MSRA · Revision planning
Build a timetable around your current knowledge, rota and reliable study hours. These routes develop both papers with spaced review and time-limited practice, rather than prescribing an unrealistic number of questions.
Start with mixed CPS questions and both PD formats before allocating hours. A percentage alone does not show what went wrong.
Each week needs new questions, explanation review and delayed retrieval.
Move from learning and short timed sets to two-paper rehearsals as the test approaches.
In depth
Section 01
Week 1: take representative mixed sets, review the official formats and identify weak CPS areas and PD behaviours. Write three to five recurring error types rather than a long undifferentiated topic list.
Week 2: revisit those concepts in new scenarios and learn to explain why a tempting alternative is less appropriate. Keep both ranking and select-three PD practice active.
Week 3: increase timed mixed questions and monitor unanswered items separately from incorrect ones. If speed remains weak, find where time is lost rather than blindly accelerating every question.
Week 4: rehearse the full test if practical, repair the two or three most consistent errors, check logistics and rest. Four weeks may not be enough from a weak baseline; do not claim coverage simply because questions were clicked.
Section 02
Weeks 1–2: establish your baseline, cover common Foundation-level clinical presentations and begin PD practice in parallel.
Weeks 3–4: rotate across all 12 CPS areas with spaced revisits and structured discussion of F2 professional judgements.
Weeks 5–6: add timed mixed blocks, deliberately reviewing distractors, uncertainties and the coverage of PD select-three combinations.
Weeks 7–8: complete an exam-length rehearsal, review it systematically and use the remaining blocks for specific repairs rather than frantic content expansion.
Section 03
Weeks 1–3: fill foundational gaps while surveying the whole CPS blueprint; practise both PD item formats weekly.
Weeks 4–6: alternate new decisions with spaced re-attempts of missed concepts. Turn explanations into short retrieval prompts, not pages of copied notes.
Weeks 7–9: integrate systems and build endurance using varied time-limited blocks; compare similar professional actions and clinical distractors.
Weeks 10–12: rehearse the two-paper test, inspect time distribution and make focused final improvements. Keep unscheduled buffer space for leave, nights or illness.
Section 04
Work from hours you can reliably protect after clinical shifts and commuting. Six consistent hours often produces more useful review than an aspirational twenty-hour timetable that collapses on a long-day week.
If a shift disrupts revision, preserve the next planned review of previous mistakes and the next highest-value weak topic. Drop lower-priority new questions rather than sacrificing recovery.
Original teaching exercise
A working F2 has six reliable hours this week. Their CPS errors cluster in respiratory and renal presentations; PD select-three responses often lack follow-through.
Allocate time according to observed needs, not arbitrary question targets.
Original illustrative timetable, not a score guarantee.
Preparation
Common mistakes
Free Mini MSRA Bank
240 CPS questions and 50 PD scenarios with explanations. A free account is required.
Full MSRA Bank — £29 once for four calendar months from purchase; no automatic renewal.
Official source
Last checked 12 October 2026. Official NHS England guidance remains the source of truth.
Check primary sources for changes to exam arrangements, recruitment and professional standards.
Explore the MSRA guides
MSRA Mock Exam Strategy and Timing
A mock is valuable when it changes what you do next. Simulate the separately timed papers, distinguish incorrect from unattempted items, and verify that revisions transfer to fresh questions.
Read The MSRA Bank guide →
MSRA SBA and EMQ Answering Strategy
CPS asks you to apply Foundation-level knowledge to a precise clinical decision. Identify the task before comparing options: diagnosis, investigation, emergency, prescribing or non-prescribing management.
Read The MSRA Bank guide →
MSRA Professional Dilemmas Ranking Strategy
The ranking section asks you to judge four or five independent actions, not arrange a timeline. Compare immediate safety, honesty, the F2 role and proportionality instead of memorising 'always escalate' rules.
Read The MSRA Bank guide →