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MRCGP AKT 2026: Format Change + High-Yield Strategy

A practical AKT plan built around the post-Oct 2025 format: time-per-question, section weighting, and a feedback loop that actually moves scores.

Review date
Feb 2026
Reading time
10 min read
Author
Dr. Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MSt MRCGP
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Key points

  • Anchor your plan to the *current* AKT format (it changed from Oct 2025).
  • Win by speed + accuracy: a two-pass question strategy + ruthless error review.
  • Treat EBM + admin/management as a predictable marks bank, not a mystery.

Official format update (read this once, then plan around it)

From October 2025 the AKT moved to 160 SBA questions in 2 hours 40 minutes, and remains sectioned into clinical knowledge (majority) plus evidence-based practice and organisational/management content. Your revision should reflect the weighting and pacing of that reality.
Most AKT failures are not a ‘knowledge deficit’ problem; they’re a pacing + selection problem. You need a repeatable engine: (1) daily timed blocks, (2) a debrief loop that turns wrong answers into future points, and (3) a deliberate approach to the two smaller sections so you don’t bleed easy marks.
1

Step 1 — Build a pacing rule you can execute under stress (today)

Your default should be ~1 minute per question, with strict escalation: if you’re not confident by the 45–60 second mark, flag it and move. AKT is a volume exam. Your score rises when you stop donating time to low-probability wins.
2

Step 2 — Use a two-pass strategy (every timed block)

Pass 1 = secure points: answer what you know fast; do not ‘wrestle’. Pass 2 = work flagged items: choose the *highest expected value* questions first (those where you can eliminate options). Pass 3 (last 5–8 mins) = educated guesses on the remainder; never leave blanks.
3

Step 3 — Treat EBM as a drillable skill-set, not ‘reading’

EBM marks come from pattern recognition: ARR/NNT, interpreting CI/p-values, bias types, and applying evidence to a GP context. Build a micro-syllabus and drill 10–15 targeted questions per week under time pressure.
4

Step 4 — Treat admin/management as a memory game

Make a ‘GP operations’ deck: referral pathways, safeguarding logistics, fit notes, prescribing governance, QOF-style thinking, and common policy-style scenarios. It’s predictable content; it should become cheap marks.
5

Step 5 — Run a weekly scoreboard (so your plan adapts)

Once weekly, do one longer timed block (or a mock segment) and capture: score, time left, top 10 weak topics, and 3 recurring error types (e.g., misread stem, guideline confusion, drug contraindication). Next week’s plan is built from that scoreboard.
  • Daily: 30–60 mins timed SBAs + 10 mins debrief (no exceptions).
  • Weekly: 1 longer timed block + “scoreboard” review.
  • Create a ‘Top 50 Errors’ list and re-test it every 7 days.
  • EBM: drill ARR/NNT + bias/CI interpretation until automatic.
  • Admin/Management: convert to flashcards; don’t ‘read’ it.
SourceRCGP — AKT introduction and format change details
Open Link
SourceRCGP — AKT General FAQs (background blueprinting logic)
Open Link
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  • Your default should be ~1 minute per question, with strict escalation: if you’re not confident by the 45–60 second mark, flag it and move. AKT is a volume exam. Your score rises when you stop donating time to low-probability wins.

    Return to this section

  • Pass 1 = secure points: answer what you know fast; do not ‘wrestle’. Pass 2 = work flagged items: choose the *highest expected value* questions first (those where you can eliminate options). Pass 3 (last 5–8 mins) = educated guesses on the remainder; never leave blanks.

    Return to this section

  • EBM marks come from pattern recognition: ARR/NNT, interpreting CI/p-values, bias types, and applying evidence to a GP context. Build a micro-syllabus and drill 10–15 targeted questions per week under time pressure.

    Return to this section

  • Make a ‘GP operations’ deck: referral pathways, safeguarding logistics, fit notes, prescribing governance, QOF-style thinking, and common policy-style scenarios. It’s predictable content; it should become cheap marks.

    Return to this section

  • Once weekly, do one longer timed block (or a mock segment) and capture: score, time left, top 10 weak topics, and 3 recurring error types (e.g., misread stem, guideline confusion, drug contraindication). Next week’s plan is built from that scoreboard.

    Return to this section
  • Return to this section
  • Return to this section
  • Return to this section
  • Return to this section
  • Return to this section

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