# How to revise for the PSA

Source: PassthePSA, PSA revision notes
URL: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/how-to-revise/
Updated: 2026-10-01
Topic: UK Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) revision

Short answer: Revise for the PSA by practising questions with the BNF open, not by memorising doses. Attempt each item from memory first, then check it against the BNF, record every error in a log, and revisit the log weekly. Add timed sets at 36 seconds per mark so that BNF look-ups become fast and automatic.

## Why should PSA revision start with the BNF?

The PSA is an open-book assessment: the online BNF and BNF for Children are available throughout, so the skill being measured is using them well to prescribe safely. Revision that treats the exam as a recall test spends effort on the wrong thing.

Make the BNF your daily tool from the first session. Open it for every practice item, find the answer in it, and note which part of the monograph held the answer (indications and dose, renal impairment, interactions, contra-indications). Familiarity with the layout is worth more than any single fact.

- Use the search box and the treatment summaries, not browsing from the front.
- Learn where renal, hepatic and pregnancy advice sits in a monograph.
- Practise reading the dose under the correct indication, not the first dose listed.

## What is the core revision method?

Use a three-step loop: attempt, check, record. The loop works because trying to retrieve an answer before looking it up strengthens memory and shows you what you do not know.

1. Attempt the item from memory or reasoning, committing to an answer or a written prescription.
2. Open the BNF and check the drug, the dose for the indication, the route and any patient modifier.
3. Record anything you got wrong or had to look up for longer than expected.

Do this in short daily blocks rather than occasional long sessions. Spacing the same topic across several days beats doing it once in bulk. Mix topics within a session so that you practise recognising what each question is asking.

## How do I keep and use an error log?

An error log is a running list of every mistake, kept in one place, with the reason for each. Reviewing it is the highest-yield revision activity because it targets your own weaknesses.

For each error write four things: the topic, what you did, what was correct, and the cause. Classify the cause, because the fix differs.

Cause | Example | Fix
--- | --- | ---
Knowledge gap | Unsure of a monitoring requirement | Read the BNF section, then retest in a week
Look-up failure | Took the wrong indication's dose | Practise finding that section
Writing error | Dose written as a volume | Rehearse the prescription format
Misread question | Ignored the renal function given | Underline the patient details first
Time pressure | Guessed with minutes left | Run timed sets

Review the log weekly and retest the items you got wrong. Retire an entry only after you have got it right on two separate days.

## What should I learn and what should I look up?

Learn the things you need in order to know what to look up, and look up the details the BNF holds. Time in the exam is too short to learn what you could check in seconds, and too short to look up everything.

Learn | Look up
--- | ---
Which drug class suits which problem | The exact dose for the indication
The high-risk medicines and their main hazards | Renal and hepatic dose adjustments
Which medicines interact in dangerous ways | The detail of a specific interaction
How to write a safe prescription | Whether a route or formulation exists
Basic calculation methods and unit conversions | Maximum doses and infusion details

Test yourself on the left-hand column without the BNF. Practise the right-hand column with it open and a clock running.

## When should I start timed practice?

Start timed practice once you can find answers in the BNF reliably, and use the exam pace of 36 seconds per mark. The paper has 60 items, 200 marks and 120 minutes, so a 2-mark item gets about 72 seconds and a 10-mark prescribing item about 6 minutes.

- Begin with untimed accuracy work, then timed sets of 10 items, then a full paper.
- Time each section style separately to find where you run slow.
- In review, note the items where you spent too long, not only those you got wrong.
- Decide in advance when to move on from a stuck item and return to it.

## How does revising for an open-book exam differ?

An open-book exam rewards efficient look-up and sound judgement over recall, so practise the process, not only the facts. The risk is false confidence: having the BNF to hand does not help if you do not know what to search for.

- Recognise the clinical problem quickly, because that tells you where to look.
- Search for the condition or drug, then read the heading before the numbers.
- Check the patient details every time: weight, renal function, allergy, other medicines.
- Check which resources the exam provides on the official PSA information, and practise with those.

Note: Doses: any numbers you meet while revising should be confirmed in the BNF. These notes teach method, not doses.

## Check yourself

- What are the three steps of the attempt, check, record loop?
- What four things should each error log entry contain?
- Which parts of a BNF monograph hold renal, interaction and contra-indication advice?
- How many seconds per mark does the exam allow?
- Why is it a mistake to take the first dose listed in a monograph?
- Which of your last five errors were look-up failures rather than knowledge gaps?

## Questions people ask

Q: Should I memorise doses for the PSA?
A: No, not in general. The BNF is available throughout, so concentrate on finding the right dose quickly and on the few stable facts you should know without it, such as the high-risk medicines and the safe way to write a prescription.

Q: How do I get faster at using the BNF?
A: Practise with it open on every item and note which section held the answer. Timed sets at 36 seconds per mark then build speed.

Q: Is an error log worth the effort?
A: Yes. It turns mistakes into a personal revision list, and retesting the items you got wrong is more efficient than rereading material you already know.

Q: Should I revise in long sessions or short ones?
A: Short, regular sessions spread over several days are more effective than occasional long ones, and mixing topics within a session helps you recognise question types.

## Related notes

- PSA study plan for 2, 4 and 8 weeks: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/study-plan/
- Common PSA mistakes that cost marks: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/common-mistakes/
- PSA format and marking: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/format-and-marking/
- How to write a safe prescription: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/prescribing-safely/

Sources: BNF; BNF for Children; British Pharmacological Society and MSC Assessment PSA information. Exam-revision notes, not patient-specific advice; the BNF is the authority.

More: https://passthepsa.com/psa-revision/ (all notes), https://passthepsa.com/psa/ (exam guide), https://passthepsa.com/ (practice questions).