What is the MRCS Part B?

The MRCS Part B exam is the second and final step toward becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS). This exam is an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) designed to assess a candidate’s clinical skills, procedural knowledge, communication abilities, and applied surgical knowledge.

Exam Structure

The MRCS Part B consists of 17 examined OSCE stations over roughly 3 hours 30 minutes, divided into two domains (officially called Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills):

Occasionally, an extra pilot station is included for testing new scenarios, but it does not contribute to the final score. However, candidates are not informed which station is the pilot.

Passing Criteria

To pass MRCS Part B, candidates must pass both the Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills domains at the same sitting. There is no overall pass mark, so a high score in one section will not compensate for failure in the other. The pass mark for each domain is set for each exam sitting.

Pass rates in the latest published ICBSE annual report were 56.75% (October 2023, 911 candidates), 62.25% (February 2024, 800 candidates) and 58.93% (May 2024, 750 candidates).

Passing the exam is essential for full membership to one of the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons:

• Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

These colleges jointly administer the intercollegiate MRCS exam, ensuring a standardised assessment across institutions.

For those pursuing a surgical career in the UK or Ireland, passing this exam is a requirement before advancing to ST3 training or becoming a surgical registrar. For international medical graduates (IMGs), MRCS is one of the postgraduate qualifications that may support an application for GMC registration without sitting the PLAB or UKMLA; check the GMC's current list of accepted qualifications before relying on this route.

The MRCS Part B exam is conducted three times a year in the UK and Ireland. The 2027 RCS England diets are:

• 30 January to 14 February 2027 (apply by 19 November 2026)
• 8 to 23 May 2027 (apply by 25 March 2027)
• 2 to 17 October 2027 (apply by 22 July 2027)

The other colleges run diets in the same months (RCSI Dublin: 3–4 February, 11–12 May and 5–6 October 2027). UK results take about four weeks; international results can take up to nine weeks.

For international candidates, the colleges run overseas sittings through the year. Venues published for 2026/27 include:

• Cairo and Alexandria
• Abu Dhabi and Bahrain
• Hyderabad, Chennai and Kerala
• Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad
• Colombo
• Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Sabah

Eligibility

To be eligible for the MRCS Part B exam, candidates must have passed MRCS Part A within the last seven years. Each candidate is allowed a maximum of four attempts, though in exceptional cases, an additional attempt may be granted at the discretion of the Royal College.

Upon passing MRCS Part B, the candidate officially becomes a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Membership is granted by the college where Part B is taken, regardless of where Part A was completed. For example, suppose a candidate passes Part A with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland but takes Part B with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In that case, they will be admitted as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh upon passing.

Exam Format

Here’s what to expect on the day:

Make sure you arrive early! There will be a briefing just before the exam begins

It consists of 2 circuits with 17 stations in total

• Knowledge (8 stations)
• Skills (9 stations)

Each station is worth 20 marks

Each station lasts 10 minutes in total with:

• 1 minute outside the station to read the instructions
• 9 minutes inside the station to complete the task

A bell will sound at 6 minutes to help manage your time.

Knowledge Stations

The Knowledge Stations consist of:

• 3 Surgical Anatomy stations
• 2 Surgical Pathology stations
• 3 Critical Care stations

During these stations, examiners will ask questions based on specific clinical scenarios outlined in the instructions. As expected, these stations focus on core surgical principles.

In Anatomy stations, candidates may encounter cadaveric specimens, bones, or printed/digital images as part of the assessment. Unlike skills stations, the 6-minute bell holds little significance in knowledge stations.

Clinical Skills Stations

The Skills Stations include:

• 3 Clinical Examination stations
• 2 History Taking stations
• 2 Communication stations
• 2 Procedure stations

Most of these stations involve simulated patients, where candidates must demonstrate clinical skills. The 6-minute bell signals the end of the practical task (e.g., examination or history taking). The remaining 3 minutes are reserved for follow-up questions from the examiner, based on the clinical scenario. Since tasks must be completed within 6 minutes, time management is crucial, and many candidates find this to be one of the biggest challenges.