Intercollegiate MRCS Part A
Exam overview
The Intercollegiate MRCS Part A is a five-hour multiple choice question (MCQ) exam consisting of two papers taken on the same day. The ABS paper is three hours and the PoSG paper is two hours in duration.
MRCS Part A is currently delivered via computer-based testing centres in partnership with Pearson Vue. Please be advised that it is the candidate's responsibility to make this secondary booking.
Further information is available on Pearson Vue. This information includes how to book your Pearson Vue test centre once you've completed your booking with RCS England.
The first and last name that you use to register for the examination must match exactly the first and last name on the government issued photo ID that is presented on the test day.
First 4
We want to help you through your first four years of training. Save up to £512 when you take your MRCS Part B with us.
- £625.00
Eligibility
To be eligible to sit the MRCS exam, you must hold a medical degree that is acceptable to the UK General Medical Council (GMC) for full or provisional registration or to the Medical Council in Ireland for full or temporary registration.
First-time applicants whose names do not appear on the registers of the GMC or Medical Council (Ireland) must submit their original certificate (or an authenticated copy) of a medical degree acceptable to the councils of the four colleges by email to SurgicalEligibility@rcseng.ac.uk.
All eligibility documents must be received via email within 2 weeks of booking onto the examination. Candidates who fail to provide their eligibility documents will be withdrawn with no refund.
Eligibility criteria update: The Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) has changed the eligibility criteria for candidates sitting exams in Egypt. It is now a requirement to have completed your internship prior to booking the MRCS Part A exam. Evidence (English translation) must be submitted via email to SurgicalEligibility@rcseng.ac.uk within one week of booking onto the examination. The same rule of withdrawal with no refund will apply for candidates who book but fail to evidence eligibility.
Please note that, as we are working through high volume of enquiries, we do not send confirmation emails once your booking is complete. We will only contact candidates if additional information or eligibility documentation is required.
Please be advised that we do not send a confirmation email when your booking is completed as we are working through a high volume of enquiries and will only be contacting those candidates where any additional information or eligibility documentation is required.
Please read the exam regulations and full details on candidate eligibility before booking the exam. They can be found on the intercollegiate MRCS exam website.
If you are unable to find your university or college on the list during registration, select the 'Unspecified' option. We accept Primary Medical Degrees from universities and colleges listed on the WDOMS website. Please ensure to verify your institution's name there.
Reasonable adjustments for Examinations
If you require a reasonable adjustment for your examination, you must select the reasonable adjustment option under the "preferred location" section of the online application form for the exam you're applying to.
Candidates can find full information on timelines, available adjustments, document required and more by reading the ICBSE Reasonable Adjustments Policy.
If you have not already been granted the specific reasonable adjustment you would like to apply for, you must provide your full Educational Psychologist Report or an appropriate Medical Report within one week of completing your booking by emailing a scanned copy to SurgicalEligibility@rcseng.ac.uk. We can only provide adjustments specifically mentioned in your report.
If you have already been granted the specific reasonable adjustment you are applying for, you not need to provide your report again and your adjustment will be automatically added to your upcoming examination, in line with the ICBSE Reasonable Adjustments Policy.
Withdrawal and refund policy
If you wish to withdraw from the exam, you may or may not be entitled to a full or partial refund according to the guidelines outlined in our refund policy.
Please familiarise yourself with this policy before applying for an exam seat to ensure a smooth withdrawal process.
Results and feedback
Results are published within four weeks of the exam date. You will be sent an email notification of their overall result and a breakdown of scores for the two papers.
Further feedback is sent within eight weeks of the exam date. The feedback format has been designed to provide you with an indication of your performance in the Part A examination as a whole, your performance in the Applied Basic Science paper and the Principles of Surgery in General paper. In addition to your overall performance, you will be provided with an indication of your performance in the main content areas in relation to other candidate’s in your cohort.
Retaking the exam
You are allowed to have six attempts at the MRCS Part A, and a further additional attempt if you have carried out verified additional educational experience and your educational supervisor feels you are now likely to achieve a pass.
Additional attempt policy and application form can be found here.
