The MRCS (Membership Examination of the Surgical Royal Colleges) is an intercollegiate exam designed for surgical trainees in the generality part of specialty training. It is a two-part exam conducted for surgical trainees to gain RCS (UK) membership. The exam is common to all four Royal Colleges of Surgeons in the UK and Ireland (The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, The Royal College of Surgeons of England, and The Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland) . Passing the exam showcases a level of knowledge, experience, and clinical competence expected of a doctor at the end of training. The MRCS examination syllabus and the format & content of this examination are common to all four colleges. The exam has two parts:
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Part A: A five-hour multiple-choice question exam with two papers sat in one day. The questions are in single best answer format. The morning paper is three hours long and the afternoon paper is two hours long.
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Part B: An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) that tests for applied knowledge, which consists of anatomy, surgical pathology, applied surgical science, and critical care. The OSCE will most commonly have 18 examined stations; each station will consist of a practical task you have to complete.
The MRCS exam is acclaimed worldwide and holds high prestige. If a surgical trainee can pass the exam, then they are capable enough to practice as a qualified surgeon. The exam provides a globally-recognized quality mark in surgery and opens up plenty of opportunities in reputed hospitals. The Royal College of Surgeons offers MRCS preparation courses throughout the UK and internationally.
