Reasoning GP · SCA practice cases

MRCGP SCA cases, ready to practise

A bank of 359 original SCA practice cases. Each has a patient script, examiner marking by the three RCGP domains, a model consultation and the guidance behind it. This page explains what is in the bank and how to use it well.

359
original practice cases
258
video consultations
101
telephone (audio-only)
11
clinical experience groups covered

What is in the SCA case bank

The SCA tests whether you consult like a safe, newly qualified GP across twelve 12-minute cases. Good practice cases need to feel like a real surgery list, not a quiz. Our bank, The Hot Seat, currently holds 359 original MRCGP SCA-style cases, each written to be played out loud against a clock. You can browse every case and read its candidate brief before you sign up.

All are video consultations (258) or telephone, audio-only consultations (101), because those are the formats the SCA uses. Where an examination matters, the findings come from another clinician's notes or from what can be seen on camera, as in the real exam.

What every case contains

The candidate's brief

The medical-record summary you would read in the 3-minute window: age, history, medicines, recent results and the reason for the appointment. It holds nothing you would not see on the day.

A full role-player script

An opening line, facts to release only when asked, the patient's ideas, concerns and expectations, and the cues to plant. A partner can play the patient straight without improvising.

Examiner marking by the three domains

Checkpoints sorted into Data gathering, Clinical management and Relating to others, the three domains the RCGP marks. Grade yourself in Examiner Marking using the four-grade scale.

A model consultation

A turn-by-turn worked consultation with a time map, showing where the minutes go and why each move earns marks. Read it after you have had a go, not before.

The knowledge behind it

A short summary of the relevant UK guidance (NICE, CKS, MHRA safety updates and the medicines’ SPCs), so management is accurate, not just well phrased.

Pitfalls and learning points

The habits that most often drop a grade in that kind of consultation, with plain explanations of what to do instead.

Coverage across the clinical experience groups

The RCGP samples each diet across clinical experience groups. We tag every case to one or more of them, so you can find gaps and target them. Many cases sit in two or three groups, so the counts below add up to more than 359.

Clinical experience groupCases
Long-term conditions & cancer144
New & undifferentiated presentations115
Mental health & addiction83
Gender, reproductive & sexual health81
Investigations & results78
Urgent & unscheduled care77
Older adults62
Professional & ethical dilemmas58
Children & young people56
Health disadvantage & vulnerabilities47
Ethnicity, culture & diversity22

Case counts were taken from the live case data in October 2026. The bank grows, so the numbers only go up. Browse all 359 cases by group → Each case page shows the candidate brief you would read before the consultation.

How to practise SCA cases well

  1. Read the brief for exactly 3 minutes. Note two or three hypotheses and one thing you must not miss, then stop. Overprepared openings sound scripted.
  2. Consult out loud for 12 minutes. Use a partner as the patient with the script, or the AI Patient Simulator when you are alone. Silent reading is not practice.
  3. Mark it straight away against the three domains. Be strict: the most common self-marking error is giving credit for things you meant to say.
  4. Compare with the model consultation. Look for one change of habit, not twenty notes. Then run a similar case to test it.
  5. Practise in threes when you can. Role-play packs print a patient card and an examiner card for every case, and the Live Group Mock runs the same thing online.
  6. Build up to full diets. When single cases feel steady, move to a timed 12-case SCA mock exam.
Volume is not the goal. Thirty cases marked honestly and repeated where they went wrong teach more than a hundred skimmed. The free SCA Guide sets out a 12-week plan that uses the bank this way.

Start free

Five sample Hot Seat cases, the full SCA Guide and one free run of the AI Patient Simulator are open to everyone, with no card needed. The whole SCA suite (all 359 cases, the AI mock circuit, group mocks and the Resit Clinic) is in the Gold plan.

Try the free Hot Seat casesRead the free SCA GuideSee plans and pricing
Free means free: no card and no countdown. Paid plans can be cancelled or paused at any time.

Frequently asked questions

How many SCA practice cases are there?
The Hot Seat holds 359 original SCA-style cases (October 2026): 258 video and 101 telephone, the two formats the SCA uses. Each one has a candidate brief, a role-player script, examiner checkpoints by domain, a model consultation and a knowledge summary.
Are these real SCA exam cases?
No. Every case is original teaching material written for practice. None is an exam recall, and gpreasoning.uk is not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCGP. The cases are built to rehearse the consulting behaviours the published marking domains describe.
Can I try some SCA cases for free?
Yes. Five sample cases are open to everyone, with no card needed. See free SCA cases for exactly what is included.
Do the cases include telephone consultations?
Yes. 101 cases are audio-only telephone consultations, where you cannot see the patient and need to make your listening, checking and safety-netting audible.
How should I mark myself?
Grade each of the three domains after every case, then compare with the model consultation. Examiner Marking uses the four-grade scale and tracks your averages, so you can see which domain needs work.

More SCA guides

Free SCA casesWhat you can practise without payingSCA mock examRun a timed 12-case diet: AI, solo or with friendsAI SCA simulatorHow the AI patient works, and its limitsSCA dates and fees2026–27 diets, fees, booking and deadlinesSCA for IMGsHonest advice for international graduatesSCA resitFailed the SCA? Reading feedback and a 4–8 week planSCA telephone consultationsAudio-only cases: structure, safety-netting, third partiesSCA marking and domainsThe three domains, grades and how the pass mark is setSCA pass ratesWhat the RCGP figures show, and what they do notPaying for SCA preparationExam fee, study budget rules and our plans

gpreasoning.uk is not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCGP. The SCA is run by the Royal College of General Practitioners; for anything official (dates, fees, rules, results) always check the RCGP SCA pages. Our cases are original teaching material written for practice: they are not exam recalls and do not predict what you will meet on the day.