Core Revision
Smarter revision. Built around you.
Built by practising NHS GPs for the trainees and clinicians we work alongside every week. Evidence-led design across the AKT, the MSRA, PLAB, the UKMLA and our growing family of GP diplomas — shaped to bend around shifts, parental leave and the rest of a real clinical life.
Why Core Revision Exists
Preparing for the RCGP exams is challenging — but revision shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all.
Core Revision was created in response to a simple problem: many GP trainees feel overwhelmed by generic revision platforms that don’t reflect real clinical lives, or how people actually learn.
Core Revision is a UK-based clinical exam revision platform, built by practising GPs who understand the realities of NHS training. We support GP trainees through the RCGP AKT and MSRA, doctors adding one of our eight GP diplomas (DCH, DCSRH, DGM, DipExMed, DipMSK, DOccMed, DRCOG and DTM&H), medical students preparing for the UKMLA and finals, and international medical graduates sitting PLAB.
As GP Partners working in busy NHS practices, we know what it’s like to juggle full clinics, portfolios, exams, and life outside medicine. We built Core Revision for clinicians managing real responsibilities — because that is the reality of GP training.
Our aim is simple: to provide structured, evidence-based revision that supports different learners and helps trainees and clinicians progress through the AKT, the MSRA, PLAB, the UKMLA or their chosen GP diploma with confidence — without sacrificing wellbeing.
We’re an independent UK learning platform built for the whole primary-care community — GPs and trainees, nurses and allied clinicians, medical students and international medical graduates — everyone working towards a high-stakes exam while the rest of clinical life carries on.
The Core Revision Ecosystem
A learning platform that adapts to you.
Core Revision is more than a question bank. It is a connected learning environment designed to support you across both knowledge and consultation skills.
Core Tools & Core Concepts
Interactive decoders and high-yield teaching modules, written by practising GPs and mapped to each exam’s curriculum.
Core Compass & Core Calendar
Identify gaps, focus your effort, and structure revision without overwhelm — transforming a large curriculum into a manageable plan.
Core Coaching
Learning that feels human — 1:1 founder mentorship is on the way, so you won’t be revising in isolation.
Core Resources & Core Wisdom
A curated hub of essential guidance and founder-led reflections to help you stay grounded, current, and confident.
What’s live today
The AKT question bank (2,000+ questions), the MSRA bank (CPS & Professional Dilemmas), the PLAB 1 bank (1,500 questions) and the UKMLA & finals bank (1,000 questions), all eight GP diploma tracks, and free tools including the AKT Stats Guide and the Core Calendar. Core Coaching is coming soon.
Meet the Founders
GPs still “on the tools.”
We believe the best learning platforms are built by clinicians who are actively working in practice — not observing from the sidelines.
Dr Victoria Hammond
Victoria is a GP Partner who focuses on building learning systems that empower trainees to use their own strengths to reach their potential. Her work centres on creating flexible, supportive structures that fit around real lives rather than forcing people into rigid revision models.
She has a particular interest in holistic care and working with individuals to help them achieve their chosen aims — clinically and educationally.
Clinical writing and review
Writing and reviewing our question banks.
Dr David Palethorpe
David is a GP Partner and co-founder of Core Revision. He helps write the questions for our GP diploma banks and reviews questions across the wider content, drawing on the most up-to-date UK guidance and mapping to each exam’s curriculum, with a strong focus on clinical realism and exam relevance.
David particularly enjoys chronic disease management and brings experience from palliative care into how complex clinical decisions are framed and explained.
“Between us, we’ve revised during night shifts, nursery drop-offs, and post-clinic evenings — and we wanted something better than what existed.”
Educational Oversight
Dr Laura Young
Laura is an Educational Psychologist who reviews Core Revision content to ensure it is accessible, inclusive, and aligned with how people learn best. Her role focuses on reducing unnecessary cognitive load and supporting a wide range of learning styles, including neurodivergent learners.
Laura’s role is advisory and educational; she does not provide therapy or individual psychological treatment.
