Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons Part A (Outstanding Payments) 3304
Exam Overview
This is a temporary booking page for candidates contacted by email to complete payment for the following exams, following confirmation email errors.
- Intercollegiate MRCS Part A International January 2026
- Intercollegiate MRCS Part A UK January 2026
Places are not allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so you have time to complete this step. The booking window closes at 5pm on the closing date.
If you did not receive this link directly from us, please do not complete a booking on this page. Any bookings from candidates who are have not received an invite to complete payment by email will be cancelled. Refunds in this case may take up to nine weeks to process and will be subject to a 20% administrative fee.
- £650.00
Eligibility
Education and Training Requirements
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 one week of booking onto the examination. Candidates who fail to provide their eligibility documents will be withdrawn with no refund.
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 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.
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.
Update for candidates sitting exams in Egypt
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.
Exemptions
Format of Examination
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 the Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) website.
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.
MRCS Part A is currently delivered via computer based testing centres in partnership with Pearson Vue. Further information is available on our Pearson Vue Landing Page. This information includes how to book your Pearson Vue test centre once you've completed your booking with RCS England.
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
Registration process
Applying for reasonable adjustments
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.
Next steps after booking
Results
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.
Exam regulations
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.
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.
Booking Options
UK and Ireland Exams
UK and Ireland
Apply before:
21
Jan
2026
£650.00
Pricing notes:
Full price: £650.00United Kingdom
Location:
Pearson Vue - Remote Computer Based Test Centres UKNationwide
WC2A 3PE
United Kingdom 02074053474 View in Google Maps
Book online
Please ensure you are logged in to your account or, if you do not have an account, have registered.
Please ensure you are logged in to your account or, if you do not have an account, have registered.
International Exams
Asia
Middle East, Europe & Central Asia
Africa
Apply before:
21
Jan
2026
£650.00
Pricing notes:
Full price: £650.00Pearson Vue - Remote Computer Based Test Centres International
Location:
Pearson Vue - Remote Computer Based Test Centres InternationalInternational
WC2A 3PE
02074053474 View in Google Maps
Book online
Please ensure you are logged in to your account or, if you do not have an account, have registered.
Please ensure you are logged in to your account or, if you do not have an account, have registered.
Important information
- Please only complete booking if we have contacted you directly via email with this link. Any bookings completed by anyone not who has not received this invite to book will be cancelled. Refunds in these cases will be subject to a 20% administration fee and may take up to 9 weeks to process.
- You may have been contacted regarding regarding more than one exam in relation to the confirmation email error if you have started applications for multiple exams. Please be aware that you will only be able to complete one booking.
- If you have already sat your exam or are due to sit one but haven’t paid yet, you'll need to complete payment through this process before results can be released.
- If you have already paid for an exam and your booking is confirmed, your place is secure and you can ignore the invite to complete payment.