Questions, answered
What candidates ask us most about the exam and about EssentialFRCS.
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.
Can I practise by topic, and sit timed mock exams?
Yes. Practice mode lets you choose one or several topics and works through them in a random order with the explanation after each answer. Exam mode draws a timed paper across the syllabus and gives a per-topic breakdown afterwards. You can flag questions, keep private notes and re-run only the ones you got wrong.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. The whole platform is built for phone-sized screens as well as tablets and laptops, with no app to install. Your progress syncs across devices, and a student account can be signed in on two devices at once.
Is EssentialFRCS suitable for MRCS or other surgical exams?
It is written for FRCS (General Surgery) Section 1. The Applied Basic Sciences and Principles of Surgery parts overlap with MRCS Part A and with other surgical specialty exit exams, but the clinical specialty paper and the level of the questions are set for the FRCS. London MedAcademy also runs EssentialMRCS for the MRCS examination.
How do I get help with a question or my account?
Every question has a feedback button that sends your comment to the team with the question attached, and signed-in students can message the team from the Contact us page in the app. For anything else, email londonmedacademy@gmail.com.
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