How I Prepared for MRCP SCE Dermatology
I am a consultant dermatologist practicing in India since 11 years . Bored of the day to day OPD/clinic , endless novel reading each night and mind numbing netflix binges , I started exploring options to brush up my knowledge .
Though I am not proud of it , but I had not read a single article or journal in last 11 years. I started searching for fellowship options . My friend had appeared for MRCOG 2 years back . I stumbled upon MRCP SCE website . Then the first thought of preparing for MRCP SCE Dermatology appeared in my mind.
It was February 2023. I was apprehensive to embark on this journey because I was not sure whether i would be able to manage my 7 year old child,my daily OPD/clinic and study at the age of 40.
I had read Rooks and Wolverton during my post graduation days (11 years back) but the knowledge was rusty and my old textbooks were thousands of kilometers away from me at my parents house .
First I joined the various telegram groups to get an idea and free study material . I personally contacted some Doctors who had cleared the exam in recent past . They guided me . I am so grateful for their effort.
How i prepared :
Initially , I started studying James Halpern book. As I read each question, I used to read the same topic /chapter from Seema Jain and Speciality Board Review by Mc Graw Hill book, BAD guidelines .
I started adding all information into Sima Jain (adding notes, stick ons) and reading BAD guidelines. Towards the end , my Sima Jain book was almost double its original size due to so many paper attachments .
I read topics like Neurofibromatosis , tuberous sclerosis , scabies , lice from IADVL textbook of dermatology .
At the same time:
as drug question came up, i used to read BAD guidelines
British Association of Dermatology
James Halpern (222 questions ) took about 25 days to complete (about 4 hr study each day ) .
After James Halpern , i started with Firas Al Niaimi Oxbridge Medica book(about 500 questions) which took another 25-28 days .
Youtube and google search were a great help to make mnemonics .
www.dermnetnz.org was great help for dermatopathology images .
For dermoscopy i watched youtube videos https://youtu.be/Ly-e3IIwnes?feature=shared
Then in month of June , i subscribed to studyprn for 3 months
This is a must . The studyprn questions are challenging and similar to actual examination questions.
Al niami and Halpern books are old (but good for practice) .
Studyprn has recent topics like monkeypox (not covered in other books ) and recent oncology guidelines.
Simulatenously i was reading and revising all topics and chapters as the questions came up.
Basically i revised important chapters more than 10 times (because they used to come up again and again in questions )
I had never studied like this in MBBS or post graduation. I used to read standard textbooks during MBBS and post graduation. But for this examknation , I read question-wise. It used to seem foolish to read and re-read the same topic /chapter again every few days but it helped tremendously in long term.
For example i read cancer syndromes more than 25 times. It helped reinforce the details. Each reading , i added new details to my knowledge and memory (as such chapters are volatile)
My strong chapters were paediatric dermatology , genetics , photodermatology, cutaneous allergy , infections, general dermatology, psychodermatology, genitourinary and oral dermatology.
My weak chapters were(which i didnt prepare to the fullest satisfaction) - oncology , cosmetic surgery , skin basics(biology and research) , dermatopathology.
My advice would be :
Prepare psychodermatology (5 Q )
Cutaneous allergy (10 Q)- i used Sima Jain contact allergen chart as a base/framework.
Photodermatology 10 Q
These 3 topics are high scoring , questions asked about this topic are almost routine , compact chapters (so high yield) .
One can score 100% in these topics as study material is very limited and compact for these topics.
I enrolled for St Johns masterclass too . This is a 9 hr session(hectic , super fast session) conducted 1 month before the final exam.
This helped me boost confidence . I was studying alone so i was unsure whether i was on right track. This session helped me gain confidence that i am studying correctly.
The notes provided by some of the speakers were very good. This course will help u in understanding which topics are important from exam point of view.
I had printed the 88 questions on MRCP website . I scored more than 90% in those questions. But these 88 Q were very easy compared to actual exam. Description(answer part) given for these Q is very less /insufficient.
BAD guidelines - must be done thoroughly. In month of June , i did marking( with pencil and color pen) of almost all guidelines . Mark only the sentences which are important. One should do marking in such a way that during next reading , one need not read entire guideline .
BAD guideline pdf are notoriously long . Each guideline should be marked in such a way that subsequent revision of each guideline is over in maximum 20-30min reading .
I had made small notes/summary of important points on the back page of each guideline printout . This helped me revise all guidelines on the morning of the examination(2 hr before examination) . It was very helpful .
How much i studied?
I studied 4-5 hr from mid February 2023 onwards .
About 2 months from exam , i was studying for about 10 hr per day .
The final 2 weeks , i had partially closed my opd and was studying for almost 13-14 hr per day.
I solved studyprn questions in last 2 weeks of the exam late night when i used to get sleepy. I was scoring almost 90 % in those topics.
Books recommended by some doctors(i did not read these due to lack of time)
1) bolognia charts
2) ETAS
In the exam , many images (patient photos and dermatopathology) were directly from google search(exact same image) . It helped me immensely coz while reading books/solving questions , i used to google for images of the disease (this was due to my habit of picking up mobile phone frequently while reading 😃😃) but this helped a lot.
I used the blackout app to focus on studies. I had un-installed facebook, instagram for almost 6 weeks before the examination.
I am thankful to the latest technology and smart phones . When i completed my postgraduation 11 years back , we didnt have such smart phones . We didnt have free access to study material so easily.
Its really amazing how technology makes learning easy and enjoying.
Enjoy your Journey.
McGraw-Hill Specialty Board Review Dermatology A Pictorial Review 3/E https://amzn.eu/d/ggU5x6I
Dermatology Postgraduate MCQs and Revision Notes (MasterPass) https://amzn.eu/d/epjBpZf
Dermatology: Illustrated Study Guide and Comprehensive Board Review https://amzn.eu/d/3JnsqR2
Practice Questions for the Dermatology Specialty Examination https://amzn.eu/d/bOI0EmY
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