📚 Stock phrases and exam performance 📚

An analysis of the exam by Celia Roberts and Kamila Hawthorne shows that both good and bad candidates use stock phrases but how they used them differed.

✅ Good candidates customised stock phrases so they sounded conversational and fit in with the flow naturally and seemlessly.

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This is how good candidates customise a stock phrase to fit in naturally:
1. They adapted the phrases using the patient’s words and emotional tone, so the phrase fits the moment rather than interrupting it.
2. Use of Intonation, pace and rhythm to make stock phrases sound sincere and conversational rather than read out from a script

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❌ What about bad candidates
1. Bad candidates deliver the phrase verbatim without any tailoring which made them feel insincere and scripted.
2. Bad candidates delivered the phrases without the intonation and timing that conveys genuine feeling.

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💡Think of the phrase toolkit as a menu, not a monologue. These are lines that have been field-tested because they often help candidates sound clear, empathic, and efficient. But they only score well when they fit the moment. If a phrase is technically good but badly timed or badly delivered, it will still sound wrong.”

Don’t avoid stock phrases — learn to personalise them. Practice short variations and linking phrases so the standard line flows from what the patient has just said.

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Work on your intonation and pace so they sound genuine . Small changes in intonation and pace make stock phrases sound genuine. Record and compare different deliveries.

If a patient looks confused or interrupts, pause, check understanding and rephrase rather than repeating the same stock line.

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