Making the most of reading time

Reading time is the only part of a station where nobody is watching you. Used well, it turns a stressful scenario into a set of headings you can speak to. Used badly, it's spent re-reading the same paragraph.

First read: the whole thing, once

Read the scenario end to end without writing anything. You're looking for the shape of the problem: who the patient is, where you are, and what feels urgent.

Second read: pick out what matters

Now note the details that will change your answers:

• Red flags in the history or observations.
• Setting. How far are you from the nearest larger hospital? What do you have on site? Who can you call?
• People. Family, carers, colleagues, interpreters — anyone the scenario mentions is there for a reason.
• Time. Is it a weekend, night, holiday, a storm, a road closed?

Write headings, not essays

Your notes are a prompt, not a script. Three or four headings per likely topic is plenty: "ABC + call for help", "ECG, bloods, bedside tests", "telehealth with specialist", "retrieval vs transfer", "family".

Predict the questions

Most scenarios lead to a small set of natural questions: what are you worried about, what would you do now, how will you manage over the next hours, how will you talk to the patient or family. Sketch a line or two for each.

Don't

• Don't try to write a full answer. You'll run out of time and read it out flatly.
• Don't fixate on a single diagnosis. Questions often reveal new information that changes the picture.
• Don't panic about what you don't know. Note it, and plan to say how you'd find out safely.

Practise with a timer

Reading time feels shorter in the exam than at home. Practise with the real timing so the pace becomes normal, and finish early sometimes — walking in calm beats one more note.