The Complete MLA OSCE Candidate Guide: How to Use OSCE Revisions

The MLA OSCE candidate guide is the free map of how OSCE Revisions works for finals-style UKMLA CPSA — 12 stations, 10 minutes, the examiner viva, and the loop from a graded attempt to a Professor debrief. No signup is required to read this page or download the PDF.

This is a platform walkthrough, not a substitute for your medical school's own CPSA circular. The GMC sets the UKMLA standard; UK schools deliver the CPSA to that standard, so station count and logistics can differ. We calibrate the track to a 12 × 10-minute + viva shape and the GMC MLA Content Map.

Start from the MLA OSCE hub when you want the commercial landing page. This article is the “how do I actually use the product” page.

Sitting PLAB 2 (16 stations, 8 minutes, no viva)? Use PLAB 2 preparation and the PLAB 2 candidate guide. Sitting AMC Clinical? Use the AMC clinical exam hub.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for UK medical students and graduates sitting a finals-style MLA OSCE / UKMLA CPSA, and for anyone whose school’s CPSA is closer to 12 × 10 minutes with a viva than to PLAB 2.

It is not for the GMC PLAB 2 circuit, AMC Clinical, or a fully custom school OSCE (use the Clinical OSCE candidate guide for that).

Format facts for the difference: UKMLA CPSA explained and UKMLA vs PLAB 2.

What MLA OSCE looks like on the platform

You get the full 1,800+ library (live UKMLA-tagged stations sit at 1,848) and a Start Here Core of 665 stations mapped to the MLA Content Map. Notes in the UKMLA set are 1,800+ (live 1,893).

Mocks are 12 stations, 10 minutes each, 2 minutes reading. The last ~2 minutes of a station are the examiner viva. A bell marks the switch. Product mocks treat a circuit as a pass when at least 50% of graded stations pass. The real CPSA uses your school’s GMC-aligned standard — we do not invent a station-count pass mark for the live exam.

Stations are scored on Data Gathering, Clinical Management and Interpersonal Skills, then 10 competencies — the same three-domain language as PLAB 2, on a longer clock with a viva.

The study loop that actually works

1. Learn — Start Here, Frameworks, Notes, Mind Maps, Compare, Exam Tips, clinical skills.
2. Practise — Station Scenarios (voice or text), including the viva.
3. Review — Session Review, Discuss with Professor, personalised note if paid.
4. Simulate — 12-station Mock Exams and Recent Themes Mocks.

Half your time should be Practise, Review and Simulate.

What you actually get

Learn

• Start Here — Core of 665 must-know stations, ordered the way examiners build them up. One anchor note per cluster.
• Frameworks — including how to reset for the viva after the patient leaves.
• Notes — 1,800+, six modes (Full, Quick, Checklist, Script, Prep, Video), spaced-repetition rating.
• Exam Tips — 8,000+ on UK tracks, plus Tip of the Day.
• Clinical Skills — 150 guides (40 examination · 30 procedure · 30 prescribing · 50 data interpretation).
• Study Essentials — ~900 Must Know / ~750 Should Know / ~170 Advanced.
• Mind Maps and Compare — use them; no count claimed here.
• Videos — embedded on notes and skills guides.

Practise

• Station Scenarios — 1,800+ across 10 station types and 37 specialties.
• Voice or Text — different AI patients, same case, separate attempt pools.
• Build a Station — custom UKMLA-track stations for a weak presentation.

Review

• Session Review — Pass/Fail, score, /12 scale, three domains, 10-competency “X/Y met”, Issue/Ideal, transcript, plus a UKMLA examiner viva card with model answers.
• AI Professor — Discuss with Professor opens with that station’s transcript and score. Free/trial: 10 messages/day. Public name: AI Tutor.
• Personalised revision notes — paid, on-demand, depth-calibrated to the score.

Simulate

• Mock Exam — 12 × 10 min + 2 min reading. Pause between stations and during reading, not mid-consultation.
• Recent Exam Themes Mocks — 12-station circuits from recent themes.
• Analytics — Average Score, Pass Rate, Weak Areas, Rolling Pass Rate, domain / type / specialty breakdowns.

What one station looks like, end to end

1. Read the brief — 2 minutes. Start early or auto-start at zero.
2. Choose Voice or Text. Same case, different patients. Try both.
3. Patient encounter — about 8 minutes of the 10.
4. Examiner viva — last ~2 minutes. Bell on entry. Spoken viva in voice; typed viva card when the track uses it. You can skip to viva when the UI offers it.
5. Station complete → View detailed review.
6. Grading — about a minute. Three domains, 10 competencies, viva model answers.
7. Discuss with Professor — “Where did I lose marks and why?” after the station, not during it.

NICE, CKS, BNF and NHS pathways are the correct UK references on this track. Do not “localise” them to Australian sources.

What is free, and what is paid

• This page and the PDF — free, no signup.
• Account — 3 voice + 3 text, curated preview.
• Email verify — 24 hours of the full library and mocks; attempts stay 3+3; Professor stays 10/day.
• Personalised notes and unlimited attempts — paid.

How much time do you need?

Time to exam	Daily commitment	Route
12+ weeks	~2–3 h/day	Full MLA OSCE study plans
8 weeks	~3–4 h/day	Compress coverage; lean on Start Here anchors
4–6 weeks	~4–6 h/day	Frameworks + viva drills + frequent 12-station mocks
Under 4 weeks	Maximum sustainable	Same lean path; confirm your school date

Week-by-week: UKMLA CPSA study plan. Content map: MLA content map revision. Station types: CPSA station types.

Am I ready?

1. Consecutive full 12-station mocks at or above the product pass line (include a Recent Themes Mock).
2. No lagging domain on Analytics.
3. Frameworks automatic, including the viva reset.
4. Start Here anchors done.
5. The 10-minute + viva format feels ordinary.

Always re-check your school’s published CPSA format against the GMC MLA pages before you treat our default 12 × 10 as identical to your sitting.

Download and next steps

• PDF: Download the Complete MLA OSCE Candidate Guide — free, no signup.
• Start free: Create an account
• Exam hub: MLA OSCE
• Related: UKMLA CPSA explained · Mock Exams · AI Tutor

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