The MCAI MCQ (Multiple Choice Question)

 The MCAI MCQ

Personal Experience:

 

I started studying for this exam (ineffectively) in March using an e-learning programme from the NHS for anaesthesia which is recommended by the RCOA (Royal College of Anaesthesiology) in the UK. It was a great programme filled with videos and MCQs at the end of each topic. However, the programme covered the content very slowly and separately and was essentially slowing me down in the grand scheme of the exam.

So the next step I took (which was recommended to me by my peers) was to download the BMJ on exam app and purchase the programme for the anaesthetic membership examinations. At this point I started using the questions to guide my study. Eg. Filter the MCQs for pharmacology and then again for ‘local anaesthetics’.  I would complete all these questions and then study the topic thereafter using my Dr podcast book.

 I only used the BMJOE app and this book for the first exam which was the MCQ. I was recommended by some people that I should also download the pastest MCQ bank for the exam, but the marking system for that was different so it would always seem as if you were doing much worse during your preparation which I would have found disheartening and the content was essentially the same. It was slightly more scientific based than clinical in comparison to the BMJOE app which was a bit more clinical in nature. I found this suited me better and the questions were remarkably similar on the day of the actual exam. 

The BMJOE also showed you where you sat on the bell curve in comparison to the other users and gave you a score of green (good), amber (borderline pass) and red (fail). By the time of the exam I completed the bank 1.5 times and was achieving a green score. I still didn’t feel very confident as the curriculum is so vast and I didn’t feel I knew anything ‘really’ well but I scored well on the day of the actual exam (the results came three weeks later).

 P.S. I sat the ‘mock’ test the week before to check your computer and wifi are compatible for proctoring (our exam was from home due to Covid19) and I felt terrible afterwards as I really felt I scored poorly and had so much to do. So if you are a week out and feeling blatantly up the walls and overwhelmed, you’re probably right on track. As twisted as it is…

Recommendations:

 

Time frame: 6 months

(that’s the minimum amount of time you must have in anaesthetic experience before sitting the exam, so you may as well download the BMJOE app early and start tipping away at the questions before leaning in to proper study the three-four months prior)

Study plan:

*This is my approach – you do you!

1. Buy a core textbook e.g. Dr Podcast as your text to study alongside the MCQ Bank

2. Buy MCQ bank e.g. BMJ on examination for the FRCA primary - Use this from day one.

3. Start by choosing a category such as pharmacology and aim to complete that in total before moving on to the next. Keep in mind what each topic is worth, e.g. Pharmacology 1/3, statistics 1-2 questions.

4. Choose a subcategory such as local anaesthetics (search 'local anaesthetics' in the search bar) and complete all of those. 

5. Study the subject after completing the MCQs and making notes from the answers on the app

6. Along the way - search for a kind Consultant/SpR and aim to have tutorials 1-2/wk for 6-8 weeks. 

(I liked BMJ on exam)

BMJ On Examination App
(images by appadvice.com, apkpure.com)

Within 2-3 days you should have a sense of your pace in terms of how many questions you can finish in an hour and how long it’s taking you to read/make notes (for me it was roughly 10 if I was reading them thoroughly and making notes). This should shape your study plan for the coming months. I completed the bank x1.5 times. I was advised to do it twice and I think I would have felt more comfortable and less stressed in the final run up if I had managed to do that. So I would recommend sticking with the original advice and getting through it twice. Have a look at a typical week in study from that time below.

Weekday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Work	Call 4-8	Post-call	8-4	8-4	Call 4-8	Post-call	08:30 -8 (23.5 hours)
Study (11h +/- 3h)	3 hours (h)	? 1h	3 hours	3 hours	2 hours (pre-call)	Day Off/Sleep	? 1-2 hours during call
Life Admin	Bins out	Order online food shop	Pay medical council fee		Clean apartment
Exercise	Gym	Day off	Gym	Gym	Gym	Day off	Working
Social		Walk w/ Mai		Dinner w/ girls
Finance		Food Shop (80 euro)	IMC fee (650 euro)		Gym Fee (32 euro)

The only textbook I used for this exam was Dr Podcast. I was advised to use a number of books which were in depth in individual topics ( e.g. Peck and Hill for pharmacology, and Respiratory Physiology by West), but I prefer to use as few resources as possible. I felt that the MCQ answer summaries gave you the additional information you needed to add on to the Dr Podcast Notes for this exam.

*This is only my experience, please use whatever texts you find best.

(List of contents in Dr Podcast book)

I'd recommend finding a study buddy – this rings true for every exam, it is a lot more bearable if someone else is studying at the same time as you. So if there is a choice between studying in numbers or delaying it and doing it alone I would advise that you jump on the bandwagon and just get it done while there is someone else to keep you motivated. 

If these posts are helpful to you and you would like to make a contribution for its use, please feel free to visit my Patreon Page. Wishing you the best of luck with your study!