EssentialFRCSThe question bank for
FRCS Section 1
Exam-style single-best-answer questions mapped to the General Surgery syllabus, written by UK consultant-level surgeons — with an explanation for every single answer.
Your syllabus progress
On trackBuilt for how surgeons revise
Everything you need to pass Section 1, and nothing you don’t.
Every answer explained
No bare answer letters. Each question ends with a concise teaching point so you learn the principle, not just the fact.
Timed mock exams
Sit exam-style papers against the clock, then review every question with full explanations and a per-topic breakdown.
Image-based questions
CT, MRI and clinical images displayed properly, with zoom, the way you will meet them in the exam and in practice.
Progress that means something
Coverage and accuracy tracked topic by topic against the syllabus, so you always know where to spend your next hour.
Flag, note, revisit
Flag hard questions, keep private notes, and re-run only the ones you got wrong until they stick.
Works on any device
Full experience on your phone, tablet or laptop. Ten minutes in the coffee room is ten minutes of revision.
Mapped to the syllabus
Questions are organised exactly as the exam is, so your progress maps directly onto what you will be tested on. Open any topic to see what it covers and try a question. Full syllabus.
Part I — Applied Basic Sciences
Part II — Principles of Surgery in General
- •Peri-operative management
- •Critical care
- •Trauma
- •Infection and sepsis
- •Nutrition
- •Wound healing
- •Fluid and electrolyte management
- •Haemostasis and thrombosis
- •Oncology
- •Transplantation and immunology
- •Surgical technology, imaging and endoscopy
- •Ethics, consent, communication, governance and research principles
Part III — Major Clinical Specialty Areas
- •Upper gastrointestinal surgery
- •Colorectal surgery
- •Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery
- •Breast surgery
- •Endocrine surgery
- •Vascular surgery
- •Transplantation surgery
- •Emergency general surgery
- •Trauma surgery
- •Hernia and abdominal wall
- •Skin, soft tissue and sarcoma
- •Paediatric surgery
- •Urology for the general surgeon
- •Bariatric and metabolic surgery
Simple pricing
One payment, full access, no auto-renewal. Regional pricing at checkout.
Questions, answered
What does EssentialFRCS cover?+
Section 1 of the FRCS (General Surgery) examination: single best answer questions across Applied Basic Sciences, Principles of Surgery in General and the Major Clinical Specialty Areas, mapped to the syllabus topic by topic, plus a bank of image-based questions.
What is FRCS Section 1?+
Section 1 is the written part of the Intercollegiate FRCS (General Surgery) exit examination, set by the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations. It is a single best answer paper covering basic sciences, the principles of surgery in general and the whole of clinical general surgery at the level expected of a new consultant. Candidates must pass Section 1 before sitting the Section 2 clinical and oral examination.
Who writes the questions?+
Questions and explanations are written and reviewed by UK-based surgeons with FRCS experience, and updated in response to candidate feedback. Every explanation gives the reasoning for the correct option, why each distractor is wrong, a key point and the guideline or trial it rests on.
Is there a free trial?+
Yes. Creating an account is free, needs no card, and lets you answer questions in every part of the syllabus with the same explanations subscribers see. Nothing converts into a charge.
How do subscriptions work?+
Plans are fixed-term passes rather than recurring subscriptions: pay once with a card via Stripe and your access ends on the date shown on your account page. Nothing renews automatically. If you buy a further period before the first ends, it is added to the end of your current access.
Are the questions like the real exam?+
They follow the format of the paper: a clinical scenario, a question and five options with one best answer. Questions are pitched at the standard of the exam, and a set of advanced questions goes further, testing the specific thresholds and criteria in the guidelines that govern UK surgical practice.
More on the FAQ page, or try the sample questions.
Start revising properly today
Free to try, in every part of the syllabus. No card needed.
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