# Practising for Paediatric Surgery (FRCS Paediatric Surgery oral) with MedMock

Canonical page: https://medmock.com/exams/paediatric-surgery-frcs-paediatric-surgery-oral

## What is the FRCS Paediatric Surgery viva, and how do you practise for it?

FRCS (Paediatric Surgery) Section 2, set by the JCIE, has 45 minutes of Short Cases (three 15-minute clinical scenarios in neonatal surgery, oncology and urology), 45 minutes of Intermediate Cases (two 15-minute cases with volunteers and one 15-minute clinical scenario on emergency and trauma and general and gastrointestinal surgery), and three 40-minute orals: urology and neonatal urology; oncology and endocrine, and general and gastrointestinal surgery; neonatal surgery, and emergency surgery and trauma. MedMock runs the three orals, the three Short Cases and the scenario-based Intermediate Case by voice. The two volunteer Intermediate Cases need a patient present, so they are not simulated. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI examiner, with examiner-style feedback on any question you finish.

## What happens in the real FRCS Paediatric Surgery (checked against the official source on 2026-09-27)

Section 2 of the FRCS (Paediatric Surgery) is the clinical part of the exam, taken after passing the written Section 1. It has 45 minutes of Short Cases (three 15-minute cases in neonatal surgery, oncology and urology, each using clinical scenarios), 45 minutes of Intermediate Cases (two 15-minute cases with volunteer patients and one 15-minute clinical scenario on emergency/trauma and general/gastrointestinal surgery), and three 40-minute orals, each covering two topic areas. Examiners mark against the JCIE's marking descriptors on a scale of 4 to 8, and the pass standard is set at the level of a day one consultant in the generality of the specialty.

- **Clinical: Short Cases** (45 minutes): Three 15-minute cases, one each in neonatal surgery, oncology and urology. Clinical scenarios are used for each case.
- **Clinical: Intermediate Cases** (45 minutes): Two 15-minute cases with volunteers, who are past or present patients relevant to the specialty recruited by the host examiner, and one 15-minute clinical scenario on emergency/trauma and general/gastrointestinal surgery.
- **Oral 1: Urology; Urology & Neonatal Urology** (40 minutes): A 40-minute oral, one of three structured interview scenarios. The regulations list its two topic headings as 'Urology' and 'Urology & Neonatal Urology'.
- **Oral 2: Oncology & Endocrine; General & Gastro-Intestinal Surgery** (40 minutes): A 40-minute oral covering oncology and endocrine, and general and gastrointestinal surgery.
- **Oral 3: Neonatal Surgery; Emergency Surgery & Trauma** (40 minutes): A 40-minute oral covering neonatal surgery, and emergency surgery and trauma.

Marking: Examiners use the JCIE marking descriptors, a rating scale from 4 to 8 covering basic knowledge, higher order processing, clinical skills and professionalism. A 4 describes poor basic knowledge and a lack of understanding to a level of concern; a 6 describes competent knowledge, no major errors and safe practice; an 8 describes excellent basic knowledge and knowing the breadth and depth of the topic.

Passing: The JCIE states that the pass mark is set 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 or how the marks are combined.

Sources: https://www.jcie.org.uk/Utils/DocumentGenerator.aspx?Type=CMS&docID=e126d3db-795a-4267-8749-ac00ac40036d https://www.jcie.org.uk/content/content.aspx?ID=18 https://www.jcie.org.uk/Utils/DocumentGenerator.aspx?Type=CMS&docID=386bbc69-2612-4727-8ed5-a0d8808ba9e7 https://www.jcie.org.uk/Utils/DocumentGenerator.aspx?Type=CMS&docID=58EA3EC7-DE60-4160-9D15-D8757F511D14 https://www.jcie.org.uk/content/content.aspx?ID=8 https://www.jcie.org.uk/Utils/DocumentGenerator.aspx?Type=CMS&docID=52bb7306-cbbd-4bd9-ba1e-f3d597feeb03 https://www.jcie.org.uk/content/content.aspx?ID=7
Full format page: https://medmock.com/exams/paediatric-surgery-frcs-paediatric-surgery-oral/format

Upcoming sittings: from 17 March 2027 (Liverpool); from 22 September 2027 (Dublin) (source: JCIE (the four surgical Royal Colleges), checked 2026-09-23).
All FRCS Paediatric Surgery dates: https://medmock.com/exams/paediatric-surgery-frcs-paediatric-surgery-oral#dates

