What is MRCS
MRCS stands for Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. It is an examination to determine whether a surgical trainee has the knowledge and skills to complete basic training and progress to specialist surgical training. Passing the MRCS grants membership to the Royal College of Surgeons of UK and entry into specialist training. There are 4 colleges-
- Royal College of Surgeons of England
- Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
The advantages of clearing MRCS
After clearing both parts of MRCS, you are eligible to apply for GMC (UK) registration. You will need the MRCS to enter the surgical training at ST3 or above. It is useful to apply for other jobs in the UK as it demonstrates a certain level of knowledge. It gives candidates opportunities to migrate to other countries such as
- UK
- Singapore
- Middle East countries
- Australia
- Canada
The eligibility criteria to apply for MRCS part A
- Completion of undergraduate medical degree (e.g. MBBS) which is acceptable to the UK General Medical Council (GMC).
- English proficiency test (e.g. IELTS/OET) is not required prior to MRCS part A.
- You do not need any surgical training to apply for the exam.
- One can attempt the exam during his/her internship.
When does the exam take place?
MRCS Part A takes place 3 times a year
- January
- April
- September
How to apply for MRCS part A?
- Visit the official website of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (www.rcseng.ac.uk)
- Create an account
- Book your exam at available dates
- Pay your exam fees (using VISA, MasterCard, etc). It costs around 550-600 pounds (rate varies for different countries)
- Send your medical qualification certificate (MBBS certificate) via British Council or mail them to The Royal College Of Surgeons of England, 34-35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PE.
- Medical qualification certificate must be attested by a GMC registered practitioner
- You will receive your admission letter 4 weeks before the exam
- Application for each setting closes 2 months before the exam
- Bring your admission letter and identification card (Passport) to the announced place and time of the exam
Can the exam be given online?
- It actually depends on the Royal College of Surgeon’s decision.
- An online exam system was conducted in September 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic via software called Examplify.
- A link to download the software was given by email.
- Candidates had to attend 3 mock tests through the software before appearing in the real exam.
- All activities were closely monitored by the webcam and microphone.
When will the result be published?
- It takes around 1-1.5 months to publish the result
- Results will be available on the website after logging in with your account
How many parts for MRCS?
MRCS consists of 2 parts
- Part A – Single based Answer Questions (best of five)
- Part B- Objective structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
MRCS part A syllabus
The MRCP part A syllabus is divided into 10 modules
- Module 1: basic science knowledge relevant to surgical practice
- Module 2: common surgical conditions
- Module 3: basic surgical skills
- Module 4: the assessment and management of the surgical patient
- Module 5: perioperative care of the surgical patient
- Module 6: assessment and early treatment of the patient with trauma
- Module 7: surgical care of the pediatric patient
- Module 8: management of the dying patient
- Module 9: organ and tissue transplantation
- Module 10: professional behavior and leadership skills
What is the total number of questions for MRCS part A?
- The total number of MCQs are 300
- Paper-I: 180 questions
- Paper-II: 120 questions
How long is the exam?
MRCS part A of Intercollegiate MRCS is a five hour MCQ based exam consisting of 2 papers taken on the same day.
- Paper I (Applied basic sciences): 3 hours
- Paper II (Principles of Surgery in General): 2 hours
- There will be a 30 minutes break after paper I and before starting paper II exam.
- You will have exactly 1 minute for each question!! Do not waste time on questions you do not know.
Marking system
- You will get 1 mark for each correct answer
- MRCS part A exam has no negative markings
- The Pass mark for MRCS part A is determined by the process of standard-setting.
- In the September 2020 exam, the pass mark was 230 or 76.9%.
How many times can you attempt the MRCS exam?
- 6 attempts for MRCS part A
- 4 attempts for MRCS part B
What are the study Resources for MRCS part A?
EMRCS question bank with explanation (www.emrcs.com)
Chance of getting 70-85 % questions common by solely reading this. You need to finish it at least 3 times prior to the exam.
Pastest question bank for only paper II (www.pastest.com)
Questions are a little bit complicated. Do not waste time on pastest for Paper I. For Paper II, it will boost one’s background idea about management protocol of different surgical specialties. It will help when uncommon questions come in the exam.
Other resources
- Basic Science by Raftery
- Matary Surgical Anatomy
- Nasa Khan notes
- Reda notes
- Fawzia sheet
- Recall (Collection of previous year questions recalled by candidates)
How many days needed to prepare for the exam?
- A minimum of 4 months of regular study is required to pass the exam with good grades.
- Daily 3-4 hours of study
- Practice solving at least 50 MCQs per day
- Before the exam, make sure you solve as many as 5000 MCQs !!
Do you need any coaching center or tuition for MRCS part A?
My answer will be NO. Because, if you study with clear concepts and proper explanations, then you do not need to enroll in any preparatory courses. Buy all the study materials and study in your room daily.
Can you study alone or need a partner?
Study alone is possible but you need to join online Facebook / WhatsApp / telegram groups and discuss the uncommon and confusing questions. Virtual study partners will do.
Tips and tricks
- Plan your study
- Start early
- Solve as many MCQs as possible
- Discuss in groups (Facebook group, WhatsApp, telegram)
- Question is usually very big and contains a lot of information, read them quickly with full concentration
- Read clearly the last line of the question. Sometimes the last line is all you need
- 2-3 weeks before the exam revise the previous year question (recalls)
What to do one day before the exam?
- Relax, do not stress
- Do not oversleep
- Take a balanced diet meal
- Revise your NOTES only the day before the exam
Do not be upset if you cannot pass in the first attempt. Keep studying hard, follow the tips and tricks, and keep trying. Never give up. Every failure will take you one step forward to your success. Remember, being a surgeon is not that easy. The path is difficult, but you can succeed if you have the courage, patience, and determination. All the Best !!!
