NAC OSCE study plans

Choose a timeline, practise deliberately and increase the proportion of mixed timed stations as the examination approaches.

Comprehensive

8-week plan

Weeks 1–2: History, examination and communication frameworks.

Weeks 3–5: Discipline modules with 4–6 stations per week.

Weeks 6–7: Mixed circuits, emergency cases and weak-area repair.

Week 8: Full rehearsals, tapering and exam logistics.

Focused

4-week plan

Week 1: Medicine, emergency and physical examination.

Week 2: Surgery, pediatrics and OB/GYN.

Week 3: Psychiatry, geriatrics, communication and ethics.

Week 4: Daily mixed circuits and targeted remediation.

Intensive

14-day plan

Days 1–7: One major discipline daily plus three timed stations.

Days 8–11: Emergency, communication, examination and data interpretation.

Days 12–13: Two mixed mock circuits.

Day 14: Light review and logistics only.

Daily session template

Twenty minutes: review one presentation and red flags.
Ten minutes: rehearse the opening and focused framework aloud.
Eleven minutes: complete the station under time.
Ten minutes: checklist and global feedback.
Eleven minutes: repeat the same station with corrections.
Five minutes: record one learning point and one safety action.

Weekly minimum

Three history stations
One focused physical examination
One communication or ethics station
One emergency station
One older-adult or pediatric station
One mixed mini-circuit

Partner roles

Rotate through candidate, standardized participant and examiner roles. The examiner should time the station, use an agreed checklist and avoid coaching until the station ends.

Final-week priorities

Station entry and closure
High-risk presentations
Concise differentials
Management sequencing
Sleep, travel and identification logistics