The best PACES resources for clinical presentation combine real bedside teaching, observed discussion and repeated rehearsal of how you organise findings. Videos and online cases can help you practise what to say and why. They cannot establish whether you can reliably elicit the physical signs you are describing.
This guide is published by iatroX and includes its PACES rehearsal tools among the options compared. Bedside observation, presentation teaching and independent practice are assessed as complementary activities rather than interchangeable products. Product descriptions and resource availability throughout are dated 6 September 2026.
A candidate may know a great deal yet give a presentation that leaves the listener unsure what matters. Another may sound impressively concise while omitting the evidence behind the conclusion. Resource selection should address that specific gap between observation, interpretation and communication.
What the official preparation material contributes
The Federation's PACES preparation guidance describes the assessed skills, including physical examination, identifying signs, communication, differential diagnosis, judgement and responding to concerns. Use those distinctions when interpreting feedback. An attractive spoken summary does not cancel out a problem with identifying findings.
Ask your supervisor to separate three questions. Did you observe the relevant findings? Did you interpret them appropriately? Did your presentation make that reasoning clear? These questions create different learning actions and prevent "needs more confidence" from becoming the answer to every difficulty.
The official guidance is also the right reference for how the assessment works. Use commercial teaching to develop your performance within that framework, not to replace it with a supposedly universal presentation formula.
An original presentation exercise
Imagine a fictional teaching case with a symptom, several examination findings and a significant background condition. A disorganised presentation reports details in the order you happened to discover them, adds an extensive differential and ends without a clear conclusion.
A more useful structure begins with the dominant clinical problem, groups the findings that support it and identifies the uncertainty that still matters. The goal is not to reduce every case to one sentence. It is to let the listener see how your interpretation follows from the evidence.
Try presenting the same fictional case in three versions: a brief overview, an expanded explanation and a response to a challenge about an alternative diagnosis. Record your own practice only where appropriate and permitted. Listen for whether each version retains the same logical core.
Do not add findings merely because they would make your preferred diagnosis easier to defend. A practice presentation should distinguish what was supplied or observed from what you would still examine or clarify.
Which resources help which part?
| Resource | Main contribution | Practical test of usefulness |
|---|---|---|
| Supervised bedside teaching | Eliciting and interpreting real findings | Can the supervisor identify exactly where your examination or interpretation diverged? |
| Official PACES material | Understanding the skills and expected standard | Can you connect the feedback to a relevant assessed skill? |
| Examination videos | Reviewing method and observing presentations | Can you explain why the demonstrator prioritised particular findings? |
| Peer discussion | Practising concise summaries and challenges | Does the partner ask for supporting evidence rather than only a diagnosis? |
| Interactive cases | Repeating reasoning and communication | Does feedback identify the decision or statement that needs work? |
As published on 6 September 2026, Pastest includes PACES preparation within its examination offering. It is worth examining alongside local teaching for the specific content you need. Compare available examples and how you would use them; avoid assuming that the most extensive purchase is automatically the most useful one.
Practise defending a differential without listing everything
After presenting a case, ask a colleague to choose one plausible alternative and challenge your conclusion. Explain what supports your leading interpretation, what does not fit and what further information would be most helpful. This is a reasoning exercise, not an invitation to sound certain when the evidence is incomplete.
Another useful drill is to remove one finding from the fictional case. Does the presentation change? If the missing finding was decisive, your language should reflect that. If it was incidental, your conclusion should not depend on it.
Keep a presentation log based on patterns: scattered opening, unsupported certainty, unprioritised differential or an unclear next step. You can then choose cases that test the pattern across different topics instead of endlessly practising your favourite specialty.
Using iatroX between bedside sessions
PACES is one of the examination-specific tracks in iatroX's simulation offering. Clinician-reviewed cases, encounter-linked feedback and Tutor-led follow-up make it a useful option for practising the conversational and reasoning elements between teaching opportunities.
For example, use a case to rehearse a presentation, then examine where the explanation became unsupported or difficult to follow. Ask the Tutor to explore the reasoning behind that moment. The next rehearsal should test whether you can make the distinction independently, not simply repeat the suggested wording.
The practical boundary matters. Online rehearsal does not replace examining real patients, recognising subtle signs or receiving direct feedback on technique. Spend your bedside time on those tasks and use online access to reduce the amount of basic presentation rehearsal that consumes a scarce teaching session.
iatroX's UK pricing, published on 6 September 2026, is £29 a month or £99 a year paid upfront. The annual option works out at £8.25 a month billed annually. That price covers paid question banks, Socratic Tutor, study planning, iatroX Simulations and CPD tools together, rather than charging separate add-ons for simulations or CPD.
Under the same September 2026 access terms, Ask-iatroX and free question access remain genuinely free, with no trial expiry or verification gate. That does not make every full examination bank or ongoing Tutor access free; choose the paid tools only when their learning functions address your goal. The September 2026 simulation offering also includes one complete simulation free.
The September 2026 catalogue lists the MRCP Part 1 bank as free. Revisit that written material selectively when it addresses a PACES knowledge gap, not as a replacement for clinical preparation.
Which resource fits your preparation?
Prioritise bedside teaching for uncertain physical signs, videos for reviewing technique, and a knowledgeable colleague for challenging your interpretation. Consider iatroX when the missing activity is repeated presentation and reasoning rehearsal between teaching sessions. More written questions are useful only where they resolve a specific knowledge gap.
Frequently asked questions
Can I prepare for PACES presentations without bedside teaching?
You can rehearse organisation and reasoning independently, but that does not establish whether you can elicit or identify physical signs. Keep supervised bedside learning in the preparation plan.
What should a partner challenge during a presentation drill?
Ask them to challenge one interpretation and request the findings supporting it. The aim is to reveal whether the conclusion follows from the evidence, not to reward a long differential list.
Should PACES candidates complete more Part 1 questions?
Targeted written questions can help with an identified knowledge gap. They should not replace the presentation, communication and examination practice needed for PACES.