Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Your
very
first
step
on
the
road
to
PLAB
1
success
is
organizing
all
the
information
you
have
available
to
you.
Sources
of
information
Facebook
page
(file
section):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/doctor.plab/?fref=ts
One
Drive:
https://goo.gl/72EJnH
I
would
suggest
creating
a
folder
on
your
computer
and
organizing
all
the
information
into
their
respective
categories.
The
benefit
of
creating
folders
is
that
the
information
appears
clearer
and,
quite
frankly,
less
daunting.
The
files
you
will
require
are:
1.
Samson
Notes
These
are
notes
that
are
organized
subject
wise.
There
are
24
notes
(each
note
correlates
to
the
subjects
mentioned
on
the
GMC
website).
They
give
you
the
basics
on
each
of
the
subject.
The
notes
are
completely
tailored
to
the
exam
and
are,
in
my
opinion,
very
useful.
They
are
not
always
updated
to
new
guidelines.
2.
1700
MCQ
This
is
a
folder
containing
1700
MCQs
from
past
exams.
Make
sure
to
get
the
unanswered
and
the
answered
files
(2
separate
files).
You
will
be
able
to
solve
the
questions
on
your
own
and
then
see
whether
your
answers
match
the
answers
given.
The
answers
(key)
given
are
not
always
correct.
Make
sure
to
always
double
check.
3.
Mocks
These
are
files
that
contain
200
MCQs
and
are
set
up
just
like
an
exam
You
should
aim
to
do
10
Mocks
in
total.
If
you
are
time-limited
try
to
do
at
least
5-7.
A
lot
of
the
questions
given
in
Mocks
are
not
covered
in
the
1700
MCQs
file;
therefore
I
suggest
you
really
focus
a
lot
on
these
mocks.
4.
Recalls
These
are
questions
the
past
plabbers
were
able
to
recall
after
completing
their
exams.
I
cannot
stress
enough
how
important
it
is
to
go
through
and
answer
these
questions.
A
lot
of
the
recalls
will
be
repeated
in
your
exam.
Make
sure
to
go
through
the
questions
covered
in
at
least
3
previous
exams.
E.g.
If
you
are
writing
the
November
exam,
look
at
the
recalls
from
the
September,
June
and
March
exams.
5.
Experiences
Download
and
look
over
past
plabbers
experiences.
This
will
give
you
a
proper
understanding
of
the
road
ahead.
It
also
provides
motivation,
as
you
are
able
to
read
the
experiences
of
different
people
who
have
been
in
the
same
situation
as
you
and
were
able
to
pass.
You
will
be
able
to
read
about
different
peoples
studying
technique
and
determine
which
method
suits
you.
6.
Books
Oxford
Handbook
of
Clinical
Medicine
(OHCM)
and
Oxford
Handbook
of
Clinical
Specialties
(OHCS).
These
books
can
be
found
on
the
one
drive
folder
(see
links
above).
You
will
not
need
to
read
these
books
from
cover
to
cover,
so
dont
worry
about
that.
These
books
will
serve
as
excellent
references
when
answering
MCQs.
Once
you
have
organized
all
the
information
you
need,
its
time
to
put
pen
to
paper
and
start
the
actual
process
of
studying.
In
my
personal
experience,
I
found
that
starting
with
Samson
notes
helped
refresh
some
of
the
rusted
parts
of
my
brain
and
provided
me
with
the
basic
need-to-know-information
on
each
subject
being
questioned.
The
advantage
of
the
notes
is
that
the
subjects
covered
are
completely
tailored
to
the
exam
nothing
more.
The
disadvantage
of
these
notes
is
that,
in
some
cases,
the
information
might
be
incorrect
or
not
updated
to
match
current
guidelines.
Having
said
that,
I
believe
the
pros
out
way
the
cons
and
reading
through
these
notes
is
actually
quite
beneficial.
How
to
go
through
the
notes
This
all
depends
on
your
individual
study
style.
I
spent
an
average
of
a
day
(sometimes
two)
on
each
subject.
I
chose
to
start
with
the
topics
that
are
most
frequently
asked
about
and
then
I
covered
the
rest.
PLAB
1
Sample
Grid
Distribution
of
MCQs
After
covering
the
notes,
I
would
brush
through
Oxford
books
and
add
some
notes
if
I
thought
they
were
useful.
