MRCS Part A · ICBSE · CBT · 5 hoursLive mocks · daily

MRCS Part A — the UK and Ireland surgical pathway gate

~270 items across two papers · sectional pass required on BOTH · 3 diets a year. Our mocks split Applied Basic Science from Principles of Surgery the same way the real exam does, so you find out which paper is holding you back before you pay £540 to find out the hard way.

View MRCS Part A mock packs View Part A syllabus

ICBSE · 4 UK + Ireland Royal Colleges
Gate for UK ST3 surgical training
Sectional pass on BOTH papers

Hero photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Part A · Paper 1

Applied Basic Science

Sciatic nerve · anatomical course · EMQ stem

Per-paper heatmap

Paper 1 · 71% · Paper 2 · 76%

Both above cut — sectional pass projection: clear

After Part A

→ Part B OSCE

12 stations → Member MRCS → ST3 surgical training

5 hours

2 papers · 2 hrs each + break

~270

Items · SBA + EMQ

Sectional

Pass required on BOTH

3 / year

Jan · Apr · Sep diets

What is MRCS Part A

The written gate to the UK + Ireland surgical pathway

Jointly owned by the Intercollegiate Committee on Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) and delivered by the four surgical Royal Colleges — RCS England, RCS Edinburgh, RCS Glasgow and RCSI — Part A is the CBT that gates entry to MRCS Part B and eventually to ST3 surgical training.

Conducting body: ICBSE — administered by the 4 UK + Ireland surgical Royal Colleges.
Eligibility: Full medical registration with a recognised licensing body (e.g. GMC for UK, NMC/MCI for India) + working in a surgical specialty.
Mode: Computer-Based Test (CBT) — Pearson VUE delivery, available worldwide.
Structure: Paper 1 (Applied Basic Science · 2 hrs · ~135 items) + Paper 2 (Principles of Surgery in General · 2 hrs · ~135 items) with a break between.
Format: Single Best Answer (SBA) + Extended Matching Questions (EMQ).
Marking: +1 for correct, 0 otherwise — no negative marking.
Pass mark: Equated scaled score (~70% equivalent) — sectional pass required on BOTH papers, not aggregate.
Fee: ~£540 UK / ~£675 international (varies by college).

2026 diets · key windows

January diet — registrationOct-Nov prior year
January diet — exam windowLate January
April diet — registrationJan-Feb
April diet — exam windowLate April
September diet — registrationJun-Jul
September diet — exam windowEarly September

Always confirm diet dates and fees on the official Royal College website you've affiliated with.

Why MRCS Part A feels different from MRCP Part 1

Two papers · two cuts · one wall to clear — and a surgical-anatomy depth that catches medics off-guard

Dual-paper sectional pass

MRCP Part 1 is an aggregate. MRCS Part A demands you clear each paper independently. A 78% on Paper 2 will not rescue a 67% on Paper 1 — and most fails happen on Paper 1.

EMQ on top of SBA

Extended Matching Questions force you to triangulate one stem against a 10-15 option list. Far more cognitively demanding than single best-answer alone — and very poorly practiced in most Indian PG curricula.

Surgical-anatomy depth

Sciatic nerve course, brachial plexus branches, mediastinal compartments, fascial planes — depth a physician exam never asks for. This is the single biggest delta between MRCS and MRCP candidates.

4-College affiliation

RCS England, Edinburgh, Glasgow or RCSI — same exam, different post-nominals, different fees, different cultures. Choose deliberately — it's your professional identity for life.

Our MRCS Part A library

What you get on PractiseExam.com

Two-paper format

Every mock mirrors the real day — Paper 1 (Applied Basic Science · 135 items · 2 hrs) and Paper 2 (Principles of Surgery in General · 135 items · 2 hrs) with EMQs woven in alongside SBAs.

Per-paper readiness

The dashboard reports your Paper 1 % and Paper 2 % separately — because that's how ICBSE scores you. No more hiding a weak paper behind a strong one.

