The candidate card
Setting
Rehabilitation outpatient clinic, UK
Candidate
In this original independent practice scenario, you are a rehabilitation nurse seeing Mrs Deepali Bendre, aged 47, one week after a diagnosed concussion. Today's clinician review found overall improvement, although prolonged reading still causes a mild headache and difficulty concentrating. She plans to study all night to catch up; the clinician recommends short reading sessions, quiet breaks, normal sleep and gradual increases that cause no more than mild, brief symptom worsening. You can arrange a telephone review with the same clinician in three days, provide the clinic's working-hours advice number and request course-support documentation with her permission.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how Mrs Bendre feels now, how reading affects her and what worries are driving her all-night study plan.
- Explain how to adjust study to symptoms: mild, brief increases can be tolerated; greater increases mean pausing, resting and trying a shorter or easier task once settled.
- Acknowledge her concerns and negotiate an alternative to studying all night: a manageable reading task, quiet breaks and normal sleep. Offer support with requesting course adjustments.
- Explain when to seek help: persistent deterioration needs prompt clinic advice, or NHS 111 if unavailable; severe or progressively worsening headache or repeated vomiting needs urgent A&E assessment; a seizure, inability to stay awake or new weakness requires 999. Advise her not to drive herself to emergency care or wait for the review.
- Agree her next study step and telephone review, then ask her to explain the plan and safety advice in her own words and invite questions.
In the test you get 3 minutes to read the card and plan, then about 5 minutes to talk. This card is original, written for this site; the interlocutor's card is not shown.
Prepare this card, then say it out loud.
Plan your opening and the tasks below. Keep these notes when you move to the AI role-play.
In this original independent practice scenario, you are a rehabilitation nurse seeing Mrs Deepali Bendre, aged 47, one week after a diagnosed concussion. Today's clinician review found overall improvement, although prolonged reading still causes a mild headache and difficulty concentrating. She plans to study all night to catch up; the clinician recommends short reading sessions, quiet breaks, normal sleep and gradual increases that cause no more than mild, brief symptom worsening. You can arrange a telephone review with the same clinician in three days, provide the clinic's working-hours advice number and request course-support documentation with her permission.
Getting your plan ready…
Preparation is free without an account. AI conversation and marking need sign-in; your first role-play is free. Notes are saved on this device when available. This checklist is your plan, not a score.
How to approach this card
- Begin with her experience of reading and how she feels now, before challenging the overnight session. Falling behind is a likely concern, but ask what catching up means to her; do not assume an examination, deadline or pressure from someone else.
- Explain that recovery involves adjusting activity to tolerance. Discuss short reading sessions, breaks and normal sleep, with gradual increases that cause no more than mild, brief symptom changes. Avoid imposing a fixed timetable or requiring review before every increase.
- Explore what would make a smaller study step feel worthwhile before proposing an alternative. This keeps the discussion connected to her priorities. Offer to request course documentation with her permission; avoid describing her overnight plan as irresponsible or treating agreement as obedience.
- Separate ordinary symptom fluctuation from deterioration. If studying increases symptoms beyond a mild, brief fluctuation, explain that she should stop the activity and rest. Once the increase has subsided, she can try a shorter or easier task at a previously tolerated level. If symptoms remain noticeably worse despite reducing activity and resting, or keep worsening overall, she should seek prompt advice from the clinic during working hours or NHS 111 if the clinic is unavailable, without waiting for the scheduled review. Explain which warning signs require emergency assessment: a severe or progressively worsening headache or repeated vomiting needs urgent A&E assessment; a seizure, inability to stay awake or new weakness requires 999. She should not drive herself to emergency care or wait for the review. Do not describe these warning signs as symptoms to manage with study breaks.
- Close with one manageable study step, permission for any course-support request and agreement about the available telephone review in three days. Confirm her contact details and access to earlier advice. Ask her to explain the plan and safety advice in her own words, then invite questions.
Model route: what a strong candidate might say
Example lines in a workable order for about 5 minutes: opening, key questions, the patient's concern, explaining, then the close. Use them to plan, not to memorise: the patient's replies are not scripted here, and your next line should follow what they actually say.
1. Opening
- “Hello Mrs Bendre, I'm the rehabilitation nurse. The clinician found you're improving overall, which is encouraging. How are you feeling today?”
- “Could you tell me about your plans for catching up on your studies this week?”
2. Key questions
- “How does reading affect you at the moment, in terms of headache and concentration?”
- “What worries you most about being behind with your course?”
- “What's behind your plan to study all night?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: She is likely anxious about falling behind and feels she must catch up quickly.
- “Wanting to catch up makes complete sense. The clinician recommends short sessions, quiet breaks and normal sleep, so let's find a way for you to keep progressing within that.”
- “How about one manageable reading task today, with quiet breaks and a normal night's sleep? With your permission, I can also request course-support documentation to ask for adjustments.”
4. Explaining
- “A mild, brief increase in symptoms is okay. If it's more than that, pause, rest, and once settled try a shorter or easier task. Build up gradually from short reading sessions with quiet breaks. Is that clear?”
- “Persistent worsening: clinic advice number in working hours, otherwise NHS 111. Severe or progressively worsening headache or repeated vomiting: A&E urgently. Seizure, inability to stay awake or new weakness: 999. Don't drive yourself to emergency care or wait for review.”
5. Closing
- “So: a manageable reading task with quiet breaks, normal sleep, and a telephone review with the same clinician in three days. I'll give you the clinic's working-hours advice number.”
- “Could you tell me the plan and the safety advice in your own words? What questions would you like to ask before you go?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- What feels most difficult about being behind with your coursework?
- Would it help to talk through the options together?
- Which part feels hardest to put into practice?
- What would you like me to clarify before you leave?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| concussion | A head injury that affects how your brain works. |
| rehabilitation | Support with recovering and returning to your usual activities. |
| clinician review | Another assessment with the healthcare professional looking after your recovery. |
How this card is marked
Two assessors mark the recording on nine criteria: intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language and resources of grammar and expression (each 0–6), then relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving (each 0–3). See the AI Speaking practice guide for what each criterion looks for.
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Questions about this role-play
Can I reassure her that her course will accept supporting documentation?
Explain that requesting documentation does not guarantee a particular course decision. Ask whether she knows whom to contact about adjustments, and clarify what she would like the documentation to support. Do not promise an extension, exemption or other academic outcome.
How should I respond if she rejects the advice?
Avoid arguing or using frightening predictions to secure agreement. Ask which recommendation she disagrees with and what makes it unacceptable to her. Acknowledge her answer without endorsing the overnight session, and remain clear about the limits of the advice you can give.
Which emergency warning signs should I explain together?
In this UK scenario, a seizure, inability to stay awake or new weakness requires an immediate call to 999. Severe or progressively worsening headache or repeated vomiting needs urgent A&E assessment; call 999 if safe transport is not possible. She should not drive herself or wait for the telephone review. Sources checked on 6 November 2026: NHS head injury and concussion advice and UK concussion guidance, red flags.
What if she says she can't afford to slow down because of a deadline?
Don't dismiss it. Ask what the deadline involves, and explain this is a graded plan of progress, not stopping. Offer to request course-support documentation, but ask her permission first. Keep returning to one manageable task she can realistically start today.
How do I give the safety advice without frightening her?
Say you want her to know exactly what to do just in case. Go through it in order: clinic or NHS 111, then A&E, then 999. Stress not driving herself or waiting for the review, then ask her to repeat it back.
Sources
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