Exam format
The Part A examination uses single best answer MCQs designed to test knowledge of both applied basic science and principles of surgery in general to a level that a surgical trainee should have achieved two to three years after qualification.. Part A is a five-hour MCQ exam consisting of two papers, an AM paper of three hours and a PM paper of two hours duration, taken on the same day.
The papers cover generic surgical sciences and applied knowledge, including the core knowledge required in all 10 specialties. The papers are:
- Paper 1: applied basic sciences
- Paper 2: principles of surgery in general
The MRCS syllabus and content guide can be found here.
The standard for the MRCS Part A paper is set using the Angoff procedure. A number of ‘marker’ questions - 20% of the total questions - taken from a previous examination are included in each Part A paper and are used to maintain the standard and consistency of the examination, recognising the standard defined by the Angoff procedure.
The performance of candidates on the marker questions is reviewed together with other statistical data from the present and previous examinations, and considered in relation to the benchmark Angoff exercise. After consideration of all the available data, the panel set the pass/fail cut-off mark.
To achieve a pass in Part A, you will be required to demonstrate a minimum level of competence in each paper in addition to achieving or exceeding the pass mark set for the combined total mark for Part A.
Syllabus
The MRCS exam will only test knowledge at the level expected of all trainees completing core training irrespective of their chosen specialty.
The exam uses both single best answer MCQs and extended matching MCQs designed to test knowledge of both applied basic science and principles of surgery in general to a level that a surgical trainee should have achieved two to three years after qualification.
The 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 paediatric patient
- Module 8: management of the dying patient
- Module 9: organ and tissue transplantation
- Module 10: professional behaviour and leadership skills
For detailed information on the MRCS syllabus please visit the intercollegiate exam website.
Booking options
UK and Ireland Exams
UK and Ireland
Apply before: 03 Jul 2025
Application for admission to the exam must reach us no later than 5pm on the closing date.
16
Sep
2025
£625.00
Price (includes local fee where applicable)
£625.00Multiple Locations
Locations:
- PEARSON VUE TEST CENTRES, United Kingdom
Book online
Book online
Book online
International Exams
Asia
Middle East, Europe & Central Asia
Africa
Apply before: 03 Jul 2025
Application for admission to the exam must reach us no later than 5pm on the closing date.
16
Sep
2025
£737.50
Price (includes local fee where applicable)
£737.50INDIA - ALL CITIES, India
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Book online
Book online
Book online
Apply before: 03 Jul 2025
Application for admission to the exam must reach us no later than 5pm on the closing date.
16
Sep
2025
£625.00
Price (includes local fee where applicable)
£625.00Multiple Locations
Locations:
- ALL COUNTRIES (NOT INDIA), A.P.O.
Book online
Book online
Book online
Important notice regarding fees for candidates sitting examinations in India: Please be informed that an additional 18% tax will be applied to examination fees for candidates sitting the examinations in India. This tax is mandated by Indian tax regulations and is not determined by the College. The exam fee is £625 plus 18% tax, totalling £737.50. Please ensure that you apply for the correct exam event, located in India. Read further details on the additional tax for exams in India.
Candidates required to provide their Primary Medical Qualification should send these documents via email. Please send scanned copies of your original documents to SurgicalEligibility@rcseng.ac.uk.
Please do not post your documents to our offices.
Upcoming exam dates
MRCS Part A April 2025
Application deadline: 20 February 2025 | Exam date: 29 April 2025 | Location: Pearson Vue Test Centres
Result release: 29 May 2025 12pm
MRCS Part A September 2025
Application deadline: 3 July 2025 | Exam date: 16 September 2025 | Location: Pearson Vue Test Centres
Result release: 16 October 2025 12pm
Contact the exams department
All surgical exam queries should be emailed to SurgicalExams@rcseng.ac.uk
All document submissions for eligibility should be emailed to SurgicalEligibility@rcseng.ac.uk
Candidates should not post any documents to our offices.
Thank you for your enquiry. We will reply to you as soon as possible.
Telephone
For general exam queries please call 020 7405 3474 - Option 3
Our main switchboard is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.