Love Island.
Yes, you may be wondering what the reality TV show has got to do with exam success, but for ACEM trainee Dr Jack Marjot, everything.
Well, maybe not everything.
You see, Dr Marjot achieved the top mark in the Primary Examination Viva, held in September. As a result, he has been awarded The Joseph Epstein Prize (Primary Examination).
And when asked what his advice would be to candidates undertaking the exam in the future, Dr Marjot replies, with a smile: “Find a friend to do it with. Try and keep perspective when it all feels hopeless. Make sure there is a series of Love Island on to keep you going when you feel like giving up.”
Preparation
In preparing for the exam, Dr Marjot says he gave himself plenty of time and “most importantly I had a fantastic group of 10 colleagues and friends who I could work with”. “It was invaluable to be able to fire questions and Vivas at one another,” Dr Marjot says.
“More importantly, I wouldn’t have passed the exam, let alone won the award, were it not for the camaraderie and moral support of this group.”
On the day he recalls he had one goal – “stay chilled”.
“I put the books away the day before, got a good night’s sleep, and went for a walk that morning. In the Viva I tried my very best to be enthusiastic and enjoy it – I’d worked hard and tried to view it as a chat with examiners rather than a test,” Dr Marjot says
How to prepare for the Primary Exams
ACEM provides an extensive range of online resources featuring past papers, past exam reports, and much more. These are all now located on eLearning under ‘Resources for Trainees’.