CASC Results Jan 2013

[kris 54]

After lot of thought, I decided to post here, given that it is a big day today, when results are out.

I want to congratulate all those who passed CASC this time, I know a couple of candidates personally who have passed and can only imagine, what it would mean to see your name on pass list.

At the same time, it is also heartbreaking to not find your name on the pass list. I wish those who did not make it this time good luck. For a moment, look at what all you have in life. MRCPsych is just part of ones life and it is not all your life.

[peeros 21]

I failed, it was my first attempt

[pukhtun 57]

I could not agree with Kris enough. Peeros just dont lose hope and keep at it till you get what u want

[peeros 21]

thanx for ur support peechoo, I DO really need these words

[pukhtun 57]

Peeros I am a prime example of someone who struggled but never gave up. I failed paper 3 multiple times and even thought of giving it up but then imagined myself 20 years from now thinking about giving up and regratting it. One should have no regrets. If anyone decides to leave exams then it should be a decision made with no chance of any feelings of regret in the future.If I could make it then anyone can haha

[sebhen 9]

4th time lucky here!

Passed old part 1 in 2006 (!) but failed old part 2 written by less than 1%.

Passed paper 3 in 2008 but then failed CASC 3 times and then had to resit all 3 written papers.

The CASC has ruled my life for the last 5 years but now I can finally cry tears of joy instead of sorrow!

To those that didn't pass this ridiculous excuse for a professional exam - don't give up and practice, practice, practice!

[Afterlife 284]

4th time lucky here!

Passed old part 1 in 2006 (!) but failed old part 2 written by less than 1%.

Passed paper 3 in 2008 but then failed CASC 3 times and then had to resit all 3 written papers.

The CASC has ruled my life for the last 5 years but now I can finally cry tears of joy instead of sorrow!

To those that didn't pass this ridiculous excuse for a professional exam - don't give up and practice, practice, practice!

I know people with 10th time and 8th time and yet failed. Many people have given up but crazy people like me have not yet given up, I don't know why? Heartiest congratulations sebhen. It is your day. Enjoy. The college should ease out this exam as many people have left this exam with huge despair. You are an example of forbearance and patience for the last 5 years or let us say 7 years since your part 1. It was difficult and God has made it easy for you now. Empathy is a thing which college needs to have for its candidates who of course go with loads of empathy for role players and have loads of empathy for their patients in the real life. They also need empathy from the college.

HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS

I am not giving up but how can you stop many of my colleagues who are giving up today after loads of hardwork, sacrifice of time, sacrifice of money at the expense of their social life. How can you bring geniuses like xxx, yyy, zzz and Sagir Parkar who already have given up as the exam seems to be virtually impossible to those who fail. I know you had to resit all the papers and so did I and many of my friends. Unfortunately many of them are still appearing again and again after passing written and they are close to resit the 3 written papers second time. I am sure if they will have to resit they will pass the written papers even the 3rd time but what to do with this subjective CASC exam.

It seems like we are at the 7th Ericksonian stage of development and heading towards the 8th stage. Again Sebhen I salute you that you did not give it up and hit the nail this time. WELL DONE. YOU DESERVE IT.

[Afterlife 284]

After lot of thought, I decided to post here, given that it is a big day today, when results are out.

I want to congratulate all those who passed CASC this time, I know a couple of candidates personally who have passed and can only imagine, what it would mean to see your name on pass list.

At the same time, it is also heartbreaking to not find your name on the pass list. I wish those who did not make it this time good luck. For a moment, look at what all you have in life. MRCPsych is just part of ones life and it is not all your life.

You are right kris. I am a strong believer that "afterlife" is the real life and thus my nick. These things only last till our death. The real thing is that is there a life after this? My belief there is. Somebody else's belief, there isn't. I respect it and do not want to go into this argument. MRCPsych is not your whole life. There are other things more important than this. However crazy people like me are not yet ready to give up.

