Mr T Murray Wow, what a difference a year makes. This time last year I was staring down the barrel revising for my 6th and final attempt of the MRCS Part A. 1 year and two simply superb SMASHING Education courses later – I’ve completed MRCS. Words simply cannot describe how grateful I am to both Mr Pathak and Safeena for their expertise, help and support during this extremely stressful period. Both courses are a cut-above the rest. In the past, I have subscribed to other online-courses and question banks yet still struggled with Part A. What makes Smashing Education different is that it targets high yield topics, is interactive and most importantly has Mr Pathak. Mr Pathak’s way of teaching is learner-centre, and utilises interactive and participative methods. Not only this, he uses his own knowledge and experience to break-down core principles into digestible and understandable chunks to the point where you feel yourself having those eureka moments asking yourself “how on earth is such a simple concept made to seem so complicated in the text books?!”. The Part A course is not focussed on rote learning like other courses out there, this is focussed on giving you the tools to fully understand the core surgical principles examined in the Part A and in practice. As a result, I have found myself utilising the knowledge gained every day in my own practice, in my clinical decision making and also when educating my peers and medical students on the wards. The MCQ day is invaluable, with significant attention to detail with regards to how questions are written, what they are testing and how exam technique is fundamental in passing the exam. The Part B course was equally invaluable. The course is spread over 6 weeks, giving you time to digest and learn key anatomy, pathology and ACCS principles before being tested via mock OSCEs close to the date of the exam. You can tell that Mr Pathak and Safeena has spent a great deal of time reviewing their course content and identifying the high yield topics of examination. The delivery of information is slick, efficient and most importantly memorable. The Anatomy and OSCE days are superb. Having access to prosections, along with Mr Pathak’s teaching makes anatomy so much easier to remember and explain. The OSCE day with practice ACCS stations with Dr Groves and communication stations with Edmund were extremely useful in understanding the layout of the examination as well as how to present your answers. There was also time set aside for constructive feedback that allowed all candidates to reflect and identify gaps in their skillset/knowledge. I felt that the Part B course not only gave me the knowledge, but also insight into how the stations will be run and how you will be tested. The course gave me the tools to present my answers succinctly and professionally. As a result, when walking into the college on exam day I felt completely prepared and confident in my own ability to pass. Trust the process, trust the course, it works and I can assure you, you won't be disappointed with the end result.