PLAB 1:
Putting all the different resources and websites and materials aside, I’ll refer to what I personally found beneficial. I prefer to use as little resources as possible, and try to do that as thoroughly as I can, to get the job done. As opposed to having multiple unique resources on which I need to split my brain on a regular basis. And so after sifting through a lot of recommendations and materials on this group and online, I chose to stick with
- Study
- PLABABLE: goal was to finish the Question Bank at least twice.
- Supplementary: I used these only when I wanted some images, or further clarification for my own sake.
- Patient.info
- Google Images
- Oxford Handbook of Medicine
- (in that order)
- How I used the above:
- PLABABLE has great explanations, and they are constantly updating the information (#notsponsoredbyPLABABLE). The way to utilize the Question Bank is not as a test, but as a book. Take a while, think about the question, answer according to what you know. If you were correct, DON’T SKIP TO NEXT QUESTION, read the entire explanation and see why you’re right (feel good about yourself
) and why the other options are wrong. If your answer was wrong, do the same again anyways. Explanations read: top to bottom, including the extra graphics/tables/content that PLABABLE attaches at the end of the explanations. What you can skip in the explanations are the links to the whole guidelines, unless you’d like to go deeper for your own knowledge etc. - The moment I didn’t get something, I would jump to Patient.info and see if my doubt was clarified. Most of the time, I was satisfied with the PLABABLE explanations.
- Google Images for not just supplementary images, but for tables, charts, graphics which offer great explanations.
- Oxford Handbook as paper weight to prevent my papers from flying off. I almost never opened it since the explanations provided by PLABABLE and Patient.info were more than enough, only if I didn’t get any clarification from both would I open Oxford.
- Do the Qbank multiple times, once isn’t enough. Twice is the minimum, I did it thrice since I got more time after November PLAB 1 got cancelled. First time, should be system wise, and focused on pure understanding of the question, its options and explanations. Second time, should be timed, random, and should involve memorization of easily forgettable facts. Third if you have the time.
) and why the other options are wrong. If your answer was wrong, do the same again anyways. Explanations read: top to bottom, including the extra graphics/tables/content that PLABABLE attaches at the end of the explanations. What you can skip in the explanations are the links to the whole guidelines, unless you’d like to go deeper for your own knowledge etc.*side note: participate in the comment section of PLABABLE, not only will you be helping others out, but you will also be solidifying your memory of the subject. Win-Win.
- What I also found useful was listing down the things I would easily forget on a separate note e.g. developmental milestones, asthma treatment guidelines, common antibiotics, paracetamol guidelines, renal stone management, common rashes (to name just a few). These are the topics that I would look at right before the exam instead of going through information which I would remember anyways at the end.
*side note: for note taking OneNote is a brilliant software for organizing your notes & thoughts.