Heartiest CONGRATULATIONS to those who passed. To those who have not, the message is that I am not giving up, so you also do not give up please. Keep watering the crops and wait for the favourable climate. You may have to lose many crops but ultimately you can get an excellent crop after all your hardwork some day. I know it is hard.

Edited February 15, 2013 by Afterlife

[Afterlife 284]

Peeros I am a prime example of someone who struggled but never gave up. I failed paper 3 multiple times and even thought of giving it up but then imagined myself 20 years from now thinking about giving up and regratting it. One should have no regrets. If anyone decides to leave exams then it should be a decision made with no chance of any feelings of regret in the future.If I could make it then anyone can haha

I remember you failing paper 3 again and again. Finally you hit the nail 2 years ago.

[Regent 31]

I went through the same!!

Lucky I passed this time..

As lot of others are suggesting- persevere and you will pass...

Congrats to all those who passed, and all the best to those who weren't successful

[Alechandros 13]

Unfortunately not everyone passes the CASC. There are people who have sat the CASC 10 times. When we want to say the word persevere, we have to specify it for how long. If you mean '' persevere maybe for the rest of your life'' this sounds better.

Congrats to all those who passed. Persevere for those who were not successful.

[yasirmhm 42]

Hello everyone, I am a regular user of this forum and therefore decided to contribute.

Thankfully I passed. It was my second attempt, first attempt in September 2012 during which I scored 11/16.

I am approaching the end of my CT3 so I passed just in time to avoid any extensions for core training.

My score was 12 out of 16.

In terms of PERFORMANCE AND KNOWLEDGE, I believe I was much better compared to September attempt. Since September, I attended 2 courses (will not disclose, but happy to say if someone is interested and email me), and also did some practice with a local ST6 who was incredibly helpful and helped me to improve my verbal and nonverbal communication.

On the whole, I didn’t do much PRACTICE as I was hoping to do, as our Trust did not have CASC teaching from August 2012 until now. So I focused on the courses and the practice I mentioned (which was mainly 2 hours every weekend for a total of 8 weeks).

Of course knowing the INFORMATION you need to deliver and use is very important, so read as much as you can and especially the patients leaflets to help you give information in plain English.

Also, FOLLOW THE QUES FROM THE ACTORS; I can’t over emphasise how much this is important. Throughout my stations I kept saying things like "is that OK so far? Do you want me to stop? Please let me know if there is anything you don’t understand, etc...).

Also SHAKING HANDS with actors (some controversial advice are found elsewhere, I shook hands with actors in all stations apart from one, see below) and asking the role player (how may I address you today?) which I did in every station as well apart from the angry mother in the schizophrenic patient station (she was too angry to bother about that!).

Don’t under estimate the importance of these introductory phrases, I spoke to many examiners who told me that they make their decision (or at least will be more inclined to one outcome) to pass or fail a candidate during the first two minutes of the station.

As overseas graduates, we really have to work not twice harder, but 100 times harder than our local colleagues. Those who fail this exam repeatedly may find it helpful PAIR WITH LOCAL GRADUATES and ask them to give feedback on communication and other aspects examined in the CASC.

Finally, congratulations to all who passed and to those who didn’t, persevere, and continue to practice and seek to improve your knowledge and performance.

There is no limit to what you can learn. And most importantly, NEVER think that you failed because you are INCOMPETENT. Although the exam assesses “SKILLS AND COMPETENCY”, but it is not a measure of how good you are.

You are a unique and intelligent person who achieved what most people in the UK or abroad could not achieve, which is becoming a doctor. You just need to make some tuning to your performance and develop your knowledge to pass this exam like a breeze.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any advice.

Yasir

Edited February 16, 2013 by Yasir Hameed

[Alechandros 13]

The sad thing is that not everyone who has passed the 3 written papers will obtain the MRCPsych title in the end, despite perseverance. This is because of the CASC exam. This has happened. This mainly applies to the overseas doctors. There is no local doctor who hasn't passed the CASC exam in the end.

[Afterlife 284]

I went through the same!!

Lucky I passed this time..

As lot of others are suggesting- persevere and you will pass...