I
wrote
all
my
notes
from
Samson
and
Oxford
onto
my
own
notebook
this
was
incredibly
helpful
during
revision,
as
I
just
had
to
look
at
my
notebook
without
having
to
read
through
the
Samson
notes
or
books
again.
After
completing
each
subject
you
can
cover
the
subject
wise
MCQs
by
getting
a
subscription
to
the
Samson
online
MCQ
bank.
So
for
example,
if
you
have
completed
OBG
go
onto
Samson
online
and
do
the
OBG
MCQs.
I
suggest
writing
notes
with
the
MCQs
you
cover,
that
way
you
can
come
back
to
read
it
on
notebook
later
on.
Samson
notes
done.
Now
what?
Now
the
fun
begins.
Covering
the
MCQs
is
truly
where
your
brain
will
get
challenged
and
you
will
feel
like
you
are
going
in
the
right
direction.
I
would
suggest
beginning
with
the
1700
MCQ
file.
I
printed
out
200
MCQs
at
a
time
and
wrote
notes
next
to
each
MCQ.
Initially
I
was
only
able
to
cover
100
MCQs
a
day,
but
with
time
I
was
progressively
able
to
cover
more.
You
might
feel
like
the
Samson
notes
didnt
prepare
you
for
a
lot
of
the
questions
you
encounter
in
this
file,
that
is
a
perfectly
normal
reaction.
It
is
at
this
moment
that
you
will
have
the
opportunity
to
meet
your
new
best
friends
patient.co.uk
and
NICE
guidelines.
Going
through
the
MCQs
Do
not
just
answer
the
questions.
Dissect
them.
The
perfect
way
to
know
if
youre
tackling
an
MCQ
correctly
is
if
you
are
able
to
understand
(and
explain)
the
reason
why
the
answer
is
the
answer
and
the
reason
why
the
others
are
not.
Always
make
sure
you
have
a
reference
to
backup
your
answer.
I
suggest
you
give
yourself
at
least
17
days
to
cover
the
1700
MCQ
file.
Sources
Patient.co.uk
(the
professional
articles):
www.patient.co.uk
NICE
Guidelines:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance
Oxford
Handbook
Clinical
Medicine
(OHCM)
Oxford
Handbook
Clinical
Specialties
(OHCS)
BMJ:
http://www.bmj.com/
Note:
Stick
to
UK
websites
Mocks,
mocks
and
more
mocks.
At
this
point
you
will
have
the
confidence
to
tackle
the
infamous
Mocks.
I
read
a
previous
plabber
who
wrote
that,
You
need
to
eat,
sleep
and
drink
the
Mocks.
She/he
was
not
kidding.
I
did
one
Mock
a
day,
I
did
not
want
to
rush
them
and
I
made
sure
to
double-check
the
answers
on
the
various
sources
I
mentioned
above.
This
is
also
the
perfect
time
to
learn
how
to
time
yourself.
I
aimed
for
2
hours
to
complete
the
exam.
I
wanted
to
make
sure
I
had
extra
time
to
check
my
answers
at
the
end.
I
wasnt
sure
how
tough
the
actual
exam
would
be
so
I
wanted
to
make
sure
I
knew
how
to
go
through
the
questions
quickly
and
efficiently.
These
Mocks
should
take
about
7
10
days.
Do
it
all
over
again
(if
you
have
the
time)
Now
its
time
to
revise
everything
once
more.
At
this
point
you
would
have
been
studying
for
a
while,
your
head
is
feeling
heavy
and
youre
probably
worried
that
youre
starting
to
forget
things.
Most
of
us
go
through
this,
but
theres
nothing
a
quick
revision
wont
fix.
Total
recall
Finally,
cover
the
Recalls.
If
the
recalls
are
well
structured
use
them
as
a
way
to
test
your
knowledge,
search
for
the
answers
using
your
sources.
Duration
of
it
all
I
took
2
months
to
complete
all
of
the
above.
The
duration
required
varies
amongst
individuals.
It
is
completely
up
to
you
to
determine
how
long
itll
take
you
to
complete
all
the
content
you
need.
Samson
Mocks
and
Oxford
handbook
quick
read
through:
4
weeks
1700
MCQ
file:
2
weeks
Mocks:
1
week
Recalls:
1-2
days
Revision:
2
weeks
Note:
If
you
are
time
limited
I
would
suggest
skipping
the
Samson
Notes
and
focusing
on
answering
the
MCQs.
Write
the
reason
for
the
answer
next
to
the
MCQ
or
on
a
notebook,
these
notes
will
be
useful
during
revision.