## Stations you can practise

- **Oral 1** — Structured viva on urology and neonatal urology — antenatal hydronephrosis, PUJ obstruction, posterior urethral valves, VUR, hypospadias, undescended testes, testicular torsion, bladder exstrophy, multicystic dysplastic kidney, duplex systems, neuropathic bladder, paediatric stones.
- **Oral 2** — Structured viva on oncology and endocrine plus general and gastro-intestinal surgery — Wilms, neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, sacrococcygeal teratoma, thyroid lumps, branchial / thyroglossal anomalies, phaeochromocytoma, choledochal cyst, appendicitis, IBD, Hirschsprung's, GORD/fundoplication, pectus.
- **Oral 3** — Structured viva on neonatal surgery and emergency surgery and trauma — gastroschisis, exomphalos, CDH, OA-TOF, duodenal atresia, biliary atresia, NEC, midgut volvulus, ARM, meconium ileus, paediatric blunt and penetrating trauma, burns, button battery, NAI safeguarding.
- **Short Case – Neonatal Surgery** — Short Case in neonatal surgery, run on clinical scenarios discussed with the examiners. No patient is present.
- **Short Case – Oncology** — Short Case in paediatric surgical oncology, run on clinical scenarios discussed with the examiners. No patient is present.
- **Short Case – Urology** — Short Case in paediatric urology, run on clinical scenarios discussed with the examiners. No patient is present.
- **Intermediate Case – Emergency, Trauma and GI Scenario** — The scenario-based Intermediate Case: emergency and trauma, and general and gastrointestinal paediatric surgery, discussed with the examiners. The other two Intermediate Cases use real volunteers and are not simulated.

## Sample FRCS Paediatric Surgery questions

- *Oral 1:* A newborn boy with antenatal bilateral hydronephrosis has a palpable bladder and poor stream. How would you assess and manage him?
- *Oral 3:* A 3-year-old has been hit by a car and on CT has a Grade IV splenic injury with active blush. They are haemodynamically stable. Discuss your management of paediatric splenic trauma.
- *Oral 3:* How would you assess and stabilise a newborn with anorectal malformation?

## Example scenarios

- *Oral 1:* A 6-month-old with PUJ obstruction has a split function of 32% and worsening hydronephrosis on serial scans. Talk me through your management, including the operative steps and key hazards of Anderson-Hynes pyeloplasty.
- *Oral 2:* A 3-year-old has a 9 cm renal mass on CT and microscopic haematuria. Discuss your management of Wilms tumour per the UK SIOP-RTSG protocol — including pre-operative chemotherapy, radical nephroureterectomy with lymph node sampling, and post-operative risk stratification.
- *Oral 3:* A newborn with prenatal polyhydramnios fails to pass NG tube and has a gastric bubble on CXR. Discuss your management of oesophageal atresia with distal TOF — including Replogle suction, VACTERL workup, right thoracotomy, fistula division and primary anastomosis, and the Spitz prognostic groups.

## How a practice session works

1. **Choose a question** — Pick from the FRCS Paediatric Surgery questions — all 7 that MedMock runs, or let MedMock surprise you the way exam day will.
2. **Have the conversation** — Speak naturally, out loud. The AI examiner listens, follows up and probes further, exactly like the viva.
3. **Get instant feedback** — The moment you finish, you get specific, examiner-style feedback and a score — what you did well, what cost you marks, and precisely what to fix before the next attempt.

## Price

Start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits (30 minutes of speaking practice), not a subscription. After that, or instead, £119 per month for 600 credits. One credit is one minute of spoken practice, or two typed exchanges, and where the examiner or patient speaks first, that opening line is free. Examiner scorecards, mark schemes and model answers for finished sessions are included at no extra credit cost. Cancel at any time. Full details: https://medmock.com/pricing

## Frequently asked questions

### How does the feedback work?

When you finish a question you can have it marked, and the scorecard comes back in seconds — what you did well, what cost you marks, and exactly what to work on next. Scorecards, mark schemes and model answers are included at no extra credit cost.

### Can I practise specific FRCS Paediatric Surgery questions?

Yes. You can pick any of the 7 questions to drill a weak area, or run a mixed set to simulate the real exam.

### How much does it cost?

You can start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits, which is 30 minutes of speaking practice, with no subscription. After that, or at any time, you can choose a monthly plan, which includes a monthly credit allowance. Current prices are on the pricing page.

## About MedMock

MedMock is a web app for practising the spoken parts of UK medical and dental exams and interviews out loud. The candidate talks; an AI patient, examiner or interview panel answers in real time by voice; and when the station ends MedMock marks the performance against that exam's assessment domains and shows the model answer.

It covers 104 spoken exams and interviews — OSCEs, vivas, structured oral exams, simulated consultations, and specialty-training and consultant interviews. It does not cover written or multiple-choice papers, and it is not a question bank.

It was founded by Mr Sam Nahas, MBBS BSc MEd FRCS (Tr & Orth), a practising consultant orthopaedic surgeon in the UK, with co-founder and CTO Arjan Jandu. It is operated by VirtualPatients Ltd (company no. 16303492).

Pricing: a one-off £5 taster of 30 credits to try it (not a subscription, one per account), and a monthly subscription from £20 to £129 depending on the exam (student exams cost least, fellowship exit exams and consultant interviews most), or £199 to £275 for the Intensive plans, which carry more credits. One credit is one minute of spoken practice, or two typed exchanges, and where the examiner or patient speaks first, that opening line is free. Examiner scorecards, mark schemes and model answers for finished sessions are included at no extra credit cost. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

It runs in a web browser on a laptop or phone; spoken practice needs a microphone. There is no public demo: practice needs an account with credits, usually from the taster or a monthly plan.

MedMock is for adults aged 18 or over. Sign-up asks every new account to confirm it.

MedMock is a revision tool. The patients, examiners and cases are fictional and AI-generated; it is not clinical guidance and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any Royal College, the GMC, the GDC or any examining body.

Start with the £5 taster: https://medmock.com/auth/signup