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MRCS PART A REVISION COURSES
We are sympathetically aware that surgical trainees are under immense pressure.
You are clinically dedicated to their patients thus, often only getting time to study during the evenings and weekends. Often, sacrificing time spent with your family and friends. Furthermore, we have all experienced the daunting feeling of opening textbooks after a busy day and becoming overwhelmed!
To alleviate all the pitfalls, we have assembled a dedicated premier faculty consisting of experienced Lecturers, Clinicians, OSCE examiners and FRCS exam question writers.
The MRCS exam has a significant failure rate, let us save you the time, stress and money.
Mr Sanjeev Pathak,
Course Director & Educator
Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer
Consultant
Urological Surgeon
CCrISP & START course instructor
Member of intercollegiate FRCS (Urol) MCQ writing panel
Former Demonstrator in Anatomy - the University of Oxford Medical School
Former RCS SURGICAL Tutor
Over 25 years teaching experience
Mr Pathak has a longstanding passion for teaching
and training medical students,
junior doctors and fellow
consultant colleagues
Member of the
intercollegiate FRCS Urology MCQ writing panel, Part A - The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Member of the National Selection Core Surgical Training ST1 Committee - interview panel
CCrISP and START Course
Instructor - The Royal College of Surgeons of England
Examiner of undergraduate medical students at The University of Sheffield
FRCS Urology Oral examiner, Annual Mock- Yorkshire and Humber deanery
| Sample Video
MRCS Part A 3-day revision course
| MRCS Part A reviews
MRCS Part A 3-day revision course & Mock MCQ day
"
The course was really well organised with excellent communication from the SMASHING Education team.
The course was well thought out and covered all core subjects that are examined. It made me realise my approach to studying and my exam technique were all wrong and I have left the course with increased confidence for my next attempt at MRCS part A.
There was plenty of interaction within the group and there was no pressure to know the answer. Mr Pathak was very approachable and took time to explain more complicated topics. Never did I think I would learn about the neural pathways of the CNS with an anecdote about a Ford Fiesta!
The SMASHING Education Course has been by far the most useful thing I’ve done in preparation for the MRCS. The course makes you focus on what is relevant and the practice questions helped with exam technique. I feel like I understand things more and can see how what was covered on the course can be applied to real life and also the exam.
I’ve used question banks which I still think are useful, but they don’t always require that higher order of thinking that is often needed in the actual exam, and there is also the pitfall of pattern and question recognition which only tests your ability to remember an answer, instead of understand.
"
Surgical Teaching Fellow, Sunderland
MRCS Part A 3-day Live Revision Course,
Attendance | December 2022
UPCOMING LIVE ONLINE COURSES:
September 2023 sitting
Click each course for more details & booking
| MRCS Part A : Full Package
Course Details, Itinerary & Location details
Booking Status: OPEN
| Sheffield: Fri 28th to Sun 30th Jul 23
| MCQ Day: Sun 3rd Sept 23
MRCS Part A Full Package:
> MRCS Part A 3-day Attendance Revision Course
&
> Interactive Mock MCQ Day Live Online
| Location: Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S1 1WB, England
| Dates: Fri 28th to Sun 30th July 23
| Online MCQ day (via Zoom): Sun 3rd September 23
| Price: £450
| Total places: 20
Booking status: OPEN
MRCS Part A 3-day Attendance Revision Course
| Taught by an experienced senior NHS Consultant Surgeon, examiner & RCS Surgical Tutor
| Focused Part A teaching in line with MRCS syllabus
| Easy mnemonics
| Interactive and engaging
The MRCS Part A 3-day revision course will be held currently, in Sheffield and in Belfast.
We have restricted the number of attending delegates. This will ensure the quality of the course delivered is maintained and will allow delegates to interact during the Q&A sessions & MCQ quick session.
The structured lectures will cover the key areas of the MRCS Part A syllabus - Applied Basic Sciences (Anatomy, Pathology and Physiology) and Principles of Surgery in General (Management of trauma, clinical surgical specialities and perioperative and critical care).
