How we write questions
Writing an exam-grade MCQ is a craft. A good stem has clinical plausibility, a single defensibly correct answer, and distractors that are wrong but reasoned — never obviously silly. Our editorial team uses a structured authoring checklist modelled on the GMC's item-writing principles:
- Every stem includes a presenting complaint, relevant history, and a vignette that matches a real clinical encounter
- Distractors are drawn from real candidate errors and common-confusion pairs, not from convenient-but-implausible options
- One, and only one, option is correct given current UK guidelines at the time of writing
- Each question is reviewed by a second doctor before release
Every option explained
The fastest way to improve your score is to understand why the wrong answers are wrong. Our rationales walk through each option one by one — the correct answer gets a full explanation anchored to the guideline, and each distractor gets a specific reason it was tempting and where it falls short.
The distractor trick
On the real exam, 3 of the 5 options are designed to be almost right. If you only study the correct answer, you will still be caught by the almost-right ones. Reading every distractor rationale is the single biggest hack for score gain.
In-session filters for focused revision
Inside any practice session you can filter the question set on the fly. The filter chips show live counts so you always know what's in each slice:
- ✓Only unattempted — finish what you haven't seen
- ✓Only wrong from last attempt — drill the gaps
- ✓Only High-Yield or only Essential — prioritise
- ✓Only past-paper-style stems — closest to real-exam feel
Frequently asked questions
Where do the questions come from?+
All our questions are written in-house by UK-licensed doctors, many of whom have directly taken UKMLA AKT, PLAB 1, or PLAB 2. We don't scrape or recycle from other platforms.
Are these real past papers?+
No platform has the real GMC question bank. What we offer is original, exam-style stems modelled on the format, difficulty, and specialty distribution of real UK licensing exam papers. That's what's legally available and what gives the best practice.
What if a guideline changes and a question goes out of date?+
When NICE, BNF, CKS, or SIGN issue a relevant update, the affected questions are flagged, reviewed, and either corrected or retired. See our Continuously Updated feature for how that pipeline works.
Can I practise offline?+
The web app requires a live connection to deliver explanations, guideline links, and your personalised progress data. Offline mode is not currently available.