When I first entered 3rd floor Radial House, Barking, I saw countless testimonials from people who had passed Plab 2 after attending Common Stations. I spent a good 2 hours on the posts on the walls reading all of them before it was my turn for registration. There were people who had failed their first and even second attempts but had passed this time owing to the academy.
I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be just the most awesome sensation if someday I had the privilege of posting a success story like all these people.”
Well here I am. I joined the academy exactly 4 weeks before my Plab 2. 15 days of intense, 10 to 12 hour long classes followed by simman session; 2 mock exams and 13 days of self practice finally paid off. I took my exam on 1st March 2019 and passed.
This exam is very different, at least quite different from the kind of clinical exams we have back in Pakistan, I couldn’t have been able to pass it if it hadn’t been for the academy. If you want to attend the academy, here’s what you have to look forward to:
- Dr. Hamed Salehi’s quenchless energy in class whether it’s 9 am or 9 pm. He doesn’t make you memorize the potential topics that you might be examined on. He teaches you how to deal with any clinical scenario. With some basic concepts and history structures clarified on the first day, he proceeds to teaching potential scenarios from Plab history. In my exam, when I got stuck somewhere, I remembered how to deal with an ambiguous scenario from the classes. 12 hour long classes running continuously for 15 days seems too hectic to handle and almost impossible to endure but Dr. Hamed’s energy is contagious. He keeps himself awake AND teaches in a way that everyone is absolutely alert till the end.
- Dr. Elmira Yaghmaei’s brilliant clinical skills. She literally imprints the crutial steps of each examination in your brain, be it a simple chest examination or a difficult Primary survey. She simplifies the hardest things to palatable nothings.
- Study material comprising of theory regarding common diseases and potential questions that may be asked of you in the scenario. You don’t need to study anything else. No Pocket Oxford, nothing.
- 2 mock exams having 18 stations each (just like the actual test) where the examiners are former CS attendees who have passed their Plabs. They are very helpful as they tell you your positive and negative points. They’re always available at the academy to guide you. In my case Dr. Mahmoud, Dr. Blessing and Dr. Ahmad (? forgotten his name) really boosted my morale and gave me weak points to work on.
- Simman sessions where they make you familiar with different signs in the Simman like wheeze, murmur and pulsations.
- Mannequins to practice examinations and procedures whenever you want from 9 am to 10pm even after classes.