Revision Notes for the MRCS Viva

by Kanchana Sundaramurthy

This is a unique book which aims to enable the MRCS viva candidate to score maximum marks. Though 18 out of 24 is the pass mark for the exam, being awarded the full 24 marks is what every candidate should aspire to, and what this book is all about. Answering the MRCS viva is an art. Everything is timed, and the more you answer, the more marks you will score. Speed and accuracy are the two most important qualities examiners look for in your answer. This book will help you to practise for speed and accuracy with your friends before facing the actual examination. The total number of achievable marks is 24, out of which the candidate must score a minimum of 18 to pass, 3 in each subject. If you score 2 in one, you can compensate by scoring 4 in another. But if you score 1 in any of the subjects, you cannot compensate by scoring 4 in two subjects, and you have failed even if your total score is 18 or more. There are traditionally three sets of examiners, paired as Physiology and Critical Care, Pathology and Principles of Surgery, Anatomy and Operative Surgery. Each of them questions you for ten minutes, at the end of which the bell rings. You should aim to answer as many questions as possible in those ten minutes. Three topics are taken in quick succession by each examiner, and three questions are asked in each topic. The first question is the basic one, where definitions are asked; the second one is more pointed and the third one is still more pointed. A fourth question is asked if you excel in answering the first three. As an example, in pathology, the first question might be: “What is an abscess?”; the second one might be: “Give me some examples of abscesses”; the third one: “What are the different types of peri-anal abscess?”; and if you are fast enough in answering those, there may be a fourth: “How will you treat them?”. Then the examiner will switch abruptly to the next topic and start with another definition. If a sufficient number of fourth questions is asked, you are assured of four marks. The topics given in this book are taken from the official MRCS syllabus of the Royal College of Surgeons, and the book is structured in such a way that each topic answers the four questions most likely to be asked by examiners. The purpose of this book is not to help you score three in each subject, but four. There are candidates who have prepared for the MRCS viva using material from this book and who have scored 23 out of 24, and this should be the aim of each candidate preparing for the exam. Revising from this book will boost your confidence to such a degree that scoring 24/24 need no longer be a dream.

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