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How To Pass The MRCS Presentation

The document provides guidance on preparing for and passing the MRCS exam, which has two parts. It outlines the structure of Part A, focusing on subjects covered and timing. It recommends dedicating at least 3 months to intensive preparation. For Part B, it recommends 2-3 months of preparation, focusing on anatomy, procedures, history taking, and communication skills. It provides a sample study timetable and emphasizes the importance of practice questions and mock exams.

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Kartik sridhar
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1K views27 pages

How To Pass The MRCS Presentation

The document provides guidance on preparing for and passing the MRCS exam, which has two parts. It outlines the structure of Part A, focusing on subjects covered and timing. It recommends dedicating at least 3 months to intensive preparation. For Part B, it recommends 2-3 months of preparation, focusing on anatomy, procedures, history taking, and communication skills. It provides a sample study timetable and emphasizes the importance of practice questions and mock exams.

Uploaded by

Kartik sridhar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to pass the

MRCS
Klaire Exarchou
Naved Hossain
Ajay Sharma
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Structure of the exam
• Part A
• Paper 1 Applied Basic Science 3 hours
• Paper 2 Principles of Surgery in General 2 hours
• No negative marking
• Single best answer and extending matching
• Pass mark about 67%-determined by process of standard setting
• Total number of questions will increase from 270 to 300
• Total time: increase from 240 minutes to 300 minutes
• Applied Basic Science (ABS) and Principles of Surgery in General
• (PoSG), currently equal at 135 questions for each, will change to
become 60% ABS (180 questions, an increase of 45) and 40% PoSG
(120 questions, a decrease of 15)
• The number of questions testing anatomy will increase from 45 to 75
(16.7% to 25% of Part A as a whole)
• A minimum level of competence in each of the ABS and PoSG paper
will be retained.
Part A
• Preparation
• At least 3 months revision
• This is your “spare time”
• You will be working an average of 48 hours per week
• Roughly 1 weekend per month
• 1 week of nights per month
• On call approx 2-3 times per month
Remember
• MRCS is required to complete core surgical training
• You are spending your hard-earned money to take the exam
• Therefore it makes sense to prepare well and not have to
waste time and money on re-sits
• The earlier you complete MRCS the more time you have to
write papers and prepare for interview
Timetable
• Make a plan
• Don’t procrastinate
• Focus on topic which are weakest
• Organise the questions under theme
• Use your spare time after work/eating/watching TV
• You can do 2-3 hours of revision per day like this
• Do lots of MCQs again and again
• Read through answers you got wrong and move on
Pro tip

• Suggestions
• Bring your revision book to theatre
• If you have some spare time on-call, do some questions

• Timing
• Try and book MRCS A during an “easy” job
• Good EWTD compliant jobs
How to revise
• Try to stick to revision plan
• Resources
• Officially you should read anatomy, physiology and pathology
texts. You should do this for preparation for CT1 teaching
Online
• www.onexamination.com
• www.past.co.uk
Books-loads out there
• Essential Revision Notes for Intercollegiate MRCS parts 1 & 2
• SBA MCQs and EMQs for the MRCS Part A Pack: 2 (Oxford
Specialty Training: Revision Texts)
• MRCS Part A: 500 SBAs and EMQs by Pradip K Datta (Editor),
Christopher JK Bulstrode (Editor),
• Ask colleagues, borrow from library
Question Banks
• Local ‘Q banks’
• eMRCS.com
• Cheap
• Questions closely match MRCS
• Pastest and OnExamination
• More expensive
• Useful to reinforce knowledge
• Highlights weak topics
• Should aim for about 70% or more
On the day
• Stay at nice hotel
• Reach there previous night
• Get some sleep
• This makes a LOT of difference
• Try not to stress out too much
MRCS Part B
• 18 Stations
• Three times a year
• It’s just another OSCE
Two broad content areas
• Applied knowledge: 8 stations
• Anatomy, pathology, critical care
• Applied skills: 10 stations
• Procedures, History taking, Examinations, Communication skills,
Reading
• Both broad content areas must be passed in order to achieve
an overall “pass”
How to prepare
• Set aside at least 2-3 months
• (The exam costs £930)
• Remember this will be in your spare time because you also have a job
• Evenings
• Weekends
• Get some BOOKS
• Useful to work in groups (almost essential)
• Can test each other
• Use each other to practice histories/examinations
• Share the burden of pain and suffering
• Do a course (optional)
• Reinforce knowledge by doing all the past paper questions
• Sit exam
General Books
• DrExam Part B MRCS OSCE Revision Guide: Applied
Surgical Science and Critical Care, Anatomy and
Surgical Pathology, Surgical Skills and Patient Safety
Bk. 1 by B. H. Miranda, K. Asaad, S. P. Kay (Paperback)

