Applied Knowledge Test (AKT):
You will only be able to sit your AKT in ST2, however, you can always begin your preparation earlier than that which will help your clinical practice. Sitting your AKT during GP placement is the perfect time as you will be able to apply theory into daily practice. It is imperative to know that this exam is an applied knowledge test – i.e. you will be examined on common GP knowledge that is applied to daily practice e.g. blood pressure stages, diagnostic criteria of diabetes, paediatrics NICE traffic light system to identify the sick child, and common blood interpretation such as familial hypercholesterolemia, thalassemia, and subclinical hypo/hyperthyroidism etc.
The Wolverhampton Grid will help you to go over the RCGP curriculum and shed light on your learning needs. We encourage you to be familiar with the NICE CKS guidelines of common conditions and regular familiarise yourself with these during you daily clinical encounter with patients. You will definitely encounter cases of hypertension, diabetes, high QRisk, mental health, dermatology etc during your time with us and therefore we encourage you to actively use these clinical encounters to your advantage in preparation for your AKT.
Past trainees have recommended that in addition to NICE CKS guideline, you will need to practice as many question bank as possible. The recommended resources included PassMedicine and RCGP Self Test. Higher Education England also fund study budget for AKT courses which you can enquire about in your VTS or with your TPD.
Thanks to Dr Khalid Ameer for these tips.
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