Are you preparing for the ACRRM MCQ Fellowship exam? We can help.
The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) MCQ exam is a written online assessment which assesses recall, reasoning and applied clinical knowledge. ACRRM stresses that it focuses on assessing the candidate’s ability to manage medical care in a rural or remote environment, with the aim to cover all eight domains of rural and remote practice, which are:
ACRRM Domains:
- Provide expert medical care in all rural contexts
- Provide primary care
- Provide secondary medical care
- Respond to medical emergencies
- Apply a population health approach
- Work with Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and other culturally diverse communities to improve health and wellbeing
- Practise medicine within an ethical, intellectual, and professional framework
- Provide safe medical care while working in geographic and professional isolation
Following each of it’s fellowship exams after results are released, ACRRM publishes a public report outlining the exam psychometrics. It includes information on the conduct, outcome, statistics and some commentary on the exam. Reports like these are a useful resource to help you prepare for your coming exam. They can include an overview of the modality, recent results, and Lead Examiner feedback or advice.
How to make best use of the Public Reports
Understanding the exam, exam requirements and where to get more information or resources gives you the opportunity to prepare from a position of strength.
So, what can you learn from the Assessment Public Report Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) from this year?
We know from the report that on 7 February 2024, 125 multiple choice online questions were presented which needed to be completed within three hours. There were no negative marks for incorrect answers. This is important! It means that it’s better to guess an answer and get it wrong than leave it blank! This strategy can potentially optimise your marks by 25% (as leaving blank equates to 100% certainty of zero marks whereas a guess equates to 75% chance of zero mark achieved). Of course, you can increase the odds to say, 50%, by eliminating any answer options you know to be incorrect.
TIP: do not leave any questions unanswered. It is better to guess with a 25% chance of getting it correct than no chance!
Questions mostly consisted of clinical case presentations, with a brief targeted lead-in question and four answer options from which candidates were required to choose the single best option. The stem of the clinical case could include text and/or images. Understanding the exam and what you will need to do, and the expectations of ACRRM is important information to enable you to perform well.
The report also tells you that a total of 85 candidates of the 110 candidates who sat the exam, passed. The overall pass rate was 77.3%, down from the 2023A MCQ exam overall pass rate of 80.7%. The pass mark was 72/123 (58.5%).
This information gives you an idea of the relative level of difficulty of the MCQ questions. For example, if there was a 99% pass rate you’d know that the exam would be relatively easy to pass; whereas an exam with a pass rate of only 10% would be extremely difficult. With a pass rate of 77.3% in the 2024A MCQ exam, particularly as you know that all MCQ cohorts have successfully passed exams in the past by the fact that they are working as general practitioners and therefore have passed their medical degree exams, tells you that the MCQ is a relatively difficult exam. With a pass rate of 77.3% this year, it warrants time spent studying and preparing for it. The reassuring news is that you also know that the majority of your peers passed!
TIP: do not cram last minute for the MCQ. It is better to give yourself time (e.g., 3-6 months) to be able to study and prepare properly and confidently so you pass it first attempt.
Exam Questions
Though ACRRM warns you that the exam question composition, the domains of the curriculum assessed and the percentage of candidates who passed the question may vary between exams, they provide a table which provides an overview of the questions and the percentage of candidates who passed each question. This table is helpful in understanding the types and breadth of questions that may be asked in the MCQ exam, as well as their difficulty. For example, it is clear in the table that some Curriculum Learning Areas are more heavily represented in questions than others. A study plan that reflects a similar emphasis of more prominently represented areas would be more effective than one that gives equal weight to all topic areas even when one area features across 20 questions but another only in one or potentially none! Its also helpful to compare MCQ reports (e.g., 2024A & 2023B) to see if they have similar trends regarding Curriculum Learning Areas and which feature more heavily.
The table also tells you the percentage of the cohort who got a question correct. This can be reassuring, especially if you are feeling nervous about the exam, to know the level of difficulty of questions. For example, if the majority of the cohort (like 90% or more) got the question right, then you know it was a relatively straightforward question, and if many of them, a relatively straightforward exam; one you are likely to also get correct and pass. If however, the majority got the question wrong, like the one about Pharmaceutical management of panic attacks (i.e., only 11% of cohort got it correct), then you know it was a very tricky question. There were only six questions out of 125 that 25% or less of the cohort got the question correct (meaning that 75% got it wrong). This can guide you on where to spend your time studying, as well as act as a confidence boost.
