MRCS Part A 2026–2027: Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility, Syllabus and Preparation

MRCS Part A 2026–2027: Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility, Syllabus and Preparation

MRCS Part A is the written stage of the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons examination. It tests your ability to apply basic science and surgical knowledge through 300 single best answer questions across two papers.

If you are preparing alongside internship, residency or a busy clinical job, the difficult part is often deciding where to start. Which sitting should you choose? How much will it cost? What should you read, and how do you know whether your question-bank scores reflect real progress?

This guide brings together the exam essentials and a practical preparation plan, with specific advice for candidates in India.

Exam information checked: 25 September 2026. Check your chosen Royal College’s booking page before applying. Study schedules below are suggested frameworks, not official requirements or guarantees of success.

MRCS Part A exam format

Both papers take place on the same day, with a break between them. Questions use the single best answer format. There is no negative marking. Official content guide.

That gives you an average of one minute per question. Practise making a reasoned decision within that time, then moving on. A difficult question should not cost you the opportunity to answer several easier ones.

The examination is delivered at Pearson computer test centres. Computer-based delivery does not mean you can sit it from home. Pearson delivery information.

MRCS Part A eligibility: can you apply after MBBS?

You need an acceptable primary medical qualification. Under the January 2025 regulations, you must have completed all degree requirements, including any required internship or training placements, and hold formal evidence of completion. Passing final MBBS examinations alone may therefore be insufficient.

An MS or DNB is not an entry requirement. Check your documents against the current intercollegiate regulations, particularly if you are finishing internship or awaiting your completion certificate.

Practical advice: you can start studying before you become eligible. Keep your preparation timetable separate from your eligibility and application checks so that an administrative delay does not derail your plan.

MRCS Part A exam dates: 2026 and upcoming 2027 sittings

The September 2026 examination has already taken place. The following dates are published by RCS England:

Source: RCS England MRCS Part A. Confirm your chosen college’s deadline and booking conditions.

Choose a sitting by working backwards from the examination. Put annual leave, night duties, rotations and family commitments into your calendar first. Then count the weeks in which you can realistically study. A plan built around your actual rota is more useful than an ambitious daily target that lasts a fortnight.

MRCS Part A fees in India: 2026 and 2027

ICBSE has announced a base fee increase from £650 to £670 from 1 January 2027. Its India guidance specifies an additional 18% tax for examinations taken in India.

The India totals are calculations from the published base fees and tax rate, not live checkout quotations. For example, Glasgow currently displays £790 for January 2027 in India, while £670 × 1.18 gives £790.60; use the amount confirmed by your chosen college rather than assuming identical displayed totals. Glasgow fee listing. Confirm the final amount with your college. Your rupee cost will also depend on the payment exchange rate and any card or currency-conversion charges.

Sources: ICBSE 2027 fee announcement and official India tax FAQ.

When budgeting, allow for preparation resources, transport and accommodation if your allocated centre requires travel. Avoid making non-refundable travel arrangements before confirming your centre.

MRCS Part A requirements: England, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ireland

MRCS Part A is an intercollegiate examination. The four colleges use the same examination and common eligibility regulations. You apply through one college for a sitting; the administrative steps and supporting documents depend on that college.

Eligibility shared by all four colleges

You must hold an acceptable primary medical qualification, with all required degree components, including any compulsory internship, completed. Overseas qualifications must be acceptable to the colleges. You do not need an MS, DNB or a specified number of years in surgical training to apply. If your qualification or completion certificate is unclear, seek confirmation from your chosen college before paying.

Source: Intercollegiate MRCS regulations.

College-by-college application checklist

Requirements checked on 25 September 2026. Use your chosen college’s current application instructions for certification, translations and deadlines. Do not assume that submitting documents to one college transfers them to another.

Which college should you choose?

Choose on the basis of application support, published fees, administrative convenience and your future college preferences. There is no easier Part A paper at a different college. Mortimer Green’s MRCS Part A preparation is relevant whichever of the four colleges you apply through because the examination is common to all four.

