Introduction
Running effective UKMLA CPSA mock stations is the single most powerful revision tool at your disposal for the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA). While clinical knowledge forms the foundation of your practice, the CPSA is a performance exam. It tests your ability to apply that knowledge, communicate effectively, and maintain patient safety, all under the intense pressure of a timed, high-stakes environment. Simply reading textbooks is not enough to prepare.
This guide is designed to move you from passive learning to active, purposeful practice. We will provide 5 essential, actionable tips for creating and running mock stations that accurately simulate the real exam. By mastering this process, you will build the muscle memory, time management skills, and psychological resilience needed to walk into your CPSA with confidence and competence.
The 5 Essential Tips for Effective UKMLA CPSA Mock Stations
Effective practice is about quality, not just quantity. By incorporating these five tips into your UKMLA CPSA mock stations, you will ensure every minute of your revision is high-yield.
1. Tip 1: Recreate the Environment – Time, Space, and Equipment
The biggest factor that separates a real CPSA from casual practice is the environment. The pressure of the clock and the formality of the setting can be deeply unsettling if you haven’t experienced it before. Your goal is to desensitise yourself to this pressure.
Be Strict with Timing: This is the most crucial element. Use a timer for everything. Give yourself the standard reading time outside the “room” (usually 1-2 minutes), the exact performance time for the station (e.g., 8, 10, or 15 minutes), and a short gap for moving to the next station. Do not give yourself “just one more minute.” The discipline of stopping when the timer goes off, even if you haven’t finished, is a skill in itself. This builds the crucial ability to manage time effectively and prioritise tasks under pressure.
Set Up a Dedicated Space: Don’t practice on your sofa. Find a quiet room where you won’t be interrupted. Arrange the furniture to mimic a clinical setting—a chair for you, a chair or bed for the “patient,” and a small table for your equipment. This physical separation helps you get into the exam mindset. The act of knocking, entering the room, and introducing yourself should become second nature.
Gather Realistic Props: Don’t just mime your actions. The physical act of handling equipment is part of the skill. Gather what you would actually use: a stethoscope, tendon hammer, gloves, alcohol gel, a prescription chart, a pen torch, or a blood pressure cuff. Practicing with real equipment builds muscle memory, exposes any hitches in your workflow (like struggling to open a packet), and makes the simulation feel far more real.
2. Tip 2: Source High-Quality Scenarios
Your practice is only as good as the material you use. The goal is to practice scenarios that are representative of the real exam in both content and complexity, covering the full breadth of the curriculum.
Use a Reputable Question Bank: The most reliable way to find realistic scenarios is to use a high-quality UKMLA question bank. These resources are specifically designed to mirror the style, content, and difficulty of the CPSA. They often come with a candidate brief, an actor brief with specific instructions, and a marking scheme based on the official CPSA domains, which is invaluable for structured feedback.
Adapt Real Cases: You can also create your own stations by adapting cases you’ve seen on clinical placement. This is a powerful revision technique. For example, take a patient you saw with a new diagnosis of heart failure. Structure it as a station:
Candidate Brief: “You are an FY1 doctor. A 68-year-old patient has been admitted with shortness of breath. Please take a focused history.”
Actor Brief: “You are a 68-year-old. You’ve been getting more breathless over the last 3 months, especially when lying flat. Your ankles are swollen. You are worried it’s your heart.” This is a great way to integrate your real-world experience, a key part of effective learning as discussed in our guide on integrating clinical experience with study.
Cover the Breadth of the Curriculum: Ensure your practice covers the full range of station types: history taking, clinical examination, procedural skills (like those in our procedural skills guide), data interpretation, and communication challenges.
A Note on Practice: “The goal of mock stations is not to guess the exact scenarios that will come up. The goal is to perfect a systematic and safe approach that you can apply to any scenario you are faced with on the day.”
3. Tip 3: The Power of a Good “Simulated Patient”
The person playing the role of the patient, family member, or colleague is the most important variable in a communication or history station. A passive partner who just gives you the answers is not helpful.
Brief Your Partner Thoroughly: Give your practice partner the “actor’s brief” if one is provided. If not, write one. It should include not just the medical details, but also the patient’s personality, their ideas, concerns, and expectations (ICE), and any specific questions they should ask. For example: “If the student uses a lot of medical jargon, you should look confused and ask them to explain what that means.”
Practice with Different Personalities: The CPSA will test your ability to adapt your communication style. Ask your partner to play different roles. One time they can be calm and cooperative, the next they can be anxious and quiet, and the next they can be angry and demanding. This is essential for practicing your skills in managing the challenging scenarios for UKMLA CPSA.
Stay in Character: The most important rule for the simulated patient is to stay in character. They shouldn’t give you clues or break character to say, “You forgot to ask about smoking.” They should act exactly as a real patient would, which forces you to adapt your approach in real-time.
4. Tip 4: Use a Structured Feedback Model
Practice without feedback is just reinforcing your current habits, good or bad. The feedback session after each station is where the most learning occurs.