Our Quality Standard
Accuracy · Relevance · Learning Design
How Core Revision resources are written and kept current (read the full process):
Written by practising UK GPs
Content is mapped to each exam’s curriculum and current UK guidance.
Re-audited against current guidance
We re-audit against current guidance and correct what we find — corrections are logged and dated.
Reviewed for learning design
Educational oversight to ensure clarity, accessibility, and effective knowledge retention.
How we use AI
Our doctors write and sign off every question and explanation. We use AI tools to help draft, edit, format and audit content and the site itself, and anything AI has touched is checked against the current guideline by one of our doctors before it is published. Nothing clinical goes live on an AI’s say-so.
Independent and conflict-free
Core Revision is owned by its founders and funded only by what members pay. We carry no advertising, sponsorship or affiliate links and take no money from exam bodies, royal colleges, recruiters or pharmaceutical companies. If any of us takes on a role that could be seen as a conflict — for example writing or marking for an exam board — we will say so on this page.
Why Inclusion and Learning Diversity Matter
The beauty of general practice is that no two patients — and no two consultations — are ever the same. Our future GP workforce needs to reflect that diversity too.
Effective revision cannot be one-size-fits-all. People think, process, and retain information differently, and revision works best when it is tailored rather than forced into a single mould.
Core Revision is designed to support:
- Different learning styles and revision rhythms
- Neurodiversity, including ADHD, dyslexia, and autism
- Clear structure with reduced cognitive load and unnecessary complexity
By allowing trainees to revise in ways that suit how they learn best, we support not only exam success, but the development of thoughtful, adaptable, and confident GPs.
The Sprinter
Short, intense bursts of focused revision between clinics and shifts.
The Deep Diver
Goes deep on one topic at a time — explanations, evidence, and edge cases.
The Hybrid
A balanced mix — daily questions, weekly themes, steady rhythm.
Inclusivity is built into our design process — not added as an afterthought.
Why a Tree?
We chose a tree as our logo because it reflects how we believe learning — and training — really works.
A tree doesn’t grow all at once. It develops strong roots first, then grows steadily over time. That mirrors effective revision: building solid foundations, reinforcing understanding, and allowing progress to compound naturally.
- The roots represent core clinical knowledge — the foundations that support confident decision-making.
- The trunk reflects structure and consistency: steady progress rather than last-minute intensity.
- The branches symbolise different learning paths. Not everyone revises in the same way, and that diversity strengthens learning rather than weakening it.
- The growth rings remind us that progress isn’t always visible day-to-day, but it is happening.
The tree also has a more personal meaning. It reflects our shared love of nature and the outdoors — time spent walking, gardening, and being outside has always helped us reset, reflect, and think more clearly. That sense of calm, perspective, and balance is something we wanted to carry into the platform itself.
Trees adapt to their environment. They grow differently depending on conditions, yet remain resilient. That adaptability mirrors the reality of GP training — balancing exams, clinical work, portfolios, and life outside medicine.
Core Revision is built in the same way:
- grounded in strong clinical foundations
- structured but flexible
- supportive of different learning styles
- focused on sustainable progress, not burnout
The tree is a reminder that revision doesn’t need to feel frantic to be effective. With the right structure and support, growth happens naturally.
A Platform That Has Your Back
We don’t believe in a failure tax.
If you are a Core Revision member and don’t pass your exam, email us within 30 days of your result and we will extend your access free of charge until your next sitting. For the MSRA, that means your score didn’t get you an interview or an offer in your first-choice specialty (terms 4.4).
Our goal is your progress — not penalties.
Building Core Revision Together
We actively invite collaboration from our community:
- Flag outdated guidance or questions
- Suggest improvements to accessibility or learning design
If we implement your suggestion, we’ll thank you with 20% off your next renewal.
Milestones along the way
As you progress, you’ll unlock recognition for each phase you conquer.
Ready to revise in a way that fits your life?
Prepare for the AKT, the MSRA, PLAB, the UKMLA or your GP diploma with structure, support and confidence.
Join Core RevisionOne-off payments · No auto-renewal · 14-day refund