How leagues work: from Bronze to Champion

Leagues add a bit of friendly competition to your practice. Each week you're ranked against other learners in your league by the XP you earn, and the best performers move up. Here's how it all works.

The ten leagues

Everyone starts in Bronze. From there, the leagues go:

1. Bronze
2. Silver
3. Gold
4. Sapphire
5. Ruby
6. Emerald
7. Diamond
8. Obsidian
9. Pearl
10. Champion

How a week works

League weeks start on Monday. Your weekly XP resets at the start of each week, and everything you earn from then on counts towards your league ranking. The leaderboard shows where you stand against the other learners in your league, ranked by XP earned that week.

Promotion and demotion

At the end of each week, the top performers in a league move up and the bottom performers move down. The number of places depends on the league:

• Bronze: top 10 promoted, no demotion
• Silver: top 10 promoted, bottom 5 demoted
• Gold: top 8 promoted, bottom 5 demoted
• Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald: top 5 promoted, bottom 5 demoted
• Diamond, Obsidian and Pearl: top 3 promoted, bottom 5 demoted
• Champion: no promotion, bottom 5 demoted

A few things to notice:

• Bronze is safe. You can't be demoted from the first league, so it's a relaxed place to start.
• It gets harder near the top. Promotion places shrink as you climb, from ten in Bronze to just three in Diamond, Obsidian and Pearl.
• Champion is the top. There's nowhere higher to go, so the challenge becomes staying there.

On the leaderboard, the promotion and demotion zones are highlighted, so you can see at a glance whether you're on track to move up or at risk of dropping down.

Where your XP comes from

You earn XP by completing patient encounters, and your score affects how much you earn. That means the most reliable way to climb is simply to see patients regularly and take each case seriously.

Tips for climbing

• Consistency beats bursts. A case every day adds up, and it keeps your streak alive too.
• Quality counts. A careful, complete encounter is better practice, and better for your score, than a rushed one.
• Check the leaderboard mid-week. If you're close to the promotion zone, an extra case or two might be enough.
• Don't panic about demotion. Moving down a league isn't a judgement on your ability. Next week is a fresh start.

Keep it in perspective

Leagues are there to make practice more fun and to keep you coming back. They aren't a measure of how good a doctor you'll be. If you ever notice yourself rushing cases just for XP, slow down. The feedback on what you missed is worth more than any trophy.