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[ Home ](https://mdster.com) 2. [ Blog ](https://mdster.com/blog) 3. [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) 4. Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)): Study Tips That Work [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)): Study Tips That Work =============================================================================================================== A practical March 2026 guide to revising smarter for the MRCGP AKT, with exam-specific tactics for UK GP trainees. [ MDster Editorial Team ](https://mdster.com/about) · Mar 25, 2026 · 8 min read · 81 [ Reviewed by Dr. Ali Ragab, MBBCH, MSc, MCAI ](https://mdster.com/medical-reviewers/dr-ali-ragab) [Editorial Policy](https://mdster.com/editorial-policy) | [Corrections Policy](https://mdster.com/corrections) [ Family Medicine ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=family-medicine) [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=study-tips) [ Exam Preparation ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=exam-preparation) [ MRCGP AKT ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=mrcgp-akt) [ GP Training ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=gp-training) ![Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)): Study Tips That Work](https://mdster.com/storage/blog/01KMSZF9T5ZSZMDNVSS6K5RVMG.jpg) Share this article Share this post Many AKT candidates lose marks for a very fixable reason: they revise it like a hospital medicine MCQ paper. They do lots of questions, but they do not check whether their answers match **UK general practice**, **national guidance**, and the **single best next step**. The AKT is a computer-based exam for independent UK GP practice, and since October 2025 it has been **160 questions in 160 minutes**, with **80% clinical medicine, 10% evidence-based practice, and 10% organisation/management**. It mainly uses SBA-style questions, but also includes other formats. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Know what the AKT is really testing ----------------------------------- The AKT rewards applied decision-making, not broad fact dumping. RCGP says questions focus on **higher-order problem solving**, and the January 2026 feedback again stressed cost-effective, appropriate management, not automatically investigating, prescribing, or referring. Build your revision around that standard: when you study a topic, always ask yourself, **What would I do first in NHS primary care, and why?** [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") > **Pro tip:** If the stem says **current national guidance**, anchor yourself to **NICE/SIGN**, not what your last practice happened to do locally. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") Build your plan from the curriculum and feedback reports -------------------------------------------------------- Do not start with a random question bank. Start with a **traffic-light curriculum map** using the RCGP curriculum topic guides, especially the Knowledge and Skills sections. The curriculum was updated in **August 2025**, and RCGP explicitly advises using the topic guides and super-condensed guides as needs-assessment tools rather than trying to read everything end to end. [\[3\]](#cite-3 "Reference [3]") Then compare your map with recent examiner feedback. In the **January 2026** report, candidates struggled with **palliative symptom control, common ophthalmology, practice chart interpretation, gait disorders/neurology, and biochemical disturbances**. If any of those are also weak in your day job, move them to the front of your plan this week rather than hoping they will improve through passive exposure. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") Use questions for **diagnosis of gaps**, not just score-chasing. A good method is: do 40 timed questions, review every miss, then create one short flashcard or one-sentence rule for each error. That approach fits the evidence behind **retrieval practice** and **spaced learning**, which systematic reviews in health professions education and medical education have found beneficial for performance and retention. [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") Train for AKT question style, not just AKT content -------------------------------------------------- Your exam technique should match the way AKT items are built. RCGP advises the **cover test**: try to answer before looking at the options, then choose the best listed answer. Read the lead-in carefully, exclude clearly wrong options, and remember that **the most likely diagnosis is not always the most serious**, and **no action** may be correct. [\[5\]](#cite-5 "Reference [5]") Practice the common AKT traps deliberately: - **Best next step** is not the same as the full long-term plan. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") - **One confirming investigation** is not the same as a broad screening panel. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") - **Local custom** is not the same as national guidance. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") - **Leave nothing blank** because there is **no negative marking**. [\[6\]](#cite-6 "Reference [6]") Because the current AKT gives you roughly **one minute per item**, do most practice in **40-minute** or **80-minute** blocks, not untimed marathons. If you get stuck, choose your best answer, **flag it**, and move on; RCGP specifically recommends that approach to avoid burning time early. [\[7\]](#cite-7 "Reference [7]") > **Pro tip:** Free-text items are usually **simple numerical calculations**, and the exam provides a **calculator**. Train yourself to do these cleanly, not elaborately. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") Turn your GP job into revision time ----------------------------------- One of the best AKT strategies is to revise from the work an examiner expects a safe GP to handle. RCGP says AKT examiners are working GPs and the questions are based on workplace encounters. That is why tutorials on **repeat prescribing, filing abnormal results, staff tasks, practice data, insurance reports, and DWP forms** are high-yield revision, not admin distractions. Ask your trainer or practice manager for one focused session on these each fortnight. