preparing for part 2
A few people have asked for advice on preparing for the part two exam. Below is the approach I took in 2018, alongside perspectives from other trainees who have contacted me. I hope from this you can put together a plan that will work for you.
Do remember I have no connection or special insight to RCPath or the exam setting process. Please do e-mail me (haembase@gmail.com) or Twitter (@TomboxaneA2) with any advice you would be willing to share with others on here.
When to start
This is different to the part one exam. You have been preparing for part two ever since part one just by engaging at work each day. However, I started my focused efforts on exam preparation 4-5 months prior to the exam.
What to cover
I revisited everything listed in the part one section in detail.
Morphology - get in as much time as you can looking at slides, everything you can get your hands on. Practice writing down findings under time pressure so as to prioritise your thoughts.
Other Trainees perspectives:
(2022) A candidate runs through their prepartion for a 2022 sitting of the exam in this pdf.
(2021) @Wei_YeeC runs through their preparation for a 2021 sitting of the exam in this pdf.
(2020) “I started 4 months before the exam. What to cover – in addition to Part 1 and morphology, need to be comfortable with HPLC, Interpretation of flow plots and genetic testing, antibody panels and NEQAS. Courses – I went to a weekend Morphology course at Cambridge which was excellent. Kingston Part 2 course also excellent. The Royal Free Haemostasis course was ok. Also the South Thames Sickle and Thalassaemia Network Red Cell course was v good for HPLC. Exam practice – more important than getting a consultant to mark written answers is getting a consultant to do practice vivas with you. And practicing viva questions in groups, scary but really helps.”
What to (maybe) not cover
Like Part One, transplant is less likely to feature as a core topic, but need to know issues around transplant - e.g. donor choice, ABO mismatch, indications for transplant.
Courses to attend
There are many revision courses available, how many you attend will likely depend on your budget and study leave allowances.
These are the courses I went on:
NHSBT RCPath Pre-Exam course (one week) - this will refresh the content from the three week course and update you on any recent changes.
Imperial Short courses - I attended the haemoglobinopathy diagnosis one day event, but have heard good feedback of the other courses too.
Cambridge Morphology course - The next course running in Cambridge will be held on 2+3 March 2024 (Contact: karen.course@nhs.net to register interest). There is a discount available to those who can bring their own microscope. (COI: I teach on this course.)
Other courses I have heard are good:
Chelsea & Westminster Morphology Course - interactive, exam-focused online course.
Books
I did not use any additional books.
Other Trainees perspectives:
“WHO 2016 is a great reference text that I used regularly”
Exam Practice
Technique is a big part of the part two exam. Of course you need the knowledge, but you also need to be ready to apply it the way the exam wants.
Find others you can form a revision group with to practice giving timed, on the spot answers to short written and oral questions.
Find a consultant who is willing to set you written questions and mark your answers.
Practice writing blood film reports + interpretation under time pressure. Give yourself less time than you will actually have in the exam (which is often 10 cases in 90 minutes).
If possible, do as much of your morphology practice on the same microscope you will take to the exam.
Make sure you know how to set up and troubleshoot your microscope. The invigilator I had on the day was fantastic, really put the room at ease and helped everyone settle in but I think the college’s formal position is that they are not obliged to help you fix any problems on the day (but I suspect most invigilators would).
I need to know about X but I don’t want to Wikipedia it
Trying searching ‘How I treat X’, this is a series of excellent Blood articles. There is almost always something from the last 5 years to cover what you are looking for.
A FRCPath Revision Checklist:
Thank you to Dr Bulushi in Oman who has sent me this fantastic FRCPath revision checklist. It looks like an excellent way to focus your thoughts when planning for the exam.
Guess Who game for learning immunophenotyping
Dr Charlotte Helmich and Co. created this great online game - https://guesswhohaem.co.uk/#/ - to help learn flow cytometry profiles for haem malignancies. Well worth a look when studying with a friend.