Pastest’s 25 September 2026 newsletter announced a range of new professional development courses alongside its examination resources. The three titles cover leadership, clinical communication and patient safety, and portfolio development. It is a useful signal that the relationship between a doctor and a learning platform can continue after the next result arrives. Read Pastest’s announcement.
Our interpretation is that this raises a better purchasing question than which platform has the most material. What do you need to learn next, and which activity will help you demonstrate that learning? A structured course, a clinical question session and a portfolio record can each serve a purpose, but they answer different needs.
What Pastest has added
Leadership in Practice addresses everyday opportunities to lead, prioritise, escalate and support colleagues. Its product page describes a self-paced mini course taking approximately an hour, with one month’s access and a downloadable CPD certificate.
Clinical Communication and Patient Safety covers communicating concerns, responding to incidents and difficult conversations. Pastest says it introduces the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, systems-based learning and Never Events. This is a professional practice course, rather than another bank of clinical diagnosis questions.
Portfolio in Practice focuses on identifying evidence, reflection, progression and preparation for reviews, applications and interviews. The page includes ARCP and Form R in its scope and describes practical examples and templates.
These descriptions explain the intended offer. They do not establish how much an individual doctor will improve after completing a course. This article is based on the company’s announcement and published product information, rather than a hands-on assessment of the full courses.
Choose by the gap you can name
Consider three doctors with different needs. One understands the clinical problem but struggles to escalate it clearly. Another repeatedly chooses the wrong investigation in a knowledge question. A third has completed useful learning but cannot explain how it relates to their work.
The first may benefit from structured communication teaching and observed rehearsal. The second needs to expose the reasoning error and test a similar decision again. The third needs time to review the activity and describe its relevance. Giving all three a longer question bank would leave part of the problem untouched.
Write your need as a sentence before choosing a resource. For example: I want to explain a safety concern with a clear recommendation; I need to distinguish two plausible management choices; or I want to describe what changed after reviewing an unfamiliar case. That sentence gives you a criterion for deciding whether the activity was worth doing.
A certificate documents completion; reflection explains the learning
The GMC’s CPD guidance asks doctors to identify needs, undertake relevant activities and reflect on their impact or expected impact. It recognises formal and informal learning and does not endorse individual CPD providers or award their credits. The guidance also explains that the GMC does not prescribe a fixed annual number of CPD hours or credits. Specialty schemes can have their own requirements. Read the GMC guidance.
A certificate can therefore be useful evidence of an activity without telling the whole story. Add a short account of why you chose it, what you understood differently afterwards and what you plan to try. If the learning has not yet been applied, say what you expect to change and when you will review that expectation.
For example, after communication teaching, choose one conversation to rehearse with a colleague. Explain the situation, practise the exchange, then ask for feedback on clarity and escalation. The follow-up gives you something specific to reflect on beyond the fact that the course was completed.
Bring questions into the same learning plan
Question practice is especially useful when the gap concerns a clinical decision. Attempt the item first and record your reasoning before opening the explanation. If you were correct, identify why the nearest alternative was less appropriate. If you were wrong, decide whether the problem was missing knowledge, misreading the case or applying a rule too broadly.
Use a related question later to check the distinction again. Seeing the same answer twice can feel reassuring, so choose a changed case where possible. The aim is to explain the decision when its context changes.
Within supported iatroX sessions, the Socratic Tutor provides a way to explore the question you have attempted. Use it to work through an uncertainty rather than asking for a reflection to paste into a portfolio. You remain responsible for deciding whether an explanation is sound and relevant.
Evaluate the activity before expanding the subscription list
Use three questions when reviewing a new learning offer. First, what will you do during the activity? Watching a demonstration, choosing an answer and rehearsing a conversation each create different opportunities to notice a difficulty. Look for the activity that matches the gap you have named.
Second, what feedback will you receive? A model explanation can clarify the intended answer. Feedback from a colleague can reveal something about your delivery that a written exercise misses. A course may provide a framework you can subsequently apply. Read the description carefully so that you know which of these you are buying.
Third, what will you retain? A certificate, notes, a worked example and an account of a change in practice each tell a different part of the story. Decide in advance what would help you revisit the learning or discuss it with your supervisor.
For a doctor preparing for an exam as well as an appraisal, these questions can reduce duplication. A clinical uncertainty identified during revision might become a focused learning task, while a separate professional-skills need might justify a short course. Keep the purpose of each activity clear when recording it.
Review your choices after a few completed sessions. Which resources did you finish? Which helped you explain something previously unclear? Which require a form of follow-up you have not arranged? That review is a more useful basis for the next purchase than the presence of an AI feature or the size of a catalogue.
Keep the record connected to the activity
iatroX CPD connects a focused question session with a learning record that you review and personalise. Its role is to help make the learning visible. Pastest’s new courses may suit a doctor seeking structured teaching in the professional topics described above. The useful choice depends on the need, and the two approaches can form part of the same development plan.
Before adding another learning product, ask what you will actually complete with it. Decide the topic, the activity and the follow-up. A short session with a clear purpose is easier to assess than an expanding collection of unfinished subscriptions.
For a clinical gap, iatroX’s free sample questions offer a starting point: up to ten questions daily, shared across supported exams. If the gap concerns a professional skill, compare the published course aims with the task you want to practise. Either way, finish by explaining what you learnt and what you will do with it.
Frequently asked questions
What did Pastest announce in September 2026?
Its 25 September newsletter introduced new professional development courses covering leadership, clinical communication and patient safety, and portfolio development. The newsletter does not identify the exact first day on which each course became available.
Is a CPD certificate the same as a complete appraisal account?
A certificate records the activity described by the provider. Your account should also explain its relevance, what you learnt and any impact or planned follow-up. Check the requirements applicable to your specialty scheme and professional context.
Can I use courses and question practice together?
Yes, where each addresses a useful learning need. A course can introduce a structured approach, while questions can expose uncertainty about clinical decisions. Add a suitable follow-up activity when the aim involves communication, practical performance or a change at work.
Sources
Start with a clinical question you want to understand better. Try the iatroX question sample, and choose your next learning activity from the gap you identify.