Use a Structured Model: Don’t just say, “That was good.” Use a recognized feedback model like the Pendleton model:
The student goes first: “What I think I did well was…”
The observer/patient adds: “I agree, what you did well was…”
The student goes next: “What I think I could improve is…”
The observer/patient adds: “What I think you could improve is…”
Give Feedback Against the CPSA Domains: Frame your feedback using the four official domains of the CPSA. This gets you used to thinking like an examiner. For more detail on these, see our guide on the CPSA format and assessment criteria.
Table 1: Giving Feedback Using the CPSA Domains
| Domain | Example of Good Feedback | Example of Bad Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Data Gathering | “You had a great structure to your history, but you could have explored the red flag symptoms for chest pain in more detail.” | “You forgot to ask about haemoptysis.” |
| Clinical Management | “Your management plan was safe, but it would have been even better if you had explained the reasoning for the investigations to the patient.” | “Your plan was okay.” |
| Interpersonal Skills | “You showed excellent empathy when the patient became upset, and you gave them time to compose themselves.” | “You were nice to the patient.” |
| Professionalism | “You maintained a very professional and calm demeanour, even when the patient was being quite challenging.” | “You handled the angry patient well.” |
5. Tip 5: Record and Reflect on Your Performance
Self-assessment is a powerful tool for improvement.
Record Your Sessions: With your practice partner’s consent, set up a phone to record a video of your performance. Watching yourself back can be uncomfortable, but it is incredibly insightful. You will notice your own verbal tics (“um,” “like”), your body language (fidgeting, poor eye contact), and moments where you lost your structure.
Keep a Reflective Log: After each practice session, jot down a few notes. What was the station? What went well? What was the main learning point? What will you do differently next time? This process of reflection solidifies your learning and helps you track your progress over time. Your reflection should always be guided by the principles of Good Medical Practice, the ultimate standard you are working towards.
Putting It All Together: Running a Full Mock Circuit
Once you are comfortable with individual stations, the next step is to run a full mock circuit with a study group.
Organise a Group: Find 3-5 motivated peers. Assign roles for each station: one candidate, one simulated patient, and one or more observers/examiners.
Set Up the Circuit: Prepare 5-6 different stations in separate rooms or areas. Print out the candidate instructions and stick them on the door. Give the simulated patients their briefs.
Run to Time: Use a central timer. Announce the start of reading time, the start of the station, a one-minute warning, and the end of the station. Enforce the move to the next station strictly. This simulates the pace and pressure of the real exam.
Debrief at the End: After the circuit is complete, have a group debrief to discuss the overall experience, key learning points, and what to focus on next time.
A Final Piece of Advice: “The goal of a mock circuit is not to get a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. The goal is to identify your weaknesses in a safe environment so you can fix them before the real exam. Every mistake you make in practice is a victory.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): UKMLA CPSA Mock Stations
Quality is more important than quantity. It’s better to do one high-quality, timed station with structured feedback once or twice a week than to rush through ten poorly simulated stations. In the final month before your exam, you should aim to do at least one full mock circuit.
Practicing alone can be useful for procedural skills on manikins or for talking through a history-taking structure. However, for communication and examination stations, you absolutely need a practice partner to get realistic experience and feedback.
Reach out to your university medical society, as they often organise practice groups. You can also use online forums or social media groups for your university to find other students who are looking for practice partners.
The observer’s primary role is to provide constructive feedback. They should watch the station carefully, take notes against the CPSA domains, and lead the structured feedback session afterwards. They don’t need to be intimidating, just observant and honest.
Always use a structured model like Pendleton. Start with what they did well to build their confidence. When suggesting improvements, be specific and constructive. Instead of saying “Your explanation was confusing,” say “It might be even clearer if you tried explaining the diagnosis before you listed all the side effects of the medication.”
A good basic kit would include: a stopwatch, a stethoscope, a pen torch, a tendon hammer, gloves, alcohol gel, a prescription chart (BNF), and a notebook for giving feedback.
Strict timing is the best way to simulate pressure. The knowledge that you only have a set number of minutes to complete all the required tasks is the biggest source of pressure in the real exam. Running a full mock circuit with multiple stations back-to-back also helps to simulate the fatigue and cognitive load.
Yes, this is a great idea. It’s a form of “dress rehearsal.” It helps you get used to performing clinical skills in professional attire and adds to the realism of the simulation.
Be creative. You can use a teddy bear to practice a paediatric examination, a pillow for an abdominal examination, or simply draw out the anatomy on a piece of paper. The most important part is practicing your systematic approach and your communication.
Watch videos of high-quality OSCE stations online from reputable sources. Pay attention to how the candidate structures their consultation, the language they use, and how they demonstrate empathy and professionalism. This helps you build a mental model of excellence.
Conclusion
Ultimately, success in the CPSA is a direct result of purposeful, realistic practice. By moving beyond simply reading notes and actively engaging in UKMLA CPSA mock stations, you are not just learning the material; you are honing the real-world skills of a competent and confident junior doctor. Use the 5 essential tips in this guide to structure your practice, focus on the process, embrace feedback, and you will be exceptionally well-prepared to demonstrate your readiness for practice on exam day.
