FRCS General Surgery practice

How to prepare for the FRCS General Surgery

Section 2 of the FRCS (General Surgery) tests you at the level of a day one consultant through two clinical sessions and four 30-minute orals, so prepare for structured conversations that move from a scenario to consultant-level decisions you can justify with published evidence. The format page lists every session. Revise to the level the JCIE regulations set for each area, practise appraising a paper for the Academic Foundation, and rehearse the clinical sessions with real patients, because the long cases use volunteers.

What happens in the FRCS General Surgery exam: parts, timings and marking An example FRCS General Surgery station, with example feedback FRCS General Surgery dates and countdown

Step by step

  1. 1

    Revise to the level set for each area

    The regulations say the examination reflects the curriculum levels: in the general surgery components, elective and emergency general surgery are examined to ST8, upper GI and colorectal to ST6, and transplant, breast, endocrine and vascular to ST4. Your declared special interest is examined to day one consultant (ST8) level. Plan revision from the ISCP curriculum and the JCIE syllabus blueprint.

  2. 2

    Practise orals that escalate

    The JCIE's guidelines for question writers say oral questions should progress logically, increasing in complexity towards the tasks of a day one consultant, and use open questions that ask you to apply knowledge and justify decisions, with 'what if?' and 'and why?' follow-ups. Practise with a consultant who will keep pushing past your first answer.

  3. 3

    Aim for answers that need little prompting

    In the JCIE marking descriptors a 6 describes competent knowledge, no major errors and safe practice, with adequate responses needing no or minimal prompting, while a 7 or 8 adds supporting evidence. Record your mock orals and check whether you reached decisions without being led.

  4. 4

    Know the evidence behind your practice

    The Emergency Surgery/Trauma/Critical Care oral and the Special Interest Clinical Practice oral include discussion of published evidence supporting practice, and question writers are prompted to ask how a recent study would change your management. For each common scenario, know the key trials and national guidance, such as NICE's, and their limits.

  5. 5

    Prepare for the Academic Foundation

    The fourth oral is 15 minutes of basic principles in your special interest, then 15 minutes of Academic Foundation on one generic paper relevant to general surgery, which you get 30 minutes to read. Practise appraising unfamiliar papers in that time: the question, design, results, weaknesses and whether it should change practice.

  6. 6

    Talk through images and data out loud

    Radiographs may be included in any oral, and scenarios can include findings, results and images; short video clips can be viewed up to three times. Practise describing images systematically and saying how they change your management.

  7. 7

    Rehearse the clinical sessions with patients

    Each clinical session has two 10-minute short cases based on clinical scenarios and a 20-minute long case with a volunteer, a past or present patient. The descriptors cover history taking, examination, diagnostic skills and your behaviour towards volunteers, so ask consultants in clinic to watch you assess and present patients against the clock.

  8. 8

    Plan your attempts and booking

    You must pass Section 1 first, and you then have at most four attempts at Section 2 within the 7 years allowed for the whole examination. Section 2 places may be restricted and are allocated in order of your Section 1 application date.

Official resources

Common mistakes examiners report

  • Carrying an unauthorised recording device: breaking the examination rules means you are automatically deemed to have failed. source
  • Arriving late or misreading the timetable: no allowance is made and you normally lose the fee, though it does not count as an attempt. source
  • Withdrawing part-way through: it counts as an attempt and is normally treated as a fail unless you are taken ill and provide a medical certificate dated that day. source
  • Needing a lot of prompting: the descriptors place 'poor responses which required significant prompting' at 5 on the 4 to 8 scale. source

Practise with MedMock

MedMock runs the four Section 2 orals by voice: emergency surgery, trauma and critical care; general surgery principles and clinical practice; and the two special interest orals, including an Academic Foundation discussion of a real published paper you read first. Its special interest orals cover colorectal, oesophagogastric, hepatobiliary and pancreatic, breast, endocrine or transplant surgery. It does not simulate the two clinical sessions, so practise those with patients in clinic.

Practise the FRCS General Surgery viva Free trial, no card needed.

Questions candidates ask

What is the pass mark for Section 2?

The JCIE sets the pass standard at the level of a day one consultant in the generality of the specialty. It does not publish a numerical pass mark for Section 2; examiners mark against its descriptors on a scale of 4 to 8.

How many attempts do I have?

A maximum of four at Section 2, with no re-entry. The limit counts attempts at the Intercollegiate Specialty Examinations and the Joint Surgical Colleges Fellowship Examinations together.

Which special interest will I be examined in?

The one you select when you apply, from breast, colorectal, oesophago-gastric, hepatopancreaticobiliary, endocrine, trauma, renal transplant, or gastrointestinal surgery and the surgery of childhood. You are examined to day one consultant (ST8) level in it.

When do I get my result, and is there feedback?

Section 2 results are available within two weeks. Your result letter includes a breakdown of your performance, and the JCIE says no other feedback can be provided.

How long should I prepare?

The JCIE does not set a preparation time. It helps to start regular mock orals with consultants well before your date, and to keep a running list of the evidence behind your answers in each area.

Sources

Checked on 27 September 2026.

Exams and their regulations change. MedMock is not affiliated with any examining body; always check the current guidance on the official site before you book.