MRCGP & GP Training
AKT preparation · RCA/CSA clinical skills · Primary care clinical reasoning
Designed & delivered by a practising GMC-Approved GP Trainer · RCGP curriculum-aligned
Programme launching 2027 · MD ACUMEN LTD
The MRCGP has changed. Your preparation must change too.
The MRCGP AKT was reformed in October 2025 — 160 questions in 160 minutes, with a stronger emphasis on applied clinical reasoning and a broader range of clinical scenarios than the previous format. The RCA demands sophisticated consultation skills, clinical reasoning under time pressure, and professional values that cannot be developed through question banks alone.
MD Acumen's MRCGP preparation programme will apply the same evidence-based pedagogic framework that powers our PLAB MLA Mastery programme — mastery learning, adaptive spaced repetition, constructivist clinical reasoning, and AI-augmented personalisation — to the specific demands of the RCGP examination and GP training curriculum. Designed and delivered by a practising GMC-Approved GP Trainer who consults in NHS general practice every week.
What the MD Acumen MRCGP programme will deliver
MRCGP AKT Preparation
Expert-led teaching covering all AKT domains — clinical medicine (80%), organisational and administrative (10%), and evidence interpretation and research (10%). Mapped to the RCGP curriculum. Question bank integrated with the MD Acumen adaptive platform. Faculty-led reasoning walkthroughs modelling how experienced GPs approach applied clinical questions under time pressure.
RCA / CSA Clinical Skills
Structured consultation skills development for the Recording of Consultation Assessment. Data gathering, clinical management, and interpersonal skills — the three RCA assessment domains — developed through simulated consultations with expert feedback. Communication frameworks including ICE, safety-netting, and shared decision-making.
Primary Care Clinical Reasoning
The MD Acumen structured reasoning technique applied to the undifferentiated patient in primary care. Managing diagnostic uncertainty. The 10-minute consultation. Recognising red flags. Appropriate investigation and referral. The clinical thinking that distinguishes a competent GP from an excellent one.
MRCGP examination — essential information for trainees
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| AKT Format | 160 questions · 160 minutes · Computer-based at Pearson VUE centres |
| AKT Content Split | 80% Clinical Medicine · 10% Organisational/Administrative · 10% Evidence Interpretation/Research |
| AKT Sittings | Three sittings per year — typically January, April, October |
| AKT Eligibility | Must be in a GMC-approved GP training programme. Can sit from ST2 onwards (some deaneries from ST1) |
| RCA Format | 13 cases in 156 minutes · Simulated consultations assessed on video or in person |
| RCA Assessment Domains | Data Gathering · Clinical Management · Interpersonal Skills |
| RCA Eligibility | Must have passed or be exempt from the AKT. Typically sat in ST3. |
| Maximum Attempts | AKT: 4 attempts · RCA: 4 attempts |
| Curriculum | RCGP Curriculum 2024 — capabilities across all clinical and professional domains |
RCGP — MRCGP Exams
Official RCGP examination overview, dates, and booking
RCGP — AKT
Applied Knowledge Test format, content, and preparation guidance
RCGP — RCA
Recorded Consultation Assessment format, domains, and marking criteria
RCGP Curriculum 2024
Full curriculum capabilities across clinical and professional domains
What a GP Trainer brings to MRCGP preparation that a question bank cannot
Written by a GP who does the job
Professor Varma is a practising NHS GP Partner and GMC-Approved GP Trainer. He consults in general practice every week, trains GP registrars, and understands the MRCGP from both the candidate and examiner perspective. Content reflects real NHS general practice — not a textbook idealisation of it.
Dual-qualified clinical authority
With dual CCT in both Obstetrics & Gynaecology and General Practice, Professor Varma brings a breadth of clinical expertise that spans women's health, cardiometabolic medicine, and primary care diagnostics — the clinical areas where AKT questions are most challenging and most frequently failed.
Same pedagogy, proven framework
The evidence-based pedagogic framework — mastery learning, adaptive spaced repetition, constructivist clinical reasoning — that powers the PLAB MLA programme is directly applicable to MRCGP preparation. The reasoning method transfers. The technology adapts. The clinical authority deepens.
From PLAB to MRCGP — one platform
IMGs who begin with MD Acumen for PLAB/MLA preparation can continue seamlessly into MRCGP training — same platform, same reasoning framework, same clinical standard. No relearning. No switching providers. One career-length educational partnership.
Register your interest
The MD Acumen MRCGP preparation programme is currently in development, with launch planned for 2027. Register your interest now to receive updates and early access information.
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