The Short Case Prep Method I Wish I’d Used Sooner

There was a time—early in my exam prep—when I genuinely thought I had to spend every free moment pacing the ward, trying to sniff out a short case like some kind of diagnostic truffle pig.

Stethoscope expertly draped around the neck, briefcase rattling with cotton balls, tuning forks, and just enough hope to keep showing up. We lingered by bedsides like extras in a hospital drama, waiting for something—anything—to examine.

It was effort. And more effort means better results… right? That’s how this works? Wrong. Turns out, it’s not just about more time—it’s about better strategy.

When it came time to prep for the RACP Clinical Exam, I wanted to actually enjoy studying.

Or at the very least, not dread it.

Or maybe just not totally despise every second.

So I gave up wandering the wards like a haunted stethoscope-wielding goblin and followed a structure that actually worked—one that only left me only mildly spiritually frayed and emotionally crisped. Which, in exam prep terms, is a resounding success.

I called it: Drill, Distill, Deliver.

🔁 DRILL: Get your exam flow down pat

The goal here wasn’t to find interesting signs—it was to make the exam sequence itself automatic.

I wasn’t trying to be fancy. I just:

- Ran through the exams on repeat (esp the high yield ones - cardio, GIT, neuro, developmental)

- Did them to time

- Practised on friends, partners, chairs, pillows—whatever was nearby, mostly still, and at least vaguely consenting

You don’t need patients with textbook signs for this bit. You just need reps. Once the muscle memory kicks in, you’ll have more mental space to notice subtle signs and not spiral.

🧪 DISTILL: Make flashcards your bestie

Flashcards meant I could list differentials before my brain had even caught up. It was like muscle memory for my mouth—which sounds questionable when I read that line back, but you get the idea.

I made flashcards that helped me cover:

- Differentials for common signs—hepatomegaly, clubbing, hypotonia, etc.

- Investigations—what to order, why, and how to interpret them quickly and clearly

- Complications—whether from the condition itself, or the treatment used to manage it

🎙️ DELIVER: Practise like it’s the real deal

Eventually, you’ve got to stop rehearsing in your living room and get in front of actual people.

Real cases, real pressure, real awkward silences.

What helped the most:

- Signing up for public short case sessions (and volunteering to go first before I could overthink it)

- Doing timed cases in front of seniors, registrars, consultants—whoever would watch and give feedback

- Pushing through the discomfort until it wasn’t so uncomfortable anymore

You’ll forget what to say.

You’ll panic a little.

You’ll probably mix up your left and right.

And then you’ll get better.

By the time the real exam came around, my nerves still showed up—but they weren’t in charge anymore.

Free stuff (because the college has all our money now)

If you want to follow this approach, I made a few things to help you out:

✨ [Drill, Distill, Deliver Infographic]

🧠 [Flashcard Topic List]

📋 [Exam Practice Tracker]

TL;DR (or: “just tell me what to do so I can cry in peace”)

- Stop haunting the corridors like the ghost of OSCEs past

- Drill your exams until your hands move before your brain does

- Distill your differentials, investigations, and complications into flashcards

- Do cases to time and in front of people (yes, even scary ones)

- Use the free tools

- You don’t need to be perfect—just slightly more coherent than yesterday

🎥 Want the full story? [Watch the video] where I talk through the whole approach—burnout-free(ish).

And if you’re also trading “hunt and hope” for something with structure and marginally less panic, I’m right there with you. Let me know how you're going—my inbox is open.