Senior hospital registrars : from failure to success in examinations

![CDATA[There is intense pressure among senior hospital registrars who are on training programs to develop the skills and pass the final examination to become consultants. They have rigorous written and oral examinations where there can be a high failure rate, and many registrars fail more than once. After failure the tendency is to work harder, rather than smarter. This paper describes how hospital registrars can make changes in their study habits by doing constant self-testing under examination conditions. The behaviour change and increase in confidence and self-concept that takes place is discussed, including the individual characteristics that need to be taken into account, and the factors included in the preparation for peak performance. The value of this preparation, which includes psychological skills training, is well recognized in sport. This paper indicates how these skills can be integrated into the study and training of a hospital registrar.]]