Lightning Talk: Examining Learning Resources Used by Year 5 Medical Students for UKMLA Preparation: A Descriptive Case Study

Manfred Gschwandtner, Librarian, Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS)

Abstract

Background: The UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA), introduced in 2024/25, is a national requirement for all final-year UK medical students. This case study explores which learning resources Year 5 students at Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) used to prepare for both components of the UKMLA, the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA) and why they used them.
Methods: An electronic survey containing Likert-scale, multiple-choice, and open-text questions was distributed to the Year 5 cohort (n=64) after the AKT and before the CPSA. Thirty-one students (48%) responded. Resource use was ranked using weighted scores based on frequency. Fisher’s Exact Test was used to explore associations between demographic variables and resource preferences.
Results: Students relied heavily on third-party resources for AKT preparation, with PassMedicine achieving the highest weighted score (121). Other commonly used tools included Anki, Geeky Medics, and Zero to Finals. The most used book was “Pass the PSA” followed by “The ECG Made Easy” and “Kumar & Clark’s Clinical Medicine”. KMMS in-house materials were more commonly used for CPSA preparation. On average, students spent 80% of their preparation time using external resources. ChatGPT was also used for explanations and personalised support. Conclusion: Third-party tools dominate AKT preparation.  Books are part of the resources-mix used to prepare for the UKMLA. AI-based tools are emerging as study aids. To promote equitable access, medical schools should consider providing key third-party resources. Further research should evaluate how resource combinations impact UKMLA performance.

Read the full text at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40670-026-02665-z

Project team: Soban Sadiq, Manfred Gschwandtner, Zachary Hollenberg & Claire Parkin 

Biography

Manfred has started his career as a medical librarian at the Society of Physicians in Vienna and worked as a Faculty Librarian for the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Social Care at Christ Church University from 2014 to 2019. He developed e-learning solutions for the Society of Physicians in Vienna and was a consultant for the British Medical Journal Group (BMJ- Learning) between 2012 and 2014. After coming to the UK in 2014, he completed a Masters in Library and Information Services Management at the University of Sheffield and has obtained Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Since 2019 he works as a librarian for the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) in Canterbury.

Spring Forum 2026: Search Lightning! This review is automatic, systematic, hydromatic!

The 2026 UHMLG Spring Forum will once again bring together a fantasic line-up of speakers from around the UK, across two half-days in April (22nd & 23rd). There are a total of six talks on the overall theme of systematic reviews – some of which do, of course, discuss the use of AI in systematic reviews… but the focus is very much on the practical implementation, not on generalities or background.

Our core audience is UK / Republic of Ireland health and medical librarians from the Higher Education and NHS / health sectors, but we welcome delegates from any area of librarianship, and from anywhere in the world.

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For full information about the forum and to book a ticket place, please visit our Spring Forum 2026 page. This year we are offering an institutional ticket, which allows unlimited access for all colleagues.