There is no universal number of AKT mocks to complete in the final week. Choose enough practice to answer a specific question about timing, unfamiliar mixed performance or a recent correction, while leaving time to review and act on the result. A mock without a useful debrief can consume the session that should have addressed the weakness it exposed.
For the 26 October 2026 sitting listed by the RCGP examination timetable, the final week should be built around your existing preparation and appointment. Dates and format references in this article were checked on 3 October 2026; your own current candidate instructions remain decisive.
Give each mock a job before starting it
A pacing mock asks whether you can move through a representative set without becoming trapped by uncertainty. A knowledge check asks what unfamiliar mixed material still exposes. A transfer check asks whether a corrected misconception remains corrected outside the original topic block.
These purposes can overlap, but identifying the main one makes the result easier to use. Without a defined purpose, a candidate may judge every session only by whether the percentage is reassuring. That turns the mock into a confidence-seeking exercise rather than an assessment of a specific preparation need.
Write the question the mock should answer in one sentence. After the debrief, decide whether another full mock would add information or whether a smaller correction exercise is now the better use of time.
Use the current format, not an inherited timetable
The RCGP's published change notice states that the standard AKT moved to 160 items in 160 minutes from October 2025. An older full-length mock may still contain useful questions while no longer matching the current standard duration.
Check the official examples and interface tutorial through the RCGP preparation page. The examination uses several item formats, predominantly single best answers, so do not assume that every commercial block reproduces all official interactions.
Approved adjustments should be incorporated according to the arrangements confirmed for your examination. Do not infer them from a provider's default timer or a general statement about extra time. Logistics and practice design should follow the candidate's actual conditions.
Reserve the debrief before reserving another mock
The debrief needs protected time. If the available period only accommodates answering questions, choose a shorter practice activity that leaves space to understand the errors. The appropriate length depends on the purpose, not on whether a provider labels the activity a full mock.
Review incorrect answers, correct answers reached through guessing and answers that consumed disproportionate time. A correct result can conceal a weak process, while an incorrect result can follow a sound approach with one specific knowledge gap.
Do not write extensive notes on every item. Select the errors that recur, expose a consequential misunderstanding or reveal neglected coverage. The output should be a small set of next actions rather than another document you will not revisit before the examination.
A fictional mock debrief
A fictional candidate, Rachel, completes a mixed timed block and is disappointed by the result. Her first reaction is to purchase another provider's mock that evening. Instead, she inspects the pattern.
Several errors concern professional-practice questions where she used an undated note. Another group involves confusing the question's requested decision with a related but different clinical task. Her timing record also shows prolonged deliberation on a small number of uncertain items.
Rachel now has separate actions: verify the changeable rules through the relevant current authorities, rehearse identifying the decision requested, and test a permitted approach to moving on when further thought is not adding evidence. Another full mock before these actions would likely provide more observations of the same unresolved problems, not a correction.
This is a constructed teaching scenario, not an observed iatroX result or a prediction of how Rachel would perform in the real examination.
Correct first, then retest with something different
For a source-dependent mistake, reopen the authoritative source and identify the qualification you missed. For a reasoning mistake, explain why the tempting alternative does not answer the question. For a calculation error, distinguish setup from arithmetic before choosing another exercise.
Retest the correction using unfamiliar wording or a changed scenario. Re-answering the same item immediately can check whether you remember the explanation, but it does not show that you can recognise the principle elsewhere.
The retest can be shorter than a full mock. If the question is whether you now distinguish two measures or decision stages, a bounded exercise may answer it more directly. Use a later mixed session to check that the change survives without topic cues.
Keep scores in their proper context
Scores from different commercial mocks may reflect different questions, difficulty, topic distributions, timing and prior familiarity. Do not average them into an apparently more precise readiness estimate or convert one provider's suggested threshold into an official pass guarantee.
A lower unfamiliar-question score after a higher repeated-item score is not automatically deterioration. A higher score after reading the explanations is not the same as an independent attempt. Label the conditions honestly when comparing your own sessions.
Readiness concerns that remain substantial should be discussed with your trainer or appropriate educational support. An article cannot determine your individual readiness from a percentage, and no universal safe commercial score is assumed here.
Use iatroX to explore the debrief question
In its October 2026 product information, iatroX describes adaptive bank practice, spaced repetition and a Socratic Tutor that works from an attempted question. A useful role after a mock is to examine the misconception behind one error and practise explaining the distinction before returning to unfamiliar material.
The platform's published study planner responds to exam date, available study time and quiz performance. That can support organisation, but it does not turn a commercial result into an official readiness assessment. The plan still needs your judgement about the remaining learning problem and commitments.
Free question access is available without trial expiry or a verification gate, as described by iatroX on 3 October 2026. Full bank access, ongoing Tutor, planner, simulations and CPD tools are included together in the paid subscription. Use the relevant function rather than adding a subscription simply because the final week feels uncomfortable.
End with a process you can follow
Before the examination, know how you will approach an unfamiliar item, recognise what the question asks and continue when uncertainty remains. Confirm identification, arrival arrangements and current instructions separately from revision.
Stop using mocks once the next one would displace a more useful correction or create an unreviewed collection of errors. This does not prescribe avoiding all late practice; it asks each activity to justify its place. The right number is the number that leaves you with better-informed decisions and a workable examination process, not the largest total you can complete.
Frequently asked questions
How many AKT mocks should I do in the final week?
There is no universal number: choose them according to the information you need and the time available for review. A targeted correction may be more useful than another full mock.
Should I review questions I answered correctly?
Yes, when you guessed, used uncertain reasoning or spent excessive time. A correct answer alone does not show that the underlying distinction is secure.
Does a low final mock score mean I will fail?
A commercial score is not an official prediction and must be interpreted alongside its conditions and error pattern. Use it to choose the next learning action and seek appropriate educational advice when needed.