Tips: Waqar

I’m delighted to share that I cleared my MRCEM SBA exam (September 2025 diet).

It was indeed a tough journey, balancing emergency duties with exam preparation is never easy, but it’s absolutely doable with dedication and consistency.

Preparation Timeline

Starting Point

I began my preparation right after applying for the exam, with about 82 days left.

I subscribed to MRCEM Expert (3 months) and also used offline lectures by Al Amin.

First Month: Building the Foundation

During the first month, I focused entirely on completing Al Amin’s lectures while continuing my emergency department duties.

Once I finished them, I started practising five MRCEM Expert quizzes per day.

Second Month: Focused Preparation

When only a month remained, I took leave to dedicate myself completely to exam preparation.

By that time, I had completed all Al Amin lectures once and covered about half of the MRCEM Expert quizzes.

Final Month: Revision & Reinforcement

During the last four weeks, I revised all of Al Amin’s lectures again at 1.5× speed, alongside completing the remaining MRCEM Expert quizzes.

In about 15 days, I managed to finish all quizzes and revision videos.

After that, I made a list of difficult topics and revised them separately, along with the marked and screenshot questions from MRCEM Expert.

In total:

• Al Amin lectures: 2 complete revisions

• MRCEM Expert quizzes: 2 thorough rounds

Exam Outcome

I scored 135 marks in the MRCEM SBA.

My main takeaway: The exam isn’t difficult if you stay consistent, follow the guidelines, and study with a focused plan.

My Recommendations

• MRCEM Expert: Excellent for recall-based questions and guideline-focused reasoning

• Al Amin Lectures: Comprehensive and easy to follow — ideal for conceptual understanding

• LITFL (Life in the Fast Lane): Great for practising tricky ECGs

• RCEM Learning Membership: Useful for clarifying controversial or guideline-heavy MCQs

If time allows, read the MRCEM Expert theory after finishing Al Amin’s lectures for better integration of knowledge.

Final Advice

Stay consistent, stay disciplined, and believe in the process.

Balancing work and preparation is challenging, but dedication always pays off.

If I could do it while working full-time in emergency medicine, so can you!