There are more SCA preparation resources available now than ever. The challenge isn’t finding them — it’s deciding which combination actually works for how you learn, how much time you have, and what you can afford. This is an honest comparison. We have our own platform, and we’ll be upfront about where it fits and where other methods might serve you better.

Peer practice

Still the best option for certain types of case. A human study partner who reacts with genuine emotion when you break bad news, or who pushes back when you’re being dismissive, teaches you something no technology fully replicates.

The problem isn’t the method — it’s the logistics. Different rotas, different sites, cancelled sessions. Most registrars start with good intentions about weekly practice groups and find they actually manage a session every two or three weeks. If you can maintain a regular group, protect it. It’s valuable.

Where peer practice often falls short is feedback quality. Without a structured rubric, debriefs tend toward “that was good” or vague suggestions. If your group can agree to mark against the three SCA domains explicitly, the sessions become much more useful.

AI voice-based platforms

This is where we sit, so take our assessment with appropriate scepticism — but we’ll try to be fair about the category rather than just promoting our own product.

AI platforms solve the availability problem. You practise when you’re free, no coordination needed. The feedback is consistent and domain-specific. You can repeat cases. For building volume and identifying patterns in how you consult, they’re hard to beat.

The limitations are real. Emotionally complex cases feel different. The AI doesn’t replicate genuine human distress. And the quality varies significantly between platforms — some use turn-based interaction (more realistic), some use open-listening (the AI can talk too much). Some offer unlimited attempts, some use credits. Some track patterns across cases, some only grade each case in isolation.

If you’re considering one, try the free trial before committing. The feedback report should tell you something specific and useful about your consulting — if it doesn’t, that platform isn’t worth your money.

Video case banks

Platforms with large libraries of recorded consultations and mark scheme breakdowns. Useful for understanding what examiners are looking for — you see a consultation played out and learn why it scored the way it did.

This is passive learning, though. You’re watching, not consulting. It develops understanding of the marking scheme but doesn’t build the real-time skills the exam tests. Think of it as studying the theory of driving versus actually driving.

Good as a supplement. Not sufficient on its own.

In-person courses

Structured preparation days from various providers, typically £200–£500+. The best ones are led by people with examiner experience and include live practice with professional role-players.

The value is concentrated — one or two days of intensive, high-quality input. The limitation is that it’s one or two days. Consultation skills develop through sustained practice, not a weekend workshop. These work best as a strategic boost four to six weeks before your sitting, built on top of a regular practice routine you’ve already established.

Self-study

Reading cases, reviewing guidelines, working through clinical scenarios. Essential — your management plan needs to be clinically correct, and that requires keeping your NICE CKS and BNF knowledge current.

But self-study alone is the most common reason registrars feel underprepared. They know the medicine and can’t understand why they struggled in the exam. The answer is usually that they never practised delivering it — out loud, under time pressure, to someone who was responding.

Knowledge is necessary. Skill requires practice.

What we’d actually recommend

Combine methods. No single approach covers everything.

A regular solo practice routine — two or three timed consultations per week with structured feedback — as your core. AI platforms work well for this because of availability.

Peer practice when you can arrange it, reserved for the interpersonally challenging cases where human response matters most.

Clinical knowledge review alongside both — brief, regular, focused on the presentations you’re practising.

An in-person course if your budget allows, timed for the final month before your sitting.

The registrars who pass comfortably are rarely the ones who used the most expensive resources. They’re the ones who practised consistently, reviewed their feedback properly, and covered the breadth of presentations rather than only the topics they enjoyed.

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ConsultMentor is one option among several. We think the feedback is worth experiencing. Try a free case and decide for yourself.