How do I practise OSCE stations in a group?

Our OSCE Stations platform is a great tool for practising OSCEs in a group setting. How you use it depends on your preferences, group size, and whether you're practising in person or remotely. Below are several options to help you get started.

Finding people to practise with

Not sure who to practise with? Open OSCE stations & virtual patients in the sidebar and choose Find a partner, or connect with other students on our Discord server:

👉 How to find people to practise OSCEs with

Practising as a small group

If you're in a small group (two or more people), we recommend using Group Practice Mode.

This mode lets you assign roles such as:

• Candidate, Examiner, Patient, and Observer

When you move between stations in a circuit, we’ll suggest fresh roles to mix things up fairly - you can accept them, change them, or restore the roles from the previous station. Group Practice Mode works for both in-person and remote practice, using our built-in chat room or a tool like Zoom.

Practising as a larger group

If you're part of a larger group, here are two ways to get the most out of the platform:

Option 1: Split into smaller groups

Divide into smaller groups of 2+ people and use Group Practice Mode within each group.

You can all run the same station or circuit, and decide whether to rotate roles or keep them fixed. This works for both in-person and remote sessions.

Option 2: Have multiple observers

Group Practice Mode allows for unlimited observers in each session. Observers can view candidate and patient instructions and give feedback.

If you're practising in person and don’t need to be in the group session, observers can instead open the same station and choose Solo practice, where they'll be able to view all parts of the station, including the mark scheme.

Running a mock OSCE circuit

Mock OSCEs are more structured and aim to simulate exam conditions. Typically, candidates rotate through stations, while examiners and patients remain at their assigned stations.

The first step is to create a circuit. Use OSCE stations from our bank, or create your own. The number of stations may depend on your group size. Don't forget to include rest stations if needed.

Once your circuit is ready, share it with your examiners and patients, and assign each person to a station.

You may also want to designate an organiser or invigilator to keep track of timings and transitions.

There are a couple of options then for how you deliver the mock OSCE:

Using group practice mode

If using group practice mode, everyone will need a computer, tablet or mobile device.

At each station, one person at that station should set up group practice mode for that individual station in the circuit (eg abdominal examination) and allocate roles. At the end of the station, the examiner clicks Complete station, and the candidate can review their feedback afterwards.

Note: if you start a circuit instead of an individual station in group practice mode, everyone will be moved to a new station at each turn; not just the candidate!

Without group practice mode

If not using group practice mode, you will need to have the candidate and patient instructions available on a device at each station.

The examiner can use their device or computer to access the station and complete feedback for the candidate. Once the station is complete, they can share the results using Copy link to share or Download as PDF. The examiner will also have access to the timer if needed.

Note: stations within the mobile app do not have the option to share feedback when not in group practice mode - you will need to use the web browser instead!

Updated on: 04/09/2026