Congrats to all those who passed, and all the best to those who weren't successful

Right

[Afterlife 284]

The sad thing is that not everyone who has passed the 3 written papers will obtain the MRCPsych title in the end, despite perseverance. This is because of the CASC exam. This has happened. This mainly applies to the overseas doctors. There is no local doctor who hasn't passed the CASC exam in the end.

Right

[shawl 12]

Thankfully passed the CASC in my third attempt.It is one exam were luck matters more than anything else.I passed 9 stations first time round.11 stations second time and now that i have passed i managed to score 13.So keep at it and hope for the best

[Alechandros 13]

I scored 10 stations in my first CASC attempt. Then i prepared harder and i scored 6 stations in my second attempt this time. I am really confused. I have spent £ 6500 in the last 7 months only for the CASC exam ( 2 attempts) including exam fees, courses, travel expenses, hotels e.t.c. I have 4 more attempts left. Now i have to work extra hours to pay this debt. I don't know whether it would be better for me to play black jack instead of CASC... roulette..... This is my CASC's ....fallacy...( equivalent to Gamblers fallacy)..... MRCPsych is a great place to invest money. However ,some, will lose money by not passing the exam in the same way that people lose money by playing in the casinos. I have realized that they are not going to pass me, not a high degree of conviction though. I think i am not going to pass because there is no logic to the results. However i am going to continue sitting the exam because i want to see their faces when i will be smiling to them. Probably i will see them retiring one day. I am a bit of a ''mad'' person who wants to practice cognitive distortions... as well.

I think i am getting to a stage of masochism.....with this exam.

[Afterlife 284]

I scored 10 stations in my first CASC attempt. Then i prepared harder and i scored 6 stations in my second attempt this time. I am really confused. I have spent £ 6500 in the last 7 months only for the CASC exam ( 2 attempts) including exam fees, courses, travel expenses, hotels e.t.c. I have 4 more attempts left. Now i have to work extra hours to pay this debt. I don't know whether it would be better for me to play black jack instead of CASC... roulette..... This is my CASC's ....fallacy...( equivalent to Gamblers fallacy)..... MRCPsych is a great place to invest money. However ,some, will lose money by not passing the exam in the same way that people lose money by playing in the casinos. I have realized that they are not going to pass me, not a high degree of conviction though. I think i am not going to pass because there is no logic to the results. However i am going to continue sitting the exam because i want to see their faces when i will be smiling to them. Probably i will see them retiring one day. I am a bit of a ''mad'' person who wants to practice cognitive distortions... as well.

I think i am getting to a stage of masochism.....with this exam.

I can feel the pain from the core of my heart. It is like a lottery. You keep trying, trying, trying, trying and trying and one day lottery may be yours if you are lucky. You have described a very nice picture of cognitive distortions. Everyone gets that; don't worry. For me it is like 7th and 8th Ericksonian stages. Generativity vs Stagnation and integrity vs. despair. However this stage of cognitive distortions should not pass more than 3 days. We should come over this stage and start preparing for the next attempt. That is life. We should keep trying and see if the lottery is ours one day. There are chances of winning the lottery if you keep trying. However if we stop trying we'll be more inclined towards stagnation instead of generativity.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Afterlife

[shawl 12]

Alechandros

I can imagine how difficult it may be .I will like to share with you what worked for me.I was undercooked and underprepared the first time round.i did a course and a mock but didint even pass the mock.i managed to pass 9

2nd time i gave it a good shot.lot of revising of written material.lots of practice with groups.i did mock again.i passed 12 stations in the mock and i was quietly confident that i will crack it but unfortunately it did not happen.i passed 11 stations.i was not sure what i did wrong.

3rd time round i did not do any course .did not go for any mock.read cambridge notes and practiced in a group.in the last 12 days me and my partner(he also passed with me) practiced all the stations that had come in the last 2 exams twice.

Finally and most importantly, i was very relaxed in the exam.I was confident in the stations and tried to take command of the stations.i was empthatic but not too much.tried not to rush the patient and go with the patient while carefully coming back to the task.I passed 13 .

