Acute Chest Pain — History Taking
Opening Framework
1.Introduce yourself & confirm identity
2.Open question: "What brought you in?"
3.SOCRATES pain assessment
4.Associated symptoms
5.ICE — Ideas, Concerns, Expectations
Key Differentials
How it works
Find your scenario
Filter by specialty, station type, exam, or search by keyword. Notes are organised to match your study plan.
Study the consultation flow
Each note walks through the consultation structure — opening, history, differentials, management, safety netting, and closing.
Practise with AI patients
Every note links directly to the matching AI voice scenario. Apply what you've studied immediately.
Review with spaced repetition
Track which notes you've read and get reminders when they're due for review. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Why station-specific notes outperform textbooks
Textbooks teach you medicine. OSCE notes teach you how to demonstrate that knowledge in exactly 8 minutes under exam conditions. The difference matters: a textbook chapter on chest pain might give you 30 pages on cardiac pathophysiology, but it won't tell you how to open the consultation, which questions to prioritise when time is running out, or how to close with a safety netting phrase that satisfies the examiner. Our notes are written backwards from the mark scheme — every sentence exists because it earns you marks.
Each note follows a structured consultation framework designed for the specific station type. History stations walk you through the opening statement, a validated history framework like SOCRATES or ICE, the key differentials you need to consider and rule out, a focused management plan, safety netting phrases you can use verbatim, and IPS (Interpersonal Skills) tips that prevent you from losing easy marks on communication. Examination notes include step-by-step sequences, positive and negative findings for each differential, and how to present your findings concisely. Counselling stations cover shared decision-making, checking understanding, and addressing patient concerns — the areas where most candidates lose marks without realising it.
We know that different stages of revision need different levels of detail. That's why every note comes with multiple view modes. Full mode gives you the complete deep dive — ideal for first-pass learning when you're encountering a topic for the first time. Quick mode strips it down to key points only, perfect for a rapid refresher the week before your exam. Checklist mode turns the note into a tick-off list you can work through during active revision or timed practice. Video mode links you to walkthrough demonstrations. Script mode shows the station from the examiner's perspective so you understand exactly what they're scoring. And Prep mode gives you a concise pre-session brief you can scan in 60 seconds before launching into a practice scenario.
Every note is aligned to current NICE guidelines, BNF recommendations, and GMC standards — not just theoretical knowledge, but the specific phrasing and reasoning that examiners want to hear. When you discuss management of hypertension, you're not just listing drug classes; you're explaining the stepped approach from NICE NG136, mentioning the thresholds that trigger intervention, and using the language a GP would use in practice. This matters because OSCE examiners are practising clinicians — they reward answers that sound like a competent junior doctor, not a textbook recitation.
Spaced repetition tracking turns passive reading into a systematic revision habit. Each time you study a note, it's marked as reviewed and scheduled for future revision at increasing intervals. Notes you struggle with come back sooner; notes you've mastered recede into longer intervals. Over weeks, this means you're spending your limited study time on the topics that need the most work, rather than re-reading the same comfortable subjects. Combined with our analytics dashboard, you can see exactly which specialties and station types you've covered and where the gaps remain.
What every note includes
Consultation framework
A structured walkthrough of the entire station — opening, history or examination sequence, differentials, management, and closing — tailored to the specific scenario.
Key differentials
The important diagnoses to consider and rule out, with the discriminating features and red flags that distinguish each one.
Management plan
First-line investigations, initial management, referral criteria, and follow-up — aligned to current NICE and BNF guidance.
Safety netting phrases
Ready-to-use phrases for closing the consultation safely. Covers when to return, red flag symptoms, and follow-up expectations.
IPS tips
Interpersonal skills guidance — active listening cues, empathy statements, and shared decision-making techniques that prevent lost marks.
Examination checklist
Step-by-step examination sequences with expected findings for each differential, so you never miss a key sign.
Guideline references
Direct references to NICE, BNF, and GMC guidelines so you can verify the evidence base and use the correct terminology.
Video walkthroughs
Linked demonstration videos showing how the consultation flows in real time, with examiner commentary on scoring.
Spaced repetition tracking
Automatic scheduling of review sessions at optimal intervals. Notes you struggle with appear more frequently until they stick.
Frequently asked questions
There are currently over 1,800 station-specific revision notes covering history taking, clinical examinations, counselling, procedural skills, data interpretation, and prescribing. We add new notes regularly as guidelines update and new station types appear in exams. Each note is a complete guide for one specific OSCE scenario — not a generic topic overview, but a targeted walkthrough of exactly how to approach that station.
All notes are written and reviewed by practising NHS doctors who have either sat the PLAB 2 or MLA OSCE themselves, or who have experience as OSCE examiners. The team includes GPs, hospital doctors, and clinical educators. Every note goes through a clinical accuracy review and is cross-referenced against current NICE, BNF, and GMC guidelines before publication. When guidelines change, the affected notes are updated within weeks.
The core consultation framework applies across all UK clinical OSCEs, but each note is tagged with the exams it's most relevant to — PLAB 2, MLA OSCE, MRCS OSCE, and others. When you filter by your exam, you'll see the notes that match your exam's blueprint, station format, and timing. The mark scheme emphasis also adjusts: PLAB 2 notes highlight the specific domains GMC examiners score, while MLA notes align with the MLA content map and CPSA competencies.
Absolutely — they're designed to complement your existing study materials, not replace them. Many students use our notes alongside clinical placements, textbooks like the Oxford Handbook, and question banks. The notes fill a specific gap: they don't teach you the underlying pathophysiology (your textbook does that), but they show you how to demonstrate your knowledge in an OSCE format. Think of them as the bridge between knowing the medicine and performing it under exam conditions.
When you mark a note as studied, it enters your review queue with increasing intervals — typically 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, then 14 days. If you flag a note as difficult or get a low score on the linked practice scenario, the interval shortens so you see it again sooner. You'll receive reminders when notes are due for review, and your dashboard shows a heatmap of coverage so you can spot specialties or station types you're neglecting. The system is designed to make sure nothing falls through the cracks as your exam approaches.
Yes. You have a personal notes space where you can create and organise your own notes alongside the platform notes. Many students use this to jot down examiner tips they've picked up from practice sessions, record mistakes they want to avoid, or annotate the existing notes with their own mnemonics. Your personal notes are fully searchable and can be tagged by specialty and station type so they integrate into your study workflow.