Follow us on 2014.1 KFP exam candidates 3 February 2014 In a few weeks’ time you will be sitting the Key Feature Paper (KFP) as part of your progress towards Fellowship of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). I would like to provide you an outline of the exam paper you will be undertaking in addition to some advice on completing the exam. The Key Feature Paper (KFP) is designed to assess your clinical practice and moves beyond the knowledge testing in the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT). The paper looks at how you assess patients from the scenario given and the key features/critical steps required to resolve the clinical problem. Each question explores your understanding of those key features. Each of the 26 cases are independent of the others, just like a session in general practice, and that is the best way to view this exam. When presented with a clinical problem, what is it that you do in order to differentiate diagnoses and come to a diagnosis? What are the possible features of the history or examination, the critical investigations and management steps that are required? Not every case will follow all these stages, as different information will be provided in each case. For example, one may be a new patient problem whereas another may be a patient returning for results. In preparation for the exam you may wish to look at the sample paper online. You will have access to the Exam Support Online (ESO), which provides some modules in preparation for the exam as well as a timed sample paper which models the online testing process and provides you with feedback. In addition to this, there is also a video that demonstrates the online assessment environment which may help orientate you to the computer setting. When it comes to actually providing your answers it is important to remember these critical steps:  read the clinical scenario carefully, at least twice, and select the key features of the case.  read the question carefully. Often candidates provide answers appropriate to the scenario but do not answer the specific question asked. If the question asks for investigations, do not answer with examination, history or management steps.  give your answers in context to the scenario provided – take note of the things such as the gender and age, as the critical steps may be different depending on these factors.  give the correct number of answers, if the question asks for five answers do not provide six or more answers, as you may be penalised for giving too many answers.  When considering tests consider what you are testing, candidates often like to put as many tests down as they can think of but this is about critical steps and rationale testing not blanket testing (remember put your answer in context of the question) so for example UEC is a different test to LFTs so each goes on a separate line, but T3, T4 and TSH are part of the same assessment and assessing thyroid function, likewise cardiac enzymes are together not individual nor would listing all the different lipids in a lipid profile. Remember to think of the question and what is the test for or doing. One investigation or group to each line.  the question may ask for ‘note form’ – this is a few words only, not a paragraph to justify your answer or to try and impress the examiners with everything you know about the subject.  be specific. Generalisations do not score well, e.g. referral – general examination – start medication. Expand these references more specifically e.g. refer to a paediatrician – urgent referral to the appropriate specialist, if that is warranted by the clinical scenario.  separate each of your answers. Ample lines are provided for each answer.  watch your spelling. You are not penalised for bad spelling but please ensure your answer is legible and make sense.  do not use abbreviations. They can mean different things, e.g. IBD might mean irritable bowel disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Please remember to pace yourself whilst completing the exam. Check the time and your progress on the computer screen as you go and attempt to answer all questions. I wish you well as you sit the KFP in February. Dr Gary Butler National Assessment Advisor – Key Feature Problems The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 100 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002 Opt out of this email