So in a nut shell revise the last 2/3 exam stations, no need for mocks or courses if you have already given them as there is nothin left to achieve and if u dont do well in the mock it can effect your confidence before the real exam.This is for those who are appearing 2 time or more not for those given the exam for the first time.they should definitly go for the course and mock to get a hang of what the exam is.

Written material is really important and you need to know facts about different drugs/illness.It comes by reading and than practising it makes it easier to deliver in the exam.

Most importantly one needs plenty of prayers and luck as it is a very subjective exam and odds are against us from the very start but that doesnt mean will cant come through

Best of luck to everyone

[Afterlife 284]

Alechandros

I can imagine how difficult it may be .I will like to share with you what worked for me.I was undercooked and underprepared the first time round.i did a course and a mock but didint even pass the mock.i managed to pass 9

2nd time i gave it a good shot.lot of revising of written material.lots of practice with groups.i did mock again.i passed 12 stations in the mock and i was quietly confident that i will crack it but unfortunately it did not happen.i passed 11 stations.i was not sure what i did wrong.

3rd time round i did not do any course .did not go for any mock.read cambridge notes and practiced in a group.in the last 12 days me and my partner(he also passed with me) practiced all the stations that had come in the last 2 exams twice.

Finally and most importantly, i was very relaxed in the exam.I was confident in the stations and tried to take command of the stations.i was empthatic but not too much.tried not to rush the patient and go with the patient while carefully coming back to the task.I passed 13 .

So in a nut shell revise the last 2/3 exam stations, no need for mocks or courses if you have already given them as there is nothin left to achieve and if u dont do well in the mock it can effect your confidence before the real exam.This is for those who are appearing 2 time or more not for those given the exam for the first time.they should definitly go for the course and mock to get a hang of what the exam is.

Written material is really important and you need to know facts about different drugs/illness.It comes by reading and than practising it makes it easier to deliver in the exam.

Most importantly one needs plenty of prayers and luck as it is a very subjective exam and odds are against us from the very start but that doesnt mean will cant come through

Best of luck to everyone

agreed; thanks and congrats.

[fbabaei 5]

Congratulations for those who passed and good luck for the rest. Dont be dishearten guys. you are as good as the ones who passed. I passed this time ,thankfully ,after three sitting and know how it feels to fail or pass. I had given up. I was avoiding to take exam after each fail saying oh F.. it , its not achievable why should I pay royal college to up set me every six months? so I didnt take next exam but then again i said I have to i tried the one after!

Now I see that I was wrong and should have tried every single time because it is achievable , if YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELVES . Its ok to feel bad after exam or even if we fail. thats what we psychiatrists are good at, to deal with our emotions in a positive and constructive way. I didnt allow myself to picture failing before or after exam this time , but in the back of my mind I knew if i failed i will be pissed off and thats absolutely fine but I WILL NOT GIVE UP!

"I AM COMING BACK IN SEPTEMBER" to kick some asses.

[fbabaei 5]

I failed, it was my first attempt

Dont give up my friend we all have been in the same boat in some point. first time i didnt even know what i was doing and no offence to any one i am glad i failed because after all practices i had for next two exams i feel more confident in my real practice now. i finally passed in third attempt, this time.

May i ask u a favour? which day did u have exam and if u can post the list of stations by number . I can't remember order of my stations and would help to know which ones was failed. thanks

[fbabaei 5]

i need to know the order of stations on Wednesday if some body can kindly post it. I want to know which ones i failed. the reason is that when we were practicing last time people who passed each station could guide the others more confidently. thanks

[Alechandros 13]

I scored 10 stations in my first CASC attempt. Then i prepared harder and i scored 6 stations in my second attempt this time. I am really confused. I have spent £ 6500 in the last 7 months only for the CASC exam ( 2 attempts) including exam fees, courses, travel expenses, hotels e.t.c. I have 4 more attempts left. Now i have to work extra hours to pay this debt. I don't know whether it would be better for me to play black jack instead of CASC... roulette..... This is my CASC's ....fallacy...( equivalent to Gamblers fallacy)..... MRCPsych is a great place to invest money. However ,some, will lose money by not passing the exam in the same way that people lose money by playing in the casinos. I have realized that they are not going to pass me, not a high degree of conviction though. I think i am not going to pass because there is no logic to the results. However i am going to continue sitting the exam because i want to see their faces when i will be smiling to them. Probably i will see them retiring one day. I am a bit of a ''mad'' person who wants to practice cognitive distortions... as well.

