MRCS Part A: Case Study

MRCS Part A Case Study: Dr Shashikanth

08 Mar 2016
MRCS

Dr Shashikanth sat MRCS Part A in January and passed with an impressive 86.89% - here's how he did it.

Name: Dr VS Shashikanth
Score: 232/86.89%
Diet: January 2016

1. What was your revision strategy for the MRCS Part A exam?
I completed the Pastest questions in topics and identified my difficult and weak areas. I studied those topics from textbooks. I aimed at a target of 74% and above in all Pastest mock tests which helped me to gain confidence. In tests which I scored less, I used to go and revise again and reinforce that topic. I used the atlas of anatomy to study the relations of various structures.

2. How did you use your Pastest subscription in the run-up to the exam?
I subscribed to Pastest late so was left with only two months for exam. I wanted to complete all the 4300 questions in Pastest and revise only the incorrect answers once or twice, so the option of revising only incorrect answers in the question bank was good. I did some past papers which gave me an idea about the pattern of exam. I used the Pastest app in my phone while in hospital and completed low-yield topics like statistics and pre-op.

3. What were the main factors that led you to achieving such a high score?
Strict adherence to the time table! I revised a minimum of 200 Pastest questions daily, referring the standard textbooks like Ganong and Robbins whenever required.

4. If you could give one piece of advice to a candidate sitting the exam in the next diet, what would it be?
Start preparing as early as possible, and take online revision like Pastest at least 3 months before which is very essential.

5. If you could do one thing differently when preparing for the exam, what would it be?
Revise the standard textbooks based on Pastest MCQs.

6. What career path do you have in mind once you have completed the MRCS examinations?
I want to become an arthroplasty surgeon.