TIP: Short of time? Develop a study plan to cover each of the eight ACRRM curriculum domains, with an emphasis (more time) on those that tend to feature more heavily in the MCQ, and less on those that are ether unlikely to be covered or may only be in one question.
Understand what resources are available to you
The report also offers candidates and educators some guidance in exam preparation. For example, sample questions can be found on the ACRRM website, all enrolled MCQ candidates will receive access to a 125 question Multiple Choice Question Familiarisation Activity (MCQFA) approximately one month prior to the MCQ exam (which is similar to the MCQ in level of difficulty and content), and there’s an “Introduction to MCQ Assessment” online module available in ACRRM’s online learning portal. These resources give you insight into how an exam is assembled, how individual questions are structured, and offers guidelines to developing your own practice MCQs as well. Lastly, candidates who have sat the MCQ previously and failed are able to request a brief individualised feedback or coaching report (these are routinely provided).
TIP: When developing your study plan and routine, ensure to include time to complete the ACRRM online module and use their practice questions.
Feedback about the exam
Feedback to ACRRM from the 2024A cohort about the MCQ was:
- ACRRM provided information that was timely and clear, including understanding the process for enrolling, finding an appropriate venue and invigilator, as well as understand their new assessment management system for the delivery of the MCQ online.
- The new MCQ online platform was easy to use; and sufficient technical support and information was given to assist in setting up for online assessment.
- Invigilators are strongly supported and equipped with the necessary information necessary to assist with the assessment requirements.
- The questions ensured a broad coverage of the curriculum and was set at the appropriate level of difficult.
- Candidates who used the MCQFA exam found the tool useful as preparation for the assessment but also to become familiar with the MCQ online assessment platform.
You will hopefully find this information reassuring, knowing that past MCQ cohorts found the exam and its online format relatively straightforward.
TIP: When preparing for an online exam like the MCQ, it is helpful to ensure you have the right IT equipment well before the exam, one that you can do lots of practice and trouble-shooting on, including becoming familiar with the ACRRM MCQ online assessment platform.
Four common MCQ mistakes
Though the ACCRM MCQ report doesn’t give any insight into common mistakes made by candidates, GPEx’s experience and expert can answer this question.
1. Candidates didn’t read the question correctly.
It’s important to understand the question in order to be able to select the right answer option. However, in the stress of the moment, it is easy to mis-read or read only parts of the question so important key words are missed or ignored.
TIP: Ensure you read the question properly, so you understand what it is asking. Read it twice.
2. The question contained qualifying words that were ignored or not considered.
It’s important to ensure that you identify any qualifying words in the question, as they can change the emphasis of the question. Qualifying words include: most, least, always, never, and initial. Candidates can make the error of ignoring these qualifying words which may lead them down the wrong decision path, leading to confusion and anxiety when their answer isn’t amongst the options.
TIP: Read the question properly and check for qualifying words so you are clear what it is asking. Read it twice.
3. Candidates run out of time and do not complete all the questions.
It’s important to consider the amount of time you have to complete each multiple-choice question in the exam. For example, divide the exam time by the number of questions so you know how much time you have per question. Also, calculate how many questions you should have completed at each 30-minute time-slot. This will help you ensure that you keep on track during the exam and not have to rush your answers at the end or leave any unanswered.
TIP: To perfect your exam performance, practice completing MCQ under timed conditions.
4. Candidates who practice are more likely to pass.
Research found practice testing to be one of the best exam preparation techniques, and much better than re-reading or highlighting notes. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect”. The more you practice completing MCQ and identifying your knowledge gaps learn from your technique mistakes, the less likely you’ll make them, thereby perfecting your MCQ exam technique. Also, as MCQ candidates stated in their feedback to ACRRM, practising by using the MCQFA exam was a useful exam preparation tool as well as helping them become familiar with the MCQ online assessment platform.
TIP: To perfect your exam performance, practice completing MCQ under timed conditions.
Hence its important, if you want to gain valuable insight into the exam you are going to sit, read ACRRM’s Assessment MCQ Public Report. Even though statistics may not be your thing or might sound daunting, there is some valuable information you can glean from the ACRRM report.
Not confident doing exam preparation on your own? Then let us help you. We have been able to map out the study techniques and behaviours of successful candidates, so we are the right partner to help you pass your ACRRM MCQ exam!
For a sneak peek, try our Dr MCQ FREE trial today.