I think i am getting to a stage of masochism.....with this exam.

I can feel the pain from the core of my heart. It is like a lottery. You keep trying, trying, trying, trying and trying and one day lottery may be yours if you are lucky. You have described a very nice picture of cognitive distortions. Everyone gets that; don't worry. For me it is like 7th and 8th Ericksonian stages. Generativity vs Stagnation and integrity vs. despair. However this stage of cognitive distortions should not pass more than 3 days. We should come over this stage and start preparing for the next attempt. That is life. We should keep trying and see if the lottery is ours one day. There are chances of winning the lottery if you keep trying. However if we stop trying we'll be more inclined towards stagnation instead of generativity.

Thank you Afterlife

[Alechandros 13]

Alechandros

I can imagine how difficult it may be .I will like to share with you what worked for me.I was undercooked and underprepared the first time round.i did a course and a mock but didint even pass the mock.i managed to pass 9

2nd time i gave it a good shot.lot of revising of written material.lots of practice with groups.i did mock again.i passed 12 stations in the mock and i was quietly confident that i will crack it but unfortunately it did not happen.i passed 11 stations.i was not sure what i did wrong.

3rd time round i did not do any course .did not go for any mock.read cambridge notes and practiced in a group.in the last 12 days me and my partner(he also passed with me) practiced all the stations that had come in the last 2 exams twice.

Finally and most importantly, i was very relaxed in the exam.I was confident in the stations and tried to take command of the stations.i was empthatic but not too much.tried not to rush the patient and go with the patient while carefully coming back to the task.I passed 13 .

So in a nut shell revise the last 2/3 exam stations, no need for mocks or courses if you have already given them as there is nothin left to achieve and if u dont do well in the mock it can effect your confidence before the real exam.This is for those who are appearing 2 time or more not for those given the exam for the first time.they should definitly go for the course and mock to get a hang of what the exam is.

Written material is really important and you need to know facts about different drugs/illness.It comes by reading and than practising it makes it easier to deliver in the exam.

Most importantly one needs plenty of prayers and luck as it is a very subjective exam and odds are against us from the very start but that doesnt mean will cant come through

Best of luck to everyone

Thank you Xentric.

One day i loved psychiatry. Now i hate it. I hope this rage i have for psychiatry will evaporate soon. Otherwise i will start worrying.

Most of my colleagues have passed the CASC and they have become registrars. I haven't and i feel that i am at the bottom of the barrel. Most importantly i feel that i am as good as they are and this is what it hurts most.

It hurts because when i entered the medical school when i was 17 years old i dreamt one day i will become a specialist in something. Now i am 35 and i feel that the CASC will stop my dream come true. I feel stuck and trapped career wise.

For me it is not only doing psychiatry. It is about being an independent psychiatrist one day. This will be achieved only if the college recognizes you as a psychiatrist. This will be achieved only if they pass you and then one day your name appears on the GMC register. This is how I see things.

I don't want to be just a doctor for the rest of my life. I want to be something.

Of course when you fail you may start looking around you to see that you have family and people who love you and that psychiatry is not everything. I think thats correct.

My beliefs and philosophy i have for medicine doesn't reflect the colleagues requirements for passing the CASC exam. Simple as that. I am a bit of a stubborn person and i acknowledge this. In the worst case scenario i might use my degree to do business. Business in the medical field. Sounds not too bad in global years of economical recession. To come to terms with somethings can be difficult.