Before you start specialty surgical training, you’ll first need to pass the MRCS Part A and Part B: MRCS Part A is a multiple choice question (MCQ) written exam, and Part B is a clinical, practical exam. For the purpose of this guide, we’ll be looking at MRCS Part A.

What is the MRCS A exam?

We break down the specifics of this exam and get into the nitty gritty in our complete guide to the MRCS A exam, but in a nutshell, the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons is a written exam for surgical trainees who want to be members of one of UK’s surgical royal colleges:

• The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
• The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• The Royal College of Surgeons of England
• The Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland

This postgraduate diploma shows that you have the knowledge, experience, and competence in a clinical setting required to complete core training, and proceed to training in a specialty.

Part A of the MRCS is a five-hour MCQ (multiple-choice question) examination consisting of two papers that must be completed on the same day, which assess general surgical sciences, applied knowledge, and core knowledge across a range of areas. These exams are:

• 180 Applied Basic Sciences questions in the morning
• 120 Principles of General Surgery questions in the afternoon)

The MRCS Part A exam will assess you on 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 paediatric patient
• Module 8: Management of the dying patient
• Module 9: Organ and tissue transplantation
• Module 10: Professional behaviour and leadership skills

Now that we’ve got a brief overview of what the MRCS A exam consists of, let’s take a look at the best resources out there that are going to help you brush up on your knowledge, and pass with flying colours.

MRCS A Online Revision Resources

1. Pastest

Pastest’s MRCS A revision resource is one of the best available to aspiring surgeons. With prices starting from just £99.99 for the next available exam, you’ll get exclusive access to our Qbank which contains more than 4,300 SBA questions covering every specialty you’ll encounter in the exam. You can also test your knowledge along the way with our collection of Past Papers, each one based on themes from recent exams. And you can study on the go with the MyPastest app!

You’ll also be able to benefit from our new Microlearning resources, which is a comprehensive, searchable library of media, flashcards and expanded explanations (written topic summaries), all designed to strengthen your knowledge on the topics that will crop up most often. With more than 150 topics to study, you’ll find everything you need to study for MRCS Part A right here.

2. Medibuddy

Medibuddy’s question bank is another name you may have heard mentioned when it comes to MRCS A revision. Their question bank is made up of around 3,000 questions, and is based on a monthly subscription starting from a single month’s access for £25. You’ll need to plan your revision accordingly to figure out how many months you will need; you can purchase one, three, six or 12 months.

As you move through Medibuddy, their AI algorithms will spot your strengths and weaknesses and adapt your learning journey accordingly.

3. eMRCS

Another well-known name on the MRCS revision circuit, eMRCS has over 2,000 questions, and features a revision mode, timed tests, a question review function, and a performance analysis. The latter involves a histogram made up of other candidates' scores (updated daily) which helps you predict whether you’re ready to take the real thing.

4. BMJ OnExamination

With over 2,020 questions, the OnExamination resource bases its questions from themes featured in previous exams. You can set the difficulty level of your revision depending on how much you want to test yourself, and you can go over the areas that you found hardest. You can test your knowledge against recent exam themes, and even create a username to play against friends to climb a daily leaderboard. What’s more, there’s even an app so you can take your revision with you wherever you go.

Additional MRCS A revision resources

Looking for extra resources to help give your knowledge a boost in specific areas? If there’s a particular specialty you’re struggling with, or if you prefer to focus in segments, below are some additional revision options out there to help supplement your main MRCS A studying.

1. Anatomy

Teach Me Anatomy

For anything and everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the human body, head to Teach Me Anatomy. A freemium revision resource that literally covers from head to toe. Teach Me Anatomy has in-depth and comprehensive articles, detailed diagrams, quizzes and a bank of more than 1,700 multiple choice questions.

Acland’s

Short for Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy, Acland’s features almost 330 videos of real human anatomy in their natural colours, and shows moving structures exactly how they would in an actual body. Complex structures are broken down step by step to give you a detailed understanding of anatomical structure and function. From muscles and tendons to joints, Acland’s shows you the real deal.

2. Physiology

Basic Science for the MRCS

Available in eBook format for those who like their reading digital, this concise revision guide covers the core basic sciences that all surgical trainees need to pass Part A of MRCS. Covering anatomy and pathology, as well as physiology, Basic Science explains the clinical relevance and application in addition to covering the basics you need. Text is bullet pointed for easy reading, with clear and annotated line drawings, and the most recent edition includes 250 online single-best answer questions. There’s also OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) ‘Clinical Scenarios’ featured at the end of every chapter.

3. Pathology

Surgical Pathology Revision

A revision guide that has proven to be very popular amongst aspiring surgeons, this resource is in A-Z format and covers the essentials and pathology for MRCS candidates. Written by a highly experienced pathologist, it helps students prepare for their exam by focusing on the anxieties they may be facing for viva or oral examinations. The updated entries - added to its original publication as General Pathology Vivas - covers the key topics and concepts needed for an understanding of basic pathology.

4. Critical Care

Surgical Critical Care

Again available as an eBook, Surgical Critical Care is now in its third edition. Continuing the ABCDE chapter format from its previous iteration, there are two sections to this book: the first covers the management of non-ICU-based patients, while the second provides an introduction to basic ICU care. The chapters include standard definitions, pathological processes, diagnostic features and common management plans, and cover the most common causes of system complications - a must-have for aspiring surgeons!

4. Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient

CCrISP

Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient - or CCrISP - is now in its fourth edition and has been revised by a team of surgeons and anaesthetists across a multitude of disciplines. The main focus of this book is to encourage surgical trainees to be responsible for their patients by predicting and preventing common problems, as well as working well with others in a hospital environment, making it a strong companion resource to traditional ward training.

MRCS A is a difficult exam - there’s no denying it - but those aspiring to become knowledgeable, skilled and passionate surgeons will be willing to study hard and gain the necessary qualifications to proceed. With the right amount of preparation and the proper revision resources at your disposal, you’ll be equipped with everything you need to pass and proceed to the next level of your medical career.

Subscribe to Pastest now to start studying today! Check out our MRCS A online subscriptions.