nMRCGP AKT Examination

The Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) is one component of the new Membership of the Royall College of General Practitioners (nMRCGP) examination.

Exam Basics

The AKT can be taken at any point during your training, and a pass is valid for 3 years.

Most trainees attempt the AKT in ST2 or ST3 years.

The examination questions are all drawn from the GP Curriculum, and the test is completed on computer at a Pearson Vue professional testing centre (there are centres all over the UK).

The exam last 3 hours and consists of around 200 questions. You can mark questions for review later to go back over those that you are unsure of.

The pass rate is around 80%, with a variable pass mark that has ranged from as low as 63% to as high as 71% (average 68%).

Question formats

The majority of questions are Extended matching questions (EMQs) and Single Best Answer questions (SBAs). Other question formats include Multiple Best Answer (MBA), Algorithm questions, seminal trial questions (focusing on important research relevant to primary care) and picture questions.

The makeup of the exam is:

• 80% - Clinical medicine relevant to GP
• 10% - Critical appraisal / evidence based practice
• 10% - Health informatics and administrative issues

The RCGP has produced a set of sample questions (there are no official answers for these).

Examiner's reports

The panel of examiners produce a report after each sitting outlining key areas that canidates performed poorly at, and this is very helpful in highlighting important topics to include in your revision. You can access the reports from the RCGP website.

Further reading / links:

[back] to exams