1. Look at all of the public assessment reports for the previous StAMPS exams.The tables that summarise the scenarios give very good clues to what you can expect in the exam. For example, look at the 2018A report. There will be a trauma scenario, perhaps two. There will be a scenario to do with kids/adolescents. There will be scenarios that test your knowledge of guidelines for treating common medical conditions (e.g. COPD or asthma). The exam report even groups some of these by body system (e.g. Q2 - acute abdomen, Q6 - women’s health). I suggest you make notes on each of the exam scenarios - you can see that 50% of the scenarios have been used in previous StAMPS exams.
  2. Enrol in the online StAMPS Study Group. Yes, this costs money. But it is cheaper than sitting the StAMPS exam twice! To get the most out of the study group ask your tutor to present the scenario and, after the five minute reading time, randomly choose the candidate to present (i.e. don’t assign the candidate prior to the scenario). This forces everyone to prepare a response - good practice for the exam. After the tutorial session, make some notes for each scenario (and be able to answer each of the questions within the scenario) - it’s likely that a few of the scenarios (or part thereof) will be in your exam.
  3. Do the Mock StAMPS exam. Yes, this also costs money (see reasoning above). If you intend to do the exam in person, do the mock exam in person (not by VTC). Familiarising yourself with the venue and the exam procedure removes some of the uncertainty that you will encounter on the day of the actual exam.
  4. Get a study buddy. The StAMPS Online Study Group finishes about four weeks before the actual exam. Spend this time with your study buddy. In the lead up to the exam you should do a session with your study buddy as often as possible. 30 minutes allows for one scenario each and a quick debrief/review. One hour allows for two scenarios each.
  5. Have pre-prepared answers to questions that are likely to appear in the exam (and practice delivering your pre-prepared response). The advantage of a pre-prepared answer is that you don’t have to think, and this buys you time in the exam. Make a mnemonic to help you remember your pre-prepared response if necessary, and ensure that you tailor your response to the actual scenario. For example, as noted above, you know there is going to be a trauma scenario. Therefore, there is likely to be a question about preparation before the trauma patient arrives, or assessing a trauma patient, or preparing a trauma patient for transfer to tertiary hospital. If you do the online StAMPS Study Group you will get a feel for the recurring questions that could lend themselves to the development of a pre-prepared response.
  6. When you do practice scenarios (with your study buddy), work on your opening statement. This is your 'sell' - your chance to demonstrate to the examiner that you know exactly what's going on, and what needs to be done. Don’t simply repeat the question back to the examiner - there is no value in this. Your opening statement should be a succinct summary of the problem, and could include your intended action, and the likely disposition of the patient. For example, you may have a scenario of a high speed vehicle accident, and be provided an initial set of observations. Your opening statement could be: 'This is a 26 year old male trauma patient who is hypotensive and tachycardic. The mechanism of injury and his vital signs indicate he is likely to have hypovolaemic shock due to blunt force trauma. He will need resuscitation and stabilisation prior to retrieval to a tertiary centre.'
  7. Finally, you need to know medicine. Yep, I know, this is not a particularly useful tip. But it’s true. Look at the diversity of the scenarios in the exam reports. You need to prepare for the StAMPS exam. Read widely. See patients. Study.

Best of luck!