• DrExam Part B MRCS OSCE Revision Guide: Clinical


Examination, Communication Skills and History Taking
Bk. 2 by B. H. Miranda, K. Asaad, P. E. M. Butler
(Paperback)

• OSCEs for the MRCS Part B A Bailey & Love Revision


Guide: A Bailey and Love Revision Guide: Pt. B
(Hodder Arnold Publication) by Jonathan Fishman,
Vivian A Elwell, Rajat Chowdhury (Paperback)
Anatomy Books
• MRCS Part B OSCE: Anatomy by Jeremy Lynch, Susan
Shelmerdine, Vishy Mahadevan (Paperback)
• Excellent questions for anatomy viva practice. Good quality
pictures and diagrams, with answers.

• Get Through MRCS: Anatomy 2E (GTH) by Simon Overstall,


Amit Zaveri (Paperback)
• Excellent anatomy viva question book - covers most main
areas, with good pictures and answers.

• Clinical Anatomy: Applied Anatomy for Students and Junior


Doctors by Harold Ellis, Vishy Mahadevan
Physiology and Critical Care
• Applied Surgical Physiology Vivas by Mazyar Kanani,
Martin Elliott (Paperback)

• Surgical Critical Care Vivas by Mazyar Kanani


(Paperback)
Books

• Pastest Essential Revision Notes for Intercollegiate MRCS 1 & 2


• For stuff you don’t understand/keep getting wrong/forgot/never learnt
properly in the first place

• Full list:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/AZK65U2KDCWO/
Websites
• PassTheMRCS.co.uk
• £120
• Good bank of questions
• Includes Aclands Anatomy subscription
• Tip: If you have a flatmate also studying
for MRCS B you can split the cost

• Anatomy dissector (free)


• http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz/practice/u7
/quiztop7.htm

• Anatomy Zone (free)


• http://anatomyzone.com/
Revision Courses
• MRCS: 2 days preparations in Liverpool 5th and 6th October 2017
Broadgreen Hospital
• Anatomy prosections: demonstration is useful for anatomy –
recommended
• Waste of money if you haven’t done much revision
• Lots of different courses
• Dr Exam - £549 per course (£999 for both)
• Bradford
• http://www.drexam.co.uk/book-online-now/
• Doctor’s Academy - £385
• Cardiff
• http://doctorsacademy.org/Course/SurgicalAnatomyandmockOSCE/Home.htm
• RSM - £399 - £499
• London
• https://www.rsm.ac.uk/events/events-listing/2014-2015/groups/rsm-
professionals/rpf34-mrcs-part-b-revision-course.aspx
Past Paper Questions
• Very important to use these for practice
• There are lots flying around the internet and from previous
candidates
• Questions get repeated
• There are some less obvious topics which come up e.g:
• TB
• Giant Cell Arteritis
• Rheumatic Fever and Infective endocarditis
• Reactive post-op depression
Specifics
• Anatomy
• Get a skull – very useful for vivas as cranial fossa is examined
repeatedly
• Get some bones – e.g. Femur, ulna, radius, vertebrae

• Critical care and Physiology


❑ 7th September, whole day Ajay Sharma and possibly one more in
January 2018
❑ Ask a friendly anaesthetist if they would be willing to teach your
group some topics
❑In the exam, anaesthetists often examine these stations

• Surgical procedures e.g. excision of skin naevus


• Practice at work under exam conditions
• Simulate at home and examine each other
• Easy to fail if they haven’t been practiced
Study leave
• If your boss will let you

• Ask if you can attend clinics for Orthopaedics,


Breast/Endocrine, Vascular, Urology if you have not done
these jobs before
• https://www.passthemrcs.co.uk
The Exam
• Check you have the right date!
• Don’t miss your train!
• Get a nice hotel
• Get an early night
Practice
• At every opportunity
• Seeing patients
• Presenting to senior colleagues
• Viva practice
• Deliberate practice
• Listen to what you’re saying and think(!)
• Study groups
• Best way to practice
• Feedback and learn from others
• Revise and prepare specific scenarios
Turn it into a strength
• Communication skills assessed in all
stations
• It may be obvious ...
• Or not so obvious ...
• Easy marks to gain and may ‘sway’
examiners
• Think, structure and respond
• Insight into clarity of thought,
prioritisation, organisation of ideas,
decision making
• Aim to have a subservient but
confident and professional
discussion with a senior colleague
Summary
• Don’t underestimate the communication skills elements of the
examination
• (Even if you think your communication skills are good)
• Make sure you know the game
• Deliberate practice at every opportunity
• Remember your communication skills are being continually
assessed – use it to your advantage!

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