1- Prepare well, Make plenty of time in your plans. for example if you are a Junior Doctor with little or no practice: 9 months would be a reasonable commitment.
If you have been practicing Medicine or one of it’s branches as your specialty: 4 months would be enough if you’re disciplined.
For those who have been asking: The Golden Standard is [PM twice+O/E or PT online subscription till Paper + PasTestPast Papers& Elzohary Past Papers]
With Reference: Oxford and Maghraby+ Online Search on important topics and DD. Eg. http://patient.info/patientplus or medscape etc
But this is Time consuming(9-11 months) And not necessarily required.
2- Do not hesitate, Now is the very best place and time. Do not wait for an epiphany or something. Just start now; it’s much easier than you have been told (again if you are Disciplined).
3- As a rule of thumb; YOU MUST ‘STUDY’ PASSMEDICINE TWICE BEFORE APPLICATION DATE…simple and fair.
4- The Only Notes Is most Definitely outdated, Yet It’s well-put and easy to REVISE before paper>
Maghraby’s Step Up To MRCP is surely more relevant and beautifully integrated with Important questions’ Ideas. But It’s long and hard to revise.
I suggest that you either use a Hard Copy of Only Notes and update it yourself while mastering PassMedicine… or use maghraby and highlight what you are going to revise before paper.
5-The question about O/E or PasTest will never get old.
At least one of them is required as a minimum (Plus PM twice)…Both are to train your self and learn the sequence of thoughts that should be in your mind while sitting paper.
6-Your notes are the most important factor : the hand written short sentences or DD along your journey with PM, OE and PT is what you are going to revise the couple of days before the paper.
Make sure they are concise and cover only the basic or significantly important HighYield things and leave the details to your reference.
7- Remember; There is no source that is the mother of all… But it’s all about being perfectly able to diagnose and manage common and threatening diseases with a high code of competency. Must be able to learn some topics very well rather than learning much with no deep understanding.
8-About Jan17 paper: It was fair, Many Difficult new questions and concepts. but had many questions from PM (The paper is nothing like PM -Exam Qs will have too many distractors and unclear-scenario or specific questions- but PM covers the main concepts and if you master it you shall pass God Willing.
I have 50% chance of passing, should I fail; I’d go for it again it’s ISA doable.
10- This Group is appreciated, you should affiliate yourself with an active group like it.
You MUST affiliate yourself with great MRCPians like (Dr Aly Aly, Dr A.h. Murad , Dr Sameh Mohamed , Dr Mahmoud Saad, Dr Aspirin Amlodipine, Dr Shah Md Kabir Uddin and Dr Assem Draz ) or someone like them online and learn from their explanations to Qs.
Make the habit of having NICE Guidance App along with BNF and check them when faced with any questions; consider it as a LifeStyle change.
11- I’d like to thank the members and moderators of this particular group, you have been so Helpful.
12- Finally, Remember: Start NOW, make an “Action Plan” and Eat a bite of this Ugly Frog Every single day… 5 Prayers when they are called for will do miracles to your productivity.