Facebook
Do
not
underestimate
the
power
of
discussion.
Personally
I
am
a
lone
studier,
I
have
always
been
that
way.
I
didnt
join
a
Whatsapp
or
Skype
group,
the
only
discussions
I
had
were
on
Facebook.
A
neat
trick
is
to
type
part
of
the
question
you
are
having
trouble
with
into
the
search
bar
and
see
previous
plabbers
discussions
on
the
question.
Unofficial
rules
of
Facebook/Forum
discussions
1. Always
have
a
reference
to
backup
your
answer
2. Respect
others
opinions.
There
is
always
going
to
be
others
who
are
more
knowledgeable
when
it
comes
to
certain
things.
Make
sure
to
be
respectful
of
everyones
opinion.
3. Try
to
help
out
as
much
as
you
can.
Its
a
stressful
time
for
everyone
but
this
group
is
successful
because
of
the
incredible
people
who
have
taken
the
time
to
try
and
help
others.
4. Do
not
spend
a
lot
of
time
arguing
over
one
question.
This
will
waste
a
lot
of
precious
hours
of
studying.
If
you
are
incapable
of
coming
to
a
conclusion,
try
to
come
back
to
that
question
at
a
later
date.
There
are
going
to
be
questions
that
you
will
not
find
a
conclusion
to
and
that,
you
should
know
that,
is
okay.
Extra
tips
Create
a
Timetable
This
changed
the
entire
course
of
my
studying.
Initially
I
only
had
a
mental
timetable,
but
nothing
was
solid.
I,
therefore,
wasted
time
or
took
unnecessary
breaks.
Once
I
created
a
timetable
and
printed
it
out,
the
course
of
my
studying
became
a
lot
more
focused
and
effective.
Monday
st
1
Jan
OBG
Tuesday
nd
2
Jan
Cardiology
Wednesday
rd
3
Jan
Digestive
Thursday
th
4
Jan
Psychiatry
Friday
th
5
Jan
Neurology
Saturday
th
6
Jan
1700
MCQs
Sunday
th
7
Jan
1700
MCQs
To
Subscribe
or
Not
to
Subscribe
This
has
been
a
topic
of
discussion
for
quite
some
time.
According
to
the
structure
of
the
November
2015
exam
it
seems
that
there
really
isnt
a
need
for
an
extra
subscriptions
other
than
Samson
online.
I
personally
had
a
subscription
to
Onexamination
and
that
actually
gave
me
a
false
fear
of
impending
doom.
The
questions
were
longer
and
would
give
a
lot
of
unnecessary
information.
The
PLAB
questions
are
straight
forward
and
to
the
point.
I
personally
believe
that
extra
subscriptions
to
PassMedicine
and
Onexamination
might
not
be
quite
necessary
for
the
PLAB
(however,
thats
just
my
opinion).
Summary
Step
1:
Organize
Step
2:
Samson
Notes
Step
3:
1700
MCQs
Step
4:
Mocks
Step
5:
Revision
Step
6:
Recalls
Exam
Day
Tips
Try
to
relax
as
much
as
you
can.
Eat
a
good
breakfast.
Take
stationary
with
you
(pencil,
eraser,
pen
and
sharpener).
Snacks
such
as
water
and
a
chocolate
bar
can
be
a
lifesaver.
The
Exam
200
MCQs
(single
best
answer
questions)
The
questions
are
a
lot
clearer
than
the
MCQs
youve
practiced
(all
the
information
given
in
the
question
is
important).
The
images
(X-rays,
ECGs,
Lesions)
are
on
a
separate
paper
and
the
normal
values
are
at
the
back
of
your
question
paper.
Once
you
have
begun
do
not
take
your
time.
Rush
for
the
finish
line
while
approaching
the
MCQs
with
reasoning.
Never
leave
an
answer
blank.
Answer
the
question
and
put
a
mark
next
to
it,
if
you
have
time
go
back
to
it.
Conclusion
Remember,
it
is
completely
normal
to
feel
unprepared
or
doubt
your
own
ability.
Make
sure
not
to
let
that
doubt
define
who
you
are
and
definitely
dont
let
it
stop
you
from
trying
your
absolute
best.
I
wish
you
the
best
of
luck!
In
Sha
Allah
(God
willing)
you
will
do
great.
Try
to
stay
focused,
determined
and
confident.
Thank
you
for
reading.
Sincerely,
Dr.
Nafisa
Darod.