EM Gurus > Exams Guidance > RCEM Exams > MRCEM SBA Exam Tips by Waqar
I’m delighted to share that I cleared my MRCEM SBA exam (September 2025 diet).
It was indeed a tough journey, balancing emergency duties with exam preparation is never easy, but it’s absolutely doable with dedication and consistency.
Starting Point
I began my preparation right after applying for the exam, with about 82 days left.
I subscribed to MRCEM Expert (3 months) and also used offline lectures by Al Amin.
First Month: Building the Foundation
During the first month, I focused entirely on completing Al Amin’s lectures while continuing my emergency department duties.
Once I finished them, I started practising five MRCEM Expert quizzes per day.
Second Month: Focused Preparation
When only a month remained, I took leave to dedicate myself completely to exam preparation.
By that time, I had completed all Al Amin lectures once and covered about half of the MRCEM Expert quizzes.
Final Month: Revision & Reinforcement
During the last four weeks, I revised all of Al Amin’s lectures again at 1.5× speed, alongside completing the remaining MRCEM Expert quizzes.
In about 15 days, I managed to finish all quizzes and revision videos.
After that, I made a list of difficult topics and revised them separately, along with the marked and screenshot questions from MRCEM Expert.
In total:
Al Amin lectures: 2 complete revisions
MRCEM Expert quizzes: 2 thorough rounds
I scored 135 marks in the MRCEM SBA.
My main takeaway: The exam isn’t difficult if you stay consistent, follow the guidelines, and study with a focused plan.
MRCEM Expert: Excellent for recall-based questions and guideline-focused reasoning
Al Amin Lectures: Comprehensive and easy to follow — ideal for conceptual understanding
LITFL (Life in the Fast Lane): Great for practising tricky ECGs
RCEM Learning Membership: Useful for clarifying controversial or guideline-heavy MCQs
If time allows, read the MRCEM Expert theory after finishing Al Amin’s lectures for better integration of knowledge.
Stay consistent, stay disciplined, and believe in the process.
Balancing work and preparation is challenging, but dedication always pays off.
If I could do it while working full-time in emergency medicine, so can you!
Waqar Younas
Emergency Medicine Trainee, Military Hospital, Rawalpindi