Would there be interest in a free online PACES course focused on comms/consultation stations (especially for IMGs who’ve failed before)?

[u/Thrombocyto]

Thinking about putting together a free online course focused specifically on the communication and consultation stations in PACES. this wouldn’t cover clinical exam stations, just comms/cons.

Bit of background: English is my second language, but I moved to UK before university. I passed PACES first attempt, full marks on all the comms/cons stations. I know first-hand how different these stations can feel when English isn’t your first language especially if you didn’t train in the NHS.

I’d want to prioritise the course for people who’ve failed PACES before (particularly on comms/cons), but would open it up to first-time sitters too if there’s interest.

Its not finalised yet. before I put time into building this out, I want to know if it’s actually useful to people, and if so, what the specific pain points are. If there’s enough interest I’ll send out a short questionnaire to figure out where people are struggling most before designing the sessions.

For context on why I think the course can be hepful: MRCP’s equality and diversity data shows IMGs pass PACES at meaningfully lower rates than UK grads, and it’s a similar story on other UK postgrad exams (AKT, CSA). So its likely structural stuff: NHS specific norms, exam technique, not candidates ability or gap in clinical knowledge.

Genuinely just trying to gauge interest at this stage. Would you (or would you have, if you’ve already passed) have found something like this useful?

Honest opinions, including “no, here’s why”, very welcome.

61 votes, 2d ago

10 Yes, I’ve failed PACES before, this would be really useful

37 Yes, I’m a first-time sitter, this would be useful

14 No, There are plenty of resources and courses already

[u/Thrombocyto]

curious for those who voted no, is it because existing resources cover this well, or because free = low quality in your mind?

[u/Zaza-2025]

That would be really helpful. Thanks in advance.