Executive summary
The transition from final-year medical student to a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor is a critical period defined by two distinct challenges: passing the UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) and surviving your first days on the wards. To succeed, you need to build a digital toolkit that blends trusted, high-quality question banks like Passmedicine and Quesmed with practical OSCE skill guides from Geeky Medics.
Once you start F1, your toolkit must evolve to a set of non-negotiable, point-of-care safety tools, including the BNF/BNFC app, NICE CKS, and your local trust's antimicrobial guidelines via an app like MicroGuide. Layered on top of this, modern AI assistants like iatroX can help you close knowledge gaps, providing UK-centric, citation-linked answers and an adaptive quiz engine to ensure the information you learn is retained. This guide provides the definitive stack for both study and practice.
Start with the syllabus: the MLA Content Map
Before you buy a single question bank, your first step is to download the official GMC MLA Content Map. This document is your revision blueprint. It details all the conditions, presentations, and practical skills that you can be assessed on in both the AKT (Applied Knowledge Test) and the CPSA (Clinical & Professional Skills Assessment). Download it, and use it to track your progress and identify your weak domains.
Must-have study tools for UKMLA (knowledge + skills)
Your core revision will be built on high-quality question banks and skills guides.
Banks (AKT-style knowledge):
- Passmedicine (Finals/UKMLA): A stalwart of UK medical education, offering a vast bank of over 10,000 SBAs and EMQs, with excellent integrated notes and resources for the PSA.
- Quesmed (UKMLA): A popular and modern platform that provides full mock exams, PSA practice sets, and a comprehensive notes and flashcard library.
- BMJ OnExamination (MLA): A trusted name with a bank of over 2,000 MLA-aligned questions. It is often available for free to BMA members, so check your entitlements.
OSCE/CPSA skills:
- Geeky Medics: The gold-standard for practical skills. Its app and website feature over 200 step-by-step OSCE guides, a 1,200+ station bank, and new AI-powered virtual patients to help you rehearse for the CPSA.
Concept primers:
- Zero to Finals: Provides concise, easy-to-understand notes, books, and flashcards that are perfect for building your foundational knowledge before you hit the question banks.
Must-have clinical reference for the wards (day-one safety net)
When you start F1, your toolkit must shift from revision to rapid, safe, point-of-care decision-making. These apps are non-negotiable.
- BNF/BNFC app: The official British National Formulary app is your bible for prescribing. Install it and download the offline content before your first shift.
- NICE CKS (Clinical Knowledge Summaries): The best resource for quick, primary-care-focused topic summaries. It provides pragmatic, step-by-step guidance for the common presentations you'll be clerking or advising on.
- Local antimicrobial policy (e.g., MicroGuide/Eolas): Your hospital's own antibiotic policy always overrules national guidance for empirical treatment. Find out which app your trust uses (e.g., MicroGuide), install it, and download your trust's formulary.
- BMJ Best Practice: An outstanding evidence-synthesis tool that is free for all NHS staff and learners via OpenAthens. It provides in-depth guidance on diagnosis and management, and its app has a crucial offline mode for ward use.
Calculators you’ll use daily
- MDCalc: The industry standard for clinical risk scores. It includes evidence links for each calculator (e.g., CHA₂DS₂-VASc, Wells' score, CURB-65).
- QxMD Calculate: A beautifully designed alternative with over 400 calculators, organised by specialty.
Add an AI layer (used safely): iatroX + good habits
AI tools can act as a powerful accelerator for your learning and a safety net for your practice.
- iatroX Knowledge Centre / Ask: This is your UK-centric, citation-first AI assistant. Use Ask iatroX to get rapid, conversational answers to your clinical questions. It is designed to provide answers grounded in UK-accepted guidance and peer-reviewed research, helping you to close knowledge loops after a Q-bank session or a confusing ward round.
- iatroX Quiz: This free feature is your personal tutor for long-term retention. It's an adaptive and spaced-repetition engine mapped to the UKMLA curriculum. Use it to build a 15-minute daily review habit, ensuring you don't forget what you've learned.
Golden rule: Use AI tools to retrieve and understand information. Always verify critical information, especially prescribing and management decisions, against primary sources like the BNF, NICE CKS, or BMJ Best Practice.
Getting institutional access (so your references are trusted)
- Register for NHS OpenAthens: This is your free "golden key" to a vast range of NHS-funded resources.
- Access BMJ Best Practice: Use your OpenAthens login to access the website.
- Create a personal account: While on the BMJ Best Practice website, create a free personal account.
- Download the app: Download the app and log in with your personal account details to unlock all content and enable offline packs for the ward.
A weekly blueprint
| Day | Activity | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Mon–Thu | 90 mins: 60 mins of mixed Q-bank blocks. 15 mins to clarify misses with cited AI. 15 mins of spaced repetition review. | Passmedicine/Quesmed, iatroX Ask, iatroX Quiz |
| Fri | 60 mins: Focused CPSA practice. Run 3 stations using a checklist. | Geeky Medics app |
| Weekend | Optional: Timed mock exam or review your trust's antimicrobial guidance. | BMJ OnExam, MicroGuide |
Tool matrix
| Task | Primary Resource | Why It’s High-Yield | AI/Companion |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKT-style Practice | Passmedicine / Quesmed / BMJ OnExam | Large, blueprint-aligned banks | iatroX Quiz for adaptive review |
| OSCE/CPSA Skills | Geeky Medics app | Structured guides, virtual patients | Use iatroX to script explanations |
| Prescribing | BNF/BNFC app | Authoritative, offline, UK-specific | — |
| Antimicrobials | MicroGuide / Eolas (Local) | Your trust's mandatory policy, offline | — |
| Calculations | MDCalc / QxMD Calculate | Evidence-linked, broad coverage | — |
| In-depth Reference | BMJ Best Practice | NHS-funded access, offline app | — |
Safety & professionalism (non-negotiables)
- Do not paste any patient-identifiable data into any third-party or consumer AI tool. Use de-identified vignettes for learning.
- Always verify final medication doses and management plans against the BNF/BNFC and NICE CKS or BMJ Best Practice before acting.
- For local antimicrobial choices, your trust's MicroGuide policy always takes precedence over national or external guidance.