Surgical-anatomy module

A dedicated 800-item anatomy bank built specifically for the depth Part A demands — neuroanatomy, vascular, fascial, embryology — the exact zone where most candidates lose marks.

Pricing

Mock packs · pay-as-you-go

Stack as many packs as you need across the January, April and September diets. No subscription, no auto-renewal.

Pricing is being updated — please check back shortly.

Continue with the full prep guide

Syllabus Exam pattern Eligibility Diet dates 2026 Application form Registration fee Preparation strategy Best books Previous-year papers Sample questions Pricing Pass mark + scaling Result 2026 Test centres (Pearson VUE)After Part A → Part B Royal College comparison MRCS vs MRCP vs USMLE

Frequently asked

The most asked MRCS Part A questions

MRCS Part A vs MRCP Part 1 — what's the real difference?+

MRCS Part A is the surgical analog of MRCP Part 1, but stricter. MRCP Part 1 is a single aggregate score across two papers; MRCS Part A requires you to pass BOTH Paper 1 (Applied Basic Science) and Paper 2 (Principles of Surgery in General) separately. The content is also fundamentally different — MRCS leans heavily on surgical anatomy, operative principles, and pre-op/post-op physiology, while MRCP is internal medicine. Choose MRCS if your career is surgical; MRCP if medical.

What is the Paper 1 vs Paper 2 split?+

Paper 1 — Applied Basic Science (2 hours, ~135 items): anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, principles of surgery. Paper 2 — Principles of Surgery in General (2 hours, ~135 items): peri-operative care, trauma, sepsis, surgical oncology, organ-system principles, professional behaviour. Items are a mix of Single Best Answer (SBA) and Extended Matching Questions (EMQ).

Do I really need to pass BOTH papers separately?+

Yes — this is the single most-misunderstood MRCS rule. A strong Paper 2 cannot rescue a weak Paper 1. Each paper has its own scaled-score cut (around 70% equivalent on the angoff-equated scale). Most repeat candidates fail on Paper 1 (Applied Basic Science) because they neglected anatomy depth. Our per-paper analytics tell you exactly which side of the wall you're on.

How many attempts are allowed?+

ICBSE permits a maximum of 4 attempts at Part A within a 7-year window from your first attempt. After exhausting attempts you must wait out the 7 years before re-applying. This makes mock-driven readiness assessment critical — don't burn an attempt on a guess.

Which Royal College should I affiliate with?+

You sit the same exam regardless. The choice is administrative + identity: RCS England (largest, London-based), RCS Edinburgh (international-friendly, popular with Indian candidates), RCS Glasgow (strong global membership), or RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland — separate jurisdiction, EU recognition). Fees and post-nominals differ; the exam content does not.

What happens after I clear Part A?+

Part A unlocks eligibility for Part B — the OSCE-style clinical examination (12 stations covering anatomy, surgical skills, communication, applied science). Pass Part B and you are awarded MRCS — Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. This is the gate for ST3 surgical training in the UK and for Tier 2 surgical jobs.

What's the typical career pathway?+

ST1/ST2 (Core Surgical Training) → MRCS Part A → MRCS Part B → Member status → ST3 application (specialty surgical training: General, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiothoracic, ENT, Plastics, Urology, etc.) → CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) → Consultant → FRCS (Fellowship). Indian PG holders typically use MRCS to enter the UK pathway at ST3 level directly.

~270 items · 5-hour CBT · per-paper readiness

Find out — paper by paper — if you're MRCS-ready

A full-length, blueprint-accurate MRCS Part A mock split exactly the way ICBSE scores it. Both-paper readiness verdict within the hour.

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MRCS Part A — the UK and Ireland surgical pathway gate

ICBSE · 4 UK + Ireland Royal Colleges

Gate for UK ST3 surgical training

Sectional pass on BOTH papers