An SCA revision plan for a busy GP rota

Why the SCA resists cramming

Use short, repeatable rehearsals to develop your opening, focused questions, explanations and closing. Let observed gaps guide the time you spend on each skill.

• Months out: build the consultation structure and the habit of practising out loud
• Weeks out: rehearse under exam-style timing and rotate through unfamiliar presentations
• Final fortnight: consolidate, stop adding new material, protect sleep and confidence
• Throughout: let feedback choose the next target, rather than a topic list

A staged outline you can adapt

Adjust the timescales to your rota and your exam date. The sequence matters more than the exact weeks: habits first, pressure second, consolidation last.

• Stage 1 — habit: two or three short rehearsals a week, untimed at first, focused on structure.
• Stage 2 — timing: bring in the twelve-minute clock and accept that early cases will overrun.
• Stage 3 — breadth: rotate through mental health, paediatrics, prescribing, and the topics you avoid.
• Stage 4 — audit: grade yourself by domain and spend a fortnight on the weakest one.
• Stage 5 — consolidation: reduce volume, add no new material, rehearse your openings and closings.

• How to structure a practice session
• Audit yourself by marking domain

Rotate through these as you build breadth

Breadth matters in the middle stage, once the structure is reliable.

• Prescribing skills
• Ethics and professionalism
• Respiratory assessment
• Women's health