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8 MCQ Exam-Day Tips
Knowing the material is only half of passing. The MCQ exam is a long sitting, and how you manage time, guesses and flags can be worth many marks. These are the habits we recommend, from pharmacists who have sat the exam.
1Practice on a big screen
Use a laptop or monitor, not a phone. The real exam is on a computer, and long patient cases read very differently on a small screen. Practice the way you will sit the exam.
2Use a keyboard with a number pad
Calculations come up throughout the exam, and you will use an on-screen calculator. Typing numbers quickly on a number pad means the arithmetic never costs you time.
3Every question is worth one mark
A hard question is worth exactly the same as an easy one. If a question is taking several minutes, it is costing you marks elsewhere. Make your best choice and move on.
4Don’t know it? Pick and move on
Never leave a question blank. A guess has a 25% chance of being right; a blank has none. Pick a default letter for true guesses so you don’t waste time deciding.
5Flag smart, not everything
Flag only questions where you are torn between two options you understand and expect to get right with a second look. If you have never heard of the topic, answer and go. Reviewing it later will not help.
6Calculations are easy points
Dosing, infusion rates, dilutions, NNT and other calculations have one right method and one right answer. A few a day in the weeks before the exam turns them into reliable marks.
7Not every question is hard
The exam has plenty of straightforward questions. Don’t overthink them or look for a trick that isn’t there. Bank those marks quickly so you have time for the hard ones.
8Time management is key
Set checkpoints before you start, for example at one quarter, halfway and three quarters, and know where you should be at each. Leave time at the end to review your flags. The only way to get this right is to practice it in full timed mocks.
New to the exam? Start with our study plan, then try 10 free practice questions.
Practice all 8 tips under real timing
Practice under real exam timing with 4 full-length real exam-style mocks and a 1,300+ question Qbank, each with detailed rationales.