SCA Buddy is a free tool that instantly connects GP trainees with each other to practise for the SCA (Simulated Consultation Assessment) exam. You enter your name, get matched with another trainee who is online, and join a video call to practise consultations together. No sign-up required.
You enter a name or nickname, join the waiting area, and SCA Buddy matches you with another trainee who is also looking for a partner. Once matched, you connect over video, using a built-in room or your own Zoom or Google Meet link, and practise SCA-style consultations together. Practice hours are held at set times so trainees are online at the same moment, making matches more likely.
In the real SCA, your role players and examiners are people you have never met. Practising only with friends builds a false sense of comfort and can introduce bias, because friends tend to go easy on each other. Practising with someone unfamiliar mirrors the real exam more closely and gives you honest, realistic preparation.
SCA Buddy was created to solve a common problem for GP trainees: finding study partners is hard when rotas, family, and life get in the way. Practising with the same few friends can stagnate progress, and friends are often too easy on each other. SCA Buddy makes it simple to meet a wide variety of trainees, get honest practice, and learn from different people and consulting styles.
A practice hour is a set time when GP trainees are encouraged to come online together to practise. Because matching only works when people are on at the same time, SCA Buddy runs practice hours at fixed times (7pm on weekdays and 10am on weekends, UK time) so you are far more likely to find a partner. You can tap to say you will be there and add it to your calendar.
The Simulated Consultation Assessment (SCA) is the clinical skills exam for GP trainees in the UK. It consists of 12 stations of 12 minutes each, with reading time before every station. The cases reflect a mix of clinical scenarios from real general practice and are assessed by trained examiners using a standardised marking scheme. The exam is conducted remotely via video. It tests your ability to apply knowledge in real-time consultations and to communicate well, not your ability to memorise cases. AKT-level knowledge is assumed throughout.
You are likely ready when you are comfortable seeing patients in 15-minute appointments, have passed the AKT, have your clinical supervisor's blessing, and have completed at least 3 months of regular patient contact. Three months is a sensible minimum to develop your own consulting style and build confidence. Your supervisor sees you in action, so ask for their honest opinion rather than relying on your own gut feeling.
Start early in ST3. It is a busy year and consultation skills cannot be crammed in the final weeks. Give yourself plenty of time to practise repeatedly, gather feedback, and gradually build the confidence the exam demands.
Aim for regular, actionable feedback. Record your consultations with patient consent and review them with your trainer. Arrange joint tutorial clinics and use teaching sessions for deliberate practice. Treat 1 or 2 real patients per clinic as mock exam stations so you build exam-style consulting into your normal working day.
Study with UK graduates rather than only within your own circle. UK consultation norms around communication, shared decision making, and patient expectations can differ from other healthcare systems, and you will pick these nuances up faster by practising alongside trainees who learned in the UK.
The most common mistakes are spamming cases in an attempt to memorise them, studying in isolation without feedback, and focusing only on clinical knowledge when the exam is really testing consulting skills. Be selective about whose advice you take and trust trained supervisors over peer opinion.
Do not take excessive leave to study, as most of your learning happens with real patients. Keep seeing patients until a few days before the exam, then wind down intense study, prioritise sleep, and avoid last-minute cramming. The night before, prepare your equipment, a backup device, your clothing, and your food so the morning of the exam is calm.
Log in at least 30 minutes early and test your equipment. Keep water to hand. Read each scenario carefully during the reading time, reset and breathe between stations, and let a poor station go rather than carrying it into the next one. Treat each station as a real patient and be yourself.
The exam is mentally draining, so rest and try to avoid dissecting every station. While waiting for results, remember the assessment is subjective, avoid comparing yourself to peers, and only debrief with your supervisor if you find it helpful. On results day, whichever way it goes, look after yourself.
The best preparation is regular practice with someone unfamiliar. SCA Buddy matches you instantly with another doctor ready to study.
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