ABPI Exam Study Guide Confidence boosting tips and hints preparing you for the Certificate/ Diploma in the Promotion of Prescription Medicines CPD for Pharma Professionals Dr Marie McKenzie Mills CBiol, CSci, MRSB www.mmp4pharma.com Page 2
ABPI Exam Workbook: Published in the United Kingdom by:- McKenzie Mills Partnership Ltd 22 St John Street Newport Pagnell Milton Keynes MK16 8HJ United Kingdom Copyright 2015 McKenzie Mills Partnership Ltd The right of Dr Marie McKenzie Mills to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher at the address above, or by email to: - admin@mmp4pharma.com First published September 2015. Acknowledgements All illustrations used in the example test questions are Can Stock Photo Inc. Disclaimer Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. Published by McKenzie Mills Partnership Ltd. Proofreading and editing by Christina Mills Page 2
Contents Author Bio... 5 1. Introduction... 6 2. What can you expect in this workbook?... 8 3. Prepare your Study Plan... 9 4. Prepare your mindset...10 5. Get started: set your goals... 12 6. Take action... 14 7. Strategies for learning... 15 7.1 Begin studying sooner rather than later... 15 7.2 Focus on learning fundamental terms and concepts... 16 7.3 Make lists and tables or mind-maps... 17 7.4 Refine your study technique... 18 7.5 Decide on a study strategy... 19 7.6 Practice with sample questions... 20 8. How much does it cost to take the accredited ABPI Exam?... 21 9. What can you expect in the actual exam?... 22 9.1 CERTIFICATE: Number of questions and exam duration... 22 9.2 DIPLOMA: Number of questions and exam duration... 23 9.3 Optional Topics... 23 9.4 Style of exam questions... 24 9.5 Types of exam questions... 24 10. Example questions... 25 10.1 Recalling facts... 25 10.2 Interpreting information... 26 10.3 Labelling or use of a diagram... 26 10.4 Understanding data and performing some calculations...27 10.5 Answers... 28 11. What s the Pass Mark and how do I get awarded a Distinction?... 29 12. Tips and hints for boosting your recall.... 30 13. Mock exam papers... 31 Page 3
2. What can you expect in this workbook? Challenging yourself by answering MCQs similar to what you may expect in the exam itself will improve your confidence, and motivate you with your exam revision. Sections 3-12 are designed to spur you into action, with tips and hints to help you achieve your award of the Certificate in the promotion of prescription medicines. Sections 13 and 14 contain MCQ papers (and answers) for testing your knowledge, recall and understanding. Each mock exam paper is based on content from the four mandatory units in the ABPI syllabus (version 7, December 2013). As you probably already know, regardless of whether you re registered for the Certificate or the Diploma, everyone taking the accredited Exam is tested on the content in Units 1-4. Each mock exam paper in this workbook contains the following:- Unit 1 Code of Practice and NHS: 40 questions Unit 2 Human body systems (part 1): 88 questions Unit 3 Human body systems (part 2): 62 questions Unit 4 Development & use of medicines: 40 questions Total MCQs: 230 Finally, section 15 has an offer for you, if you recommend this workbook to friends or colleagues. Page 8
3. Prepare your Study Plan A common misconception with MCQ exams is that they re easy, for example, when compared to essay style questions. Well-designed multiple choice questions (MCQs) test more than memory That s because you re asked to recognise the correct answer(s) usually from three or four possible wrong answers (termed distractors because you re being distracted from the correct answer to the stem question). they test understanding as well as recall. Don t let over confidence mean that your revision is left until the last minute. Page 9
4. Prepare your mindset Sitting exams is a skill, like any other, which has to be practised. With this workbook, you can practice answering MCQs at your own pace and without the results being reported to anyone else (like your Training Manager, Line Manager or recruiter, if you re just starting out in the industry). Like other skills, the more you prepare and practice the better you become in performing that skill. So explain it to me again which way is up? Think back to when you were a child. Do you remember learning to play games like skipping, rounders /cricket, football or tennis? Were you able to hit the ball first time? Did you give up if you missed? Or did you stop playing skipping rope games just because you tripped over the ropes? I doubt it. You knew that to get better you had to keep practising. As a child you didn t think of your initial clumsy efforts as failure. You were learning while playing. You were having fun developing your skills, improving your co-ordination. Page 10
Unfortunately, as adults, we tend to have less patience when learning new skills. We forget the amount of time it takes to master new skills. We place pressure on ourselves to succeedwanting to achieve results instantly. You can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting started. But, if you ve ever entered a marathon, or half-marathon, or any other sporting event, you ll remember that once you ve made the commitment, you then planned how you were going to achieve your long-term goal of finishing the course or event. Most likely, your short term goals started with getting in shape, both mentally and physically through a balanced regime of sleep, diet, and exercise to maximise performance. Getting ready for an exam is no different. After all, you wouldn t turn up to the big day, expecting to run the marathon without having built up your stamina over the preceding months. Would you? Drew Houston, CEO of Dropbox. Stop procrastinating. Shape up. Start studying. NOW. Page 11
5. Get started: set your goals What will you achieve and by when? Make your goals SMART Specific Measureable Achievable Realistic Timebound As with any project, you need to break your study plan into manageable chunks. For example, Unit 2 of the syllabus has 6 sections, starting at page 8, and finishing at page 83. How long will you need to read the material and make notes? Will you be able to read it all in one go, making notes at the same time? Want a tip for getting it done consistently and effectively? Read on:- Consistently learning, revising and embedding stuff in long-term memory is based on 3 well established techniques 1 :- 1. Speed reading - having a highlighter pen handy to highlight key words in the syllabus text. Make it yours. 2. Mind mapping building your key words into mind maps. 3. Optimal repetition repeating to remember; remembering to repeat. Long-term recall is achieved by going over facts four or five times, at spaced out intervals, turning cobwebs into cables (i.e. strengthening your neural pathways through repetition). But, just as with weight training, getting into this kind of shape is done gradually over a period of days, weeks, months. So, revise your mind map regularly according to the optimal repetition cycle (after one day; after one week; after one month; and, after three to six months). Trust me. Stuff sinks in and sticks, because you're helping to commit it to long term memory with these combined techniques. Reference(s) 1. van den Brandhof JW. (2008) The Business Brain Book (p 256). Brainware BV. Page 12