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") For resources, keep the stack tight: - **Mandatory core references:** **BNF, BNFC, and GMC Good Medical Practice**. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") - **Guideline reading:** use **NICE guidance, NICE CKS, and SIGN** to clarify thresholds, first-line treatment, monitoring, and referral rules. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") - **Question banks and courses:** use them for **gap analysis and timed practice**, not as your only source. RCGP warns against over-relying on a single resource, and against using MRCP-style material as if it were AKT-equivalent. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") - **Study groups:** split guidelines between colleagues and share the primary-care take-home points. RCGP explicitly notes that revision timetables and study groups can be effective. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") Study Schedule Template ----------------------- Use an **8-week plan** if you are already in steady GP work. WeeksMain focusWhat to do1-2Needs assessment2 timed 40-question blocks, build your traffic-light curriculum map, identify 5 red topics.3-4Clinical weak areasTarget 1-2 red topics per week; after each clinic, convert uncertainties into flashcards or rules.5-6EBP + organisationDo chart/statistics practice, one tutorial with trainer or practice manager, and one admin/governance review session weekly.7Exam simulationSit two 160-minute mocks under real conditions and review your error log by theme.8Final polishRevise only weak themes, guidelines, calculations, and timing checkpoints; do not start new resources. This works because it combines **distributed practice**, **retrieval**, and repeated exposure to AKT-style decisions rather than last-minute rereading. [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") Common Pitfalls --------------- The candidates I worry about most are not the least intelligent; they are the ones who: - ignore the **10% evidence-based practice** and **10% organisation/management** until the last two weeks; [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") - keep doing questions but never review **why** the distractor looked attractive; [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") - pick the most comprehensive investigation instead of the **single best** one; [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") - spend too long on early questions and sacrifice easier marks later. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") Key Takeaways ------------- - Build your curriculum traffic-light grid tonight. [\[3\]](#cite-3 "Reference [3]") - Book two weekly timed blocks at AKT pace. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") - Arrange tutorials on prescribing, abnormal results, and practice data. [\[8\]](#cite-8 "Reference [8]") - Keep one error log organised by **topic** and **decision trap**. [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") - In the final fortnight, practise **flag-and-move-on** discipline. [\[7\]](#cite-7 "Reference [7]") The AKT is passable when your revision starts to look like safe UK general practice: guideline-based, selective, time-aware, and practical. Study that way, and your score usually follows. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") References (10) ------------------- 1. 1. [ Royal College of General Practitioners. Introducing the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT). ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/applied-knowledge-test/akt-introduction) [↩](#cite-ref-1-1 "Back to text") 2. 2. [ Royal College of General Practitioners. MRCGP Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) Feedback Report: January 2026. ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/124946b0-3c0d-4337-8c1d-406c53a51cf2/January-2026-AKT-feedback-report.pdf) [↩](#cite-ref-2-1 "Back to text") 3. 3. [ www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/gp-curriculum/curriculum-resources ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/gp-curriculum/curriculum-resources) [↩](#cite-ref-3-1 "Back to text") 4. 4. [ Trumble E, Lodge J, Mandrusiak A, Forbes R. Systematic review of distributed practice and retrieval practice in health professions education. Advances in Health Sciences Education. 2024. ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37615780/) [↩](#cite-ref-4-1 "Back to text") 5. 5. [ www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/1649747b-f4ad-4943-8541-71a98e296b96/Understanding-SBAs-guide.pdf ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/1649747b-f4ad-4943-8541-71a98e296b96/Understanding-SBAs-guide.pdf) [↩](#cite-ref-5-1 "Back to text") 6. 6. [ www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/regulations-exam-marking-results ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/regulations-exam-marking-results) [↩](#cite-ref-6-1 "Back to text") 7. 7. [ www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/66424fa3-4613-413c-b791-8241aee76de2/AKT-General-FAQs-January-2025.pdf ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/66424fa3-4613-413c-b791-8241aee76de2/AKT-General-FAQs-January-2025.pdf) [↩](#cite-ref-7-1 "Back to text") 8. 8. [ Royal College of General Practitioners. Preparing to take the MRCGP Applied Knowledge Test (December 2025). ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/96f791c7-0cb9-4d61-ba25-f7f39cb05b18/Preparing-to-take-the-MRCGP-AKT-Dec-2025.pdf) [↩](#cite-ref-8-1 "Back to text") 9. 9. [ Royal College of General Practitioners. Preparing for the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT). ](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/applied-knowledge-test/akt-preparing) 10. 10. [ Maye JA, Hurley F. The Effectiveness of Spaced Repetition in Medical Education: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 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