The anatomy of an AKT question

Right – time to get stuck in! Our lesson today is all about what an AKT question looks like, so that you aren’t surprised.

Broadly speaking, they come in two forms:

-Single Best Answers (SBA).

-Extended Multiple Questions (EMQ).

They look much the same: a brief case (maximum one-two paragraphs long), a lead in question, and either:

• A choice of five answers (SBA) – used more often for diagnoses and management action questions.
• Multiple much longer choice of answers (EMQ) – used more often for investigation questions, though also commonly used for diagnosis questions.

 They are both similar and share some common themes:

• The stems are brief, with only need-to-know information in
• There are no red herrings
• Each correct answer scores equally – there is no weighting
• There are no killer marks – if you don’t have a clue have a guess, because you cannot lose marks

Each stem is riddled with clues, because to be able to test applied clinical knowledge there need to be enough clues for you to work out the next step.

So, if we look back to a previous example that we covered in the PassGP Academy:

Kelly Maxwell, aged 22 years, presents with two days of urinary burning and stinging. She is well with no fever and has a past medical history of two urinary tract infections eight years ago. She is allergic to penicillin. What is the most appropriate next step?

•  Trimethoprim 200mg orally twice daily (1 mark)
•  Cefalexin 250mgh orally three times per day
•  Urinary microscopy, culture and sensitivity
•  Ultrasound kidney, ureters and bladder
•  Computed tomography scan kidney, ureters and bladder

Look how many clues there are in such a short paragraph!

Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t be. Each question has detailed PassGP Examiner Hints and Tips to demonstrate all of this and much more in practice.

You will become an AKT Pro in no time!