How to register and book your centre

1. Check eligibility and select one college for your sitting.
2. Complete its application, payment and document requirements by the specified deadlines.
3. Follow the Pearson invitation to book your test-centre seat within the designated window.
4. Save both confirmations and check that your name and identification meet the exam-day instructions.

College registration and Pearson seat booking are separate steps. Monitor both sets of emails, including spam. If you cannot secure a seat, contact Pearson and your college during the booking window rather than waiting until it closes. RCSI booking guidance.

MRCS Part A centres in India

Use the centre availability shown for your sitting when the Pearson booking window opens. A centre operating in a city does not necessarily mean MRCS seats will be available there on your chosen date. Monitor your email, including spam, after applying. Official Pearson guidance.

MRCS Part A syllabus: where should you focus?

The official content guide provides the following broad question distribution. Use the linked guide for the complete syllabus and any updates.

Source: ICBSE content guide, linked from candidate guidance. The linked guide is dated August 2021; use current Pearson instructions for exam-day procedures.

How to turn the syllabus into revision

For anatomy, work region by region. After reading, close the book and sketch the relationships you need to remember. Label structures on an image without checking the answer first. A diagram you can reproduce is a better progress check than a page you recognise.

For physiology, explain mechanisms in your own words. When you miss a question, work out which relationship you misunderstood rather than copying the entire explanation into your notes.

For clinical questions, identify what the stem is asking: diagnosis, initial assessment, immediate management or definitive treatment. Answering a different question from the one asked can lose a mark even when your underlying knowledge is sound.

Use syllabus weighting to allocate time, then adjust for your weaknesses. Do not abandon smaller subjects altogether: a compact revision session may resolve a recurring gap more efficiently than another evening on your strongest topic.

What is the MRCS Part A pass mark?

There is no permanent pass percentage. ICBSE uses an Angoff-based standard-setting process, with statistical review and marker questions to maintain standards between sittings. Official standard-setting explanation.

Candidates must meet the required minimum competence in each paper and the combined passing standard. Examination regulations.

What should you aim for in mock tests?

Use scores to track learning, not predict a guaranteed result. A high score on questions you have already seen is different from the same score on an unfamiliar timed paper.

Track four things: first-attempt accuracy, time taken, weak subjects and repeated errors. Also review correct answers that you guessed. Those are unresolved gaps that an overall percentage can hide.

Pass mark and pass rate mean different things: the pass mark is the threshold for passing; the pass rate is the proportion of candidates who pass a sitting. A historical pass rate does not tell you the score you need next time.

How long does MRCS Part A preparation take?

Start with a diagnostic question set before choosing your timetable. The useful question is how much revision you need, given your baseline and available study time.

These are planning suggestions, not measured preparation-time averages. Extend the schedule if you cannot complete question review, revision and timed practice without sacrificing sleep or safe clinical work.

A practical 12-week MRCS Part A study plan

Build your preparation around daily practice with the Mortimer Green MRCS Part A MCQ bank, regular revision and attendance at Mortimer Green Test & Discussion sessions. Attempt the assigned test before the discussion, bring questions you could not explain, and revise the learning points afterwards.

The timetable below is a suggested study framework, not the published T&D teaching calendar. Align your topics with the confirmed batch timetable where practical. Contact Mortimer Green for the upcoming T&D batch and enrolment.

Keep some anatomy revision running throughout the later weeks. Introduce mixed clinical questions early enough to become comfortable with both papers. Use a suitable full-length mock resource for exam simulation; this timetable does not imply that every listed assessment format is included in the MCQ-bank subscription.

Make Test & Discussion part of your weekly routine

Attend Mortimer Green’s MRCS Part A Test & Discussion sessions as part of your preparation. Use the live teaching to work through reasoning that remains unclear after self-study.

• Before the session: revise the announced topic and attempt the assigned test without looking up answers. Write down why you chose each uncertain answer.
• During the session: compare your reasoning with the faculty explanation and ask about the step you missed.
• Within 48 hours: update your error log and practise related questions from the Mortimer Green MCQ bank.
• The following week: revisit those concepts without opening your notes first.

