Frequently Asked Questions

Synapse Academy is a new medical education platform designed to push the boundaries of exam preparation. It consists of complete mock exam papers, specifically designed to match the style and difficulty of the new MLA AKT.

We are a team of resident doctors currently working full-time in the NHS. We have all recently sat the MLA ourselves and each have extensive experience in medical education and exam question writing.

Whilst preparing for the MLA ourselves, we felt that there was a lack of complete mock papers available online that we could sit in the weeks leading up to the exam which matched the style and difficulty of the official MLA AKT. We also feel that traditional question banks rely too heavily on pattern recognition so our mock papers aim to shift the focus back to clinical reasoning.

Please feel free to email us at support@synapseacademy.co.uk and our team will get back to you as soon as we can.

Our platform uses a token-based system to provide access to mock exam papers. You need to create an account and purchase tokens in one of three possible bundles highlighted on our homepage starting at £6. We currently have one MLA mock series (Paper 1 and Paper 2) available to unlock. We aim to grow this collection in the coming years.

One token allows one attempt at one exam paper. After the paper is submitted, you can then review the answer explanations as many times as you like. You will need to use another token if you wish to resit the paper. Bear in mind, resitting the paper will clear your performance analysis data.

Yes – our papers are designed to be sat as a complete mock exam paper in preparation for your MLA. You should treat each paper as if it were the real exam and sit it under exam conditions for the best possible learning experience.

Before sitting each paper, you will be able to select whether you are entitled to extra-time during exams. This will grant you the standard 25% extra-time allowance whilst sitting the paper on our platform. This option should also be used if you are entitled to rest breaks.

You will be able to resit a paper, however this will cost an additional token. This is to encourage users to adequately prepare and treat the paper as a true mock during their first sitting.

There is no untimed mode. Our platform is not designed to act as a question bank, instead it aims to act as the best possible simulation for your real exam. We feel the best use of the platform is as a trial run for the MLA, and unfortunately your real exam doesn’t have an untimed mode – as much as we would all like it to!

It is NOT possible to take the mock on a phone. We have made this decision to allow our platform to simulate the setting of your real exam. It is only possible to sit the exam using a computer browser or tablet. However, you will be able to purchase tokens on any device.

Synapse Academy is NOT a replacement for your usual revision resources. Once you have built a foundation of knowledge, our platform is designed to provide the final push and give you the edge in the lead up to exams. It is designed to test the application of knowledge that you have accumulated over your many years of medical school.

This resource is designed to prepare anyone that is preparing to take the UKMLA exam but the questions are applicable for use around the world, particularly if you are preparing to sit the PLAB 1. Make sure to consult your own local guidelines if you are based outside of the UK as many of the answer options are based on UK clinical guidelines – however these are known to be a bench mark for medical practice worldwide.

It is possible to share your login with other users – this is especially applicable if you purchase our value pack of 6 tokens. Bear in mind, your mock exam performance analysis data will not be saved if other users resit a mock paper on your account. Discount codes are only applicable to one account. We encourage you to make and use your own account for the best possible exam experience.

There is no current system to transfer tokens between accounts at this stage. However, we are considering integrating this feature into the platform over the coming months! In order for other users to access your tokens, they would need to log in to your account.

More information on Data Usage and Privacy Policy can be found on our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy pages.

We have tried to keep our prices as low and fair as possible to ensure we are accessible to anyone. However, if you are experiencing financial difficulty and cannot afford our tokens, please email us on support@synapseacademy.co.uk and we will support you with discounted or free access on a case-by-case basis.

We feel that the best time to sit our exam is in the months/weeks leading up to your MLA. It is best for candidates that have a solid foundation of knowledge and want to test their ability to apply this knowledge to MLA-style questions. You should not leave this mock too close to exams as the majority of learning comes from reviewing the answer explanations and referenced guidelines which can take time!

If you are preparing to sit the MLA soon – you should do both Paper 1 AND Paper 2 content. If you are a clinical year medical student – you may find Paper 1 OR Paper 2 content useful depending on your specific university syllabus. If you are a preclinical medical student – our papers may be too advanced for you at this stage, but worth a try if you are looking for a real challenge!

