Learn how to do every exam in 6 minutes - by the time the exam comes you want to be on auto pilot where you do not need to even think. The one exception to the 6-minute rule is the cranial nerve exam. For this be able to remember what you need to do for each cranial nerve, by completing in this time it will allow you to present and give differentials in a timely manner.

Learn what all the clinical signs in each exam means – in the actual osces you could well get patients who have illnesses and so you will need to be able to spot these sings when diagnosing a patient.

To follow on from the previous point – when revising, think of the whole clinical picture for the most obvious conditions and how they may present e.g. Signs for HF – pitting oedema.

The Golden 2 minutes – prior to entering the OSCE station use this time to understand the instructions and work out if there is an exam that needs to be done, come up with some differentials, this can help to provide you with focus e.g. I thought I needed to a lower neuro exam but realised half-way through that it was a back exam – I failed that station because I did not make the most of the two minutes.

Whilst many different people will tell you how to talk about your findings in the exam – the best way is to explain what you are doing and explain any findings as you go along e.g. no visible scars on the chest etc. You will be under a lot of pressure during the exams, you may also run out of time at the end of the exams to present .

When revising it is pertinent to learn the exams first - repetition really does help, by the time you reach exam day it will be autopilot. Once you feel confident in doing the exam, practice it in loud noises, with distractions going on, this will help you to acclimatise and focus when there may be some distractions during the actual exam.

Do not be afraid to practice on different body types - it is important that you practice on both men and women as it is key you break any uncomfortable feeling you may have prior to the nationals and get use to interacting with different body parts.

Technique is key, it’s what separates strong candidates from weaker candidates – practice, practice, practice to make sure it is smooth, and that you are handling the patient safely and making them feel comfortable e.g. testing reflexes, how to auscultate, palpation of the abdomen.

Whenever an exam requires equipment, integrate it as soon as you can into the examination – this will allow you to get use to the feel, weight and correct handling. Your University should have plenty of equipment if they are running the PA course.

From the onset try to replicate examination conditions – use a bed, have a patient, notify the person doing the exam just before they are going to start what exam you want them to do .

It is ok to move on - If during the OSCE there is a section that you are struggling with or cannot do, move on and explain that you will come back to it at the end, as this will be killing precious time where you could be gaining marks.

When revising exams, learn the cranial and eye exam together – you will see that components of the eye exam will fit in neatly with the cranial nerve exams and makes it less of a mountain.

When you are learning the cranial nerves – learn how to do each cranial nerve as a standalone and what each nerve may mean as a pathology. It may be that you are required to do cranial nerve 1,2,6,7,8 only. Do not allow yourself to get tripped up.