Reasoning GP · SCA preparation

MRCGP SCA preparation: a self-paced course

A 12-week plan you work through in your own time, built on 389 original practice cases, AI patients and timed mock circuits. It is online and self-paced. It is not a live course: there are no teaching days and no tutor.

weeks in the plan

359

practice cases

clinical experience groups covered

cases free, no account

What this course is, and what it is not

People searching for an “MRCGP SCA course” usually mean one of two things: a day or weekend of live teaching, or a structured programme to follow at home. This is the second kind.

It is a written plan, a case bank and a set of practice tools that you open when you have time: a spare 20 minutes after surgery, or a three-hour mock on a Saturday.
It is not live teaching. Nobody watches you consult and nobody marks you in person. Feedback comes from model consultations, marking checklists by domain, an AI patient, or a study partner using the examiner card.
It does not promise a result. No preparation can. What it gives you is a lot of realistic practice and an honest way to see where your marks are being lost.

If you learn best from a tutor in the room, a live course from your training programme or another provider will suit you better, and the two work well together.

The 12-week outline

The plan follows one rule: learn to recognise a good consultation first, practise second, and sit full mocks third. The full version is in the SCA Guide, which is free.

Weeks	Stage	What you do
1 to 2	Calibrate	Read the grade descriptors, then mark the transcripts in You Be the Examiner until your grades sit within one grade of ours. Read three consultation playbooks.
3 to 6	Drill	Two Hot Seat cases a week under exam timing, each followed by the scorecard and the model consultation. Short explainer drills daily. Log each case in Examiner Marking.
7 to 8	Fill the gaps	Open your heat-map and practise only the clinical experience groups you have not touched and the domain where you score lowest.
9 to 11	Simulate	One Mock Exam Circuit a week under true timing, building from 3 cases to a full 12. Grade each case straight afterwards.
12	Taper	No new material. One light circuit early in the week, daily explainer drills, and sleep.

What you are preparing for

The practice tools copy the timing of the real assessment. On the day there are 12 consultations. Each has 3 minutes of reading time followed by a 12-minute consultation, with 15 seconds between cases and a 10-minute break after case 6. Most cases are by video and some are by telephone. You sit it remotely from a private room, usually at your training practice.

Every case is marked in three domains (data gathering and diagnosis, clinical management and medical complexity, relating to others), and each domain is given one of four grades: clear pass, pass, fail or clear fail. The timetable for the day is on our exam day checklist and the marking is explained in how the SCA is marked. Rules can change, so read the RCGP’s current guidance as well.

What is free and what is in the Gold plan

Free, no account

Five complete sample cases with brief, role-player script, examiner checkpoints and model consultation; the whole SCA Guide including the 12-week plan; and one run of the AI Patient Simulator.

Gold plan

All 389 cases, the AI patient and the AI mock circuit, group mocks, role-play packs, the progress heat-map and the AKT question bank. £15 a month, £40 for 3 months or £100 a year. Cancel at any time.

7-day trial

A new account has 7 days of the Platinum plan, which includes everything in the Gold plan. No card is taken. When the trial ends the account moves to the Free plan by itself.

The exact offer is set out on the plans page. If this page ever differs from it, the plans page is correct.

Start with a free case

Do one case cold, under exam timing: 3 minutes on the brief and 12 minutes out loud. Then read the model consultation and decide whether this way of preparing suits you.

Try the free Hot Seat cases Start a 7-day free trial Read the 12-week plan

Free means free: no card and no countdown. The trial needs no card either.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a live SCA course?

No. It is self-paced online preparation: written guides, practice cases, AI patients and timed mock circuits that you work through in your own time. There are no teaching days, webinars or tutors, and no certificate of attendance.

How long does the course take?

The plan in the SCA Guide is set out over 12 weeks: two weeks learning what each grade looks like, four weeks of case practice, two weeks on your weakest areas, three weeks of timed mock circuits and a light final week. You can shorten or stretch it to fit your exam date.

What does it cost?

Five full practice cases, the SCA Guide and one run with the AI patient are free without an account. The rest of the SCA material is in the Gold plan: £15 a month, £40 for 3 months or £100 a year. A new account gets 7 days of full access first, with no card.

Will it tell me whether I will pass?

No. Marks from AI feedback, self-marking or a study partner are practice opinions. They show habits to work on; they are not an RCGP examiner’s judgement and cannot predict a result.

Can I use it alongside a deanery or VTS course?

Yes. Many trainees use teaching days for live feedback from a tutor and self-paced material for the regular practice between them. The Live Group Mock lets a study group of three run cases together online.

Is Reasoning GP connected to the RCGP?

Reasoning GP is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCGP. The cases are original teaching material, not exam recalls. For dates, fees and rules, use the RCGP SCA pages.

Reasoning GP is independent and 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.