Reserve the session time plus a separate review block. On a T&D day, replace part of your usual study session with the discussion and follow-up, rather than adding an unrealistic extra workload.

Explore Mortimer Green Test & Discussion. Confirm the upcoming batch dates, access and subscription inclusions with the team; do not assume that MCQ-bank access automatically includes T&D.

A two-hour study session alongside clinical work

Try 20 minutes revisiting earlier mistakes, 40 minutes answering questions from the Mortimer Green MRCS Part A MCQ bank, 45 minutes reviewing explanations and 15 minutes revising one weak concept. Adjust the balance when explanations need more time.

On a heavy duty day, make the task smaller: review five errors or complete a short question set. On a lighter day, work through a longer timed block. The timetable should survive an imperfect week.

Keep an error log you will actually reread

For each useful mistake, record the topic, why you chose the wrong answer and the single fact or reasoning step that would have changed your decision. Tag it as a knowledge gap, misreading, reasoning error or time-pressure error.

Review those tags each week. If misreading dominates, another textbook may not solve the problem. If a subject repeatedly appears, give it a deliberate revision block.

MRCS Part A books and question banks: what do you need?

Use the Mortimer Green MRCS Part A MCQ bank as your main question-practice resource, supported by the official syllabus, reference texts, concise revision notes and Test & Discussion sessions. Adding resources is useful only when it solves a specific problem.

The official reading list includes Last’s Anatomy, Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, Robbins Basic Pathology and Bailey & Love’s Short Practice of Surgery. Its edition references are historical; consult current editions and current guidance where relevant. Official reading list.

Use textbooks selectively. Read a topic, test yourself, then return to the section that explains your mistake. You do not need to make finishing several large books your first milestone.

How to choose an MRCS Part A question bank

Look at a sample explanation before subscribing. Does it explain the reasoning? Does it help you distinguish plausible alternatives? Can you practise by topic and assess yourself under time pressure? Check that access lasts until your examination.

A large question count is useful only if you can review what you get wrong. Leave time in your plan for a second pass through difficult concepts and unfamiliar mixed questions.

Are recalls enough?

Treat preparation resources as ways to learn concepts. No provider can reliably promise that a particular proportion of the next examination will appear in its bank. Pattern familiarity should support understanding, not replace it.

Seven mistakes that make preparation harder

1. Reading for weeks before attempting questions. Start early enough to discover what you cannot yet apply.
2. Counting completed questions as mastery. Separate first attempts from repeats.
3. Ignoring correct guesses. Review answers you could not confidently explain.
4. Focusing only on a favourite subject. Use the whole syllabus and your performance record.
5. Writing notes too long to revise. Capture the specific correction you need.
6. Leaving timed practice until the final week. Identify pacing and stamina problems while there is time to respond.
7. Copying somebody else’s timetable. Build around your own rota, baseline and responsibilities.

MRCS Part A attempts and progression to Part B

The usual limit is six Part A attempts across the colleges; changing college does not reset it. An additional attempt may be granted under the applicable policy. Part B must normally be passed within seven years of Part A. Current regulations.

Passing Part A alone does not confer the MRCS diploma. ICBSE candidate guidance.

If you are resitting, begin with your official feedback. Decide what will change before paying for another attempt: the depth of your revision, question review, pacing, protected study time or support with difficult topics.

Prepare for MRCS Part A with Mortimer Green

Mortimer Green brings together MRCS Part A question practice and teaching from faculty including Dr Rohan Khandelwal and Dr Vinayak Rengan. Its resources include explanations and topic-based practice, alongside Test & Discussion teaching.

Use the question bank to identify a gap, revise the concept and return to it later. Bring persistent doubts to discussion sessions so you understand why an answer is correct.

Check current plans and access periods before subscribing. For help choosing a plan, contact the team on WhatsApp or email info@mortimergreen.org.

MRCS Part A question bank and preparation: frequently asked questions