ACE PACES
Let’s jot down the exam thought to be one of the toughest exams taken by the UK trainees- PACES.
Stations of the exam:
The new pattern is much more sensible and doable. It has the same 5 stations but the structure of the stations is practical.
The marking system is from a total of 168 with a passing threshold of around 127. It is totally okay to fail one of the stations but it is essential to clear all the skills marked in each station to pass the overall exam in the end.
Resources Used:
So the resources that I used for the preparation were very minimal and I would actually suggest other candidates who are preparing for the exam to be quite focused on the resources. There is no need to use everything available in the world, this is going to actually double up your mind. After all, all the resources actually compile the same things but in different words. I followed the “Cases for PACES” book which I found very helpful and to the point. It is suggestible to give a thorough read to the ethical and clinical sections of the book. A few things to have on your tips are some procedural indications, treatment and surveillance guidelines, and side effects of the medication that the aforementioned book covers.
Many courses are run by different consultants and the choice of that is really individualistic. However, I took the PassPACES course and I have a very positive and affirmative review of the course. It is a four-day, dawn to dusk, very tiring course but honestly, is worth an experience. The structure of the course is very similar to the exam. The consultants and the registrars running the course were very knowledgeable and aware of the marking scheme. They would pick up points where you can improve yourself. The only negative thing that I got from the course is that the organiser is uselessly strict on some unimportant things like formal clothing and shoes and could take action if someone was not dressed as per their expectations which seemed a bit extra and unnecessary to me.
There are many other courses available which gives a candidate an option of looking around and selecting one. One can attend as many courses as the wallet allows however, one course remains more than enough if that is been followed by regular practice.
Experience of the exam:
It is not uncommon to comment on an exam as not being very difficult after clearing the exam and I think I am also doing the same, but this is what you feel once you’re de-stressed.
My experience for the exam was very good, I enjoyed practicing clinical stations at the hospital and comm stations with some study partners. I thought it might be one of the nightmares that I was going to face, but when I was going ahead with the practice and got a good grip on picking up signs, I actually perceived it as very doable. The only strategy that should keep with you is to complete the station on time appreciating the maximum positive signs of a patient.
A good tip is to practice with a timer from the very start, then you are going to manage to complete these stations with examination and explanation to the patient on time. Now when we come to the presentation of the cases to the examiners, actually, a lot of people would tell you many different ways of doing it but what I reckoned is that there is literally no biblical way of presentation that a candidate should follow, every candidate has a different way of presentation and this is what I followed as well. Of course, you have to show professionalism with confident body language.
There are two things that I just kept in mind while doing the examination; if I’d be completely firm on a diagnosis I would start my presentation by saying that I believe or I think this patient has XYZ disease which is supported by the examination findings I would brief out. For example, if a patient has asthma and you are hearing wheezes in the chest then, you can be confident enough to start your presentation by saying, I think this patient has got asthma, which actually would show how confident you are in picking up signs and presentation as well. However, there are many cases in which we are not sure of the diagnosis just with the clinical findings for example, in any neurological case, then is safe to start saying the positive findings first followed by the differentials.
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