Our mock exam questions are all hand-written and peer-reviewed by a select team of top-performing resident doctors who have sat and excelled in the MLA themselves.

Our papers are designed to match the topic coverage in the real MLA exam. The way in which the content for the MLA Applied Knowledge Test (and our mock exams) is split can be found on our homepage.

We use a similar method of standard-setting to the real MLA known as the Modified-Angoff Method to determine the pass mark. This involves iterations of going through each exam question meticulously to determine whether it is accessible to the ‘just-passing candidate’. If a question is deemed pass level, it will contribute to the pass mark. Whilst we attempt to make this as fair and accurate as possible, our pass mark is to be used only as a guide and is entirely based on our own experience and opinion. Unfortunately, we do not disclose which questions are considered pass level.

Our mock exam papers are designed to test the same specialties per paper as the real MLA. The breakdown of this can be found on our homepage. We have simulated the style of the real MLA by assessing critical thinking and application of knowledge rather than simple recall. Our mocks are designed to be slightly harder than the real exam. We have not used any real exam content in our MLA-style mock papers.

It is ILLEGAL to screenshot any of our exam content. All of our content (both written and graphic) is strictly copyrighted under UK Law. Anyone found to be screenshotting or distributing our questions will be flagged to the relevant medical governing body for further investigation.

Our answers are written with reference to any relevant UK guidelines – commonly NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines or relevant specialty guidelines. Occasionally, we have referenced medical literature in relation to questions where guidelines are not applicable or do not specifically contain the relevant information. Make sure to consult your own local guidelines if you are based outside of the UK as many of the answer options are based on UK clinical guidelines – however these are known to be a bench mark for medical practice worldwide.

Upon completion of a mock exam, you will find answer explanations that are referenced to relevant clinical guidelines. A quote is available from each guideline with the relevant information used to formulate the question. Whilst we try to reference clinical guidelines, occasionally this isn’t possible where we have referenced relevant and reliable sources. NOTE: Occasionally, we have referenced NICE CKS or the BNF which may be inaccessible from abroad. We have tried to reference alternate guidelines wherever either of these resources have been used to benefit anyone accessing the platform from overseas.

Once you have finished the exam, you can review your answers (and the answer explanations) as many times as you want. We encourage you to spend at least a week going through each of the answer explanations and the relevant guidelines in order to best prepare for your exam. You will be able to resit the paper under exam conditions, however this will cost an additional token.

Upon completion of the exam, you will find a table with a breakdown of each specialty within that particular paper. You will also find the cohort average of all the platform users in that particular specialty for a given mock paper. You will also get a breakdown for each area of practice (Diagnosis, Investigation, Management, Complications, etc.).

Do not be disheartened by the mark you get in our papers. They are designed to challenge you and test application of difficult medical concepts. Pay attention to which specialty or area of practice you find difficult and divert more attention to content within that category. For each specialty that you find difficult, go through the NICE guidelines meticulously as many of the MLA questions and based directly on either clinical guidelines or real clinical practice.

You may be eligible to write exam questions on our platform if you meet the below criteria: I have sat and passed the MLA AKT with a total mark of 85% or over, and I have achieved a distinction overall (ranked in the top 10%) in my final year examinations, and I have had experience in medical question writing of which I can provide evidence of a sample question with answer explanations. Send us an email with your CV and evidence of the above attached to team@synapse.academy.co.uk. If selected, you will hear back from us via email reply.

Please read our Refund Policy. If you are eligible for a refund, then please email us on sales@synapseacademy.co.uk.

If your internet cuts out or you have any other technical difficulty during your mock exam – do not worry! Just send us an email on support@synapseacademy.co.uk and we will find a solution for you.

If any issues arise during your paper and you are unable to complete it, send us an email on support@synapseacademy.co.uk with a description of the problem and we will see to each concern on a case-by-case basis.

If you feel there is an error in one of our exam questions or you feel that the content is outdated, then please contact us on support@synapseacademy.co.uk.

If you would like to leave us a review, please send us an email on support@synapseacademy.co.uk.