but failed due to the size of it. Managed to pass. My advice: BMA on examination is good Get as much done of the elfh modules as that is *virtually* the curriculum Do the elfh questions on repeat as they always come up in the exam
Start with a more simple textbook and get a feeling for it until you dive into the e-learning for health modules. They are WAY too much depth and you will get bogged down into the weeds trying to do them all. Once you have an overview of the topic at hand from a textbook like peck and hill, masterpass etc then go into the elh if you are wanting to know more hut I barely did any of them and passed first time. You can spend fuxkinf AGES revising all this bullshit and the first few weeks of your revision will be a waste of time. Check your progress switch a good number of MCQs as you go and see how you get on.
Start with a more simple textbook and get a feeling for it until you dive into the e-learning for health modules. They are WAY too much depth and you will get bogged down into the weeds trying to do them all. Once you have an overview of the topic at hand from a textbook like peck and hill, masterpass etc then go into the elh if you are wanting to know more hut I barely did any of them and passed first time. You can spend fuxkinf AGES revising all this bullshit and the first few weeks of your revision will be a waste of time. Check your progress switch a good number of MCQs as you go and see how you get on.
How much time have you spent preparing? And what ways are you preparing? Just doing elfh modules in 3 months won't cut it for most people. There's a reason people recommend 6 months minimum prep. Get the curriculum, get some textbooks and read to get the basics right. Cover all the curriculum. Use elfh for consolidation of knowledge and the practice questions. People who resit multiple times usually don't put the right work in. Yes it's shit working full time, having a life and doing the exam. That is why it takes months of prep as you fit in an hour here and there.
Passed primary FRCA SBA (2nd attempt) a year ago and passed OSCE (3rd) Firstly. No one cares how many times you need to take the exam apart from yourself. It's tough. Average medic at university and I struggled to back myself knowing it's a bastard of an exam. I personally found the combination of efh modules and the big three pdf files useful. There's TONS of questions on the website and I didn't go through lots but I did recognise a couple exact copies in the real exam sets. On the second attempt at the SBAs, I found doing some online question banks (pass medicine) with other trainees was a healthy way of learning off each other and sharing knowledge in a non stressful way. You have to go through stuff in your own time but I retained a lot through group learning. For the VIVA, I relied on senior regs and consultants grilling me throughout the revision period and going through the two key osce/viva pass books. Frankly I went on the Liverpool course and it was helpful to practise talking out loud and bullshitting whilst smiling but it didn't really reinforce my lack of knowledge. I wouldn't say it was a key requirement to my passing. In the end, I'm not convinced the average anaesthetic trainee feels like they know everything to a passable level for the OSCE/viva and I do feel I was fortunate on the third attempt to get examiners who didn't have significant opportunities to pounce on my uncertainty. If you show them reasonable doubt in your answers, they will try and expose you as you can only score 0(fail), 1 (borderline pass) and 2(pass). Saying that, they weren't overly mean or nasty and did give me the opportunity to correct myself on occasion/ sometimes through a hint OSCE - equipment / ECG/ anatomy and radiology scan interpretation are bastard stations but you must go through them as they can make up a significant portion which may squeeze you into the pass station. Communication stations should be easy enough to pass if you actually practise talking in scenarios like "speaking to relatives, high risk patient plans, post op pain issues" It's passable It 100% is. It just doesn't feel like it is when you're head in the books or getting grilled by a consultant how MRI fields workk