Day 1: Basic and Applied Anatomy - Mr Sanjeev Pathak
Day 2: Basic and Applied Pathology and Physiology - Mr Sanjeev Pathak
Day 3: Principles of Surgery in General & Interactive MCQ session - Mr Sanjeev Pathak
* Attendance Course - Dependant on COVID restrictions
Refreshment and a light lunch will be provided.
Please also refer to the recent feedback received from other candidates about the course and instagram.
MRCS Part A Interactive Mock MCQ Day Live Online
| Focused on practicing lots of MCQ's live
| Learn rational behind questions & reasoning for answers
| Exam techniques & tips from a FRCS examiner question writer
| Complements teaching from 3-day revision course
Due to the popular demand for this course, the MCQ day has been limited to delegates who have booked the 3 day revision course in Sheffield.
The interactive Mock MCQ day will cover a range of topics from the MRCS syllabus. This day complements the teaching from the revision course as we go through many questions and explain using the mnemonics from the course which will help you to memorise these for the exam.
Unlike a question bank, you will be able to ask questions if you don't understand the answers.
We will show you how to break down the question to understand what the examiner is looking for and we will highlight the pitfalls of "distractors".
Previous candidates have found this to be an excellent resource for final preparation and have also used it as a tool to identify any knowledge gaps.
Please note, unlike the 3 day revision course there is no teaching on this day. We highly recommend study in accordance with the MRCS syllabus prior to attending the Mock MCQ day.
Agenda
8.45am to 2.00pm: MCQ Questions
2.00pm to 3pm: close, advise and exam tips
For more advice, tips and regular updates, please follow us on instagram: @smashingeducation
SMASHING Education
| How to pass the MRCS Part A exam
| MRCS Part A strategy
Many candidates fail to understand how to prepare for the MRCS part A examination. We quite often hear from candidates that their strategy has been, “ I will have a go”. Why would you want to waste money but more importantly, several months of your life “to have a go” at an exam with significant failure rate?
There is limited guidance on how to pass this exam. SMASHING Education has devised a successful strategy that will help you pass the exam. Furthermore, this will provide an excellent foundation for the Part B examination too.
SMASHING Education | MRCS Part A strategy:
1. Familiarise yourself with the syllabus - Understand the exam format - which topics are examined and how many questions per topic. This will allow you to allocate the proportionate time for each topic.
2. Study - Using the syllabus, read around these topics and study to understand the concepts that are examined. Give yourself enough time to study and do not try and cram it all in just before the exam.
Many candidates fail to understand the concept and assumptions of MCQ's - MCQs test your knowledge. The assumption is that candidates have studied and have the required knowledge to answer any question on any topic. You must be able to answer any question in the exam from syllabus - without study, this is not possible.
3. Revision course - Attend a revision course. SMASHING Education offers an interactive 3-day revision course which is taught by a FRCS MCQ writer so you will be given tips on tackling questions and the rationale of exam questions. The course is high yield and specific to the exam. We focus on the areas which are commonly tested in the exam. Topics are explained in a logical, bitesize chunks with mnemonics to make them easier to remember. (See feedback from previous candidates)
4. MCQ mock day - Attend a MCQ mock day. SMASHING Education offers an interactive mock day which compliments the 3-day revision course. You will have the opportunity to go through hundreds of MCQ’s but unlike a question bank, you will have someone who will be able to provide explanations of the answers. (See feedback from previous candidates)
5. Annual leave - We have seen so many candidates fail because they did not take enough time off prior to the exam. Make sure you book a week off before the exam to not only study but to also relax and mentally prepare yourself for the exam.
6. Relax - It is important you relax, unwind and chill on the night before the exam. You have done all you can and trying to cram the study in the night before will be counterproductive. You should wake up fresh and ready to go.
For more advice, tips and updates, please follow us on instagram: @smashingeducation
| MRCS Part A Misconceptions
1. Not studying: Many candidates fail to understand the concept and assumptions of MCQ's - MCQs test your knowledge. The assumption is that candidates have studied and have the required knowledge to answer any question on any topic. You must be able to answer any question in the exam from syllabus - without study, this is not possible.
This will give you a good foundation for Part B.
2. Another misconception - completing question banks repeatedly will guarantee a pass. There are many risks with this strategy:
> You memorise the question and answer but do not fully understand the concepts being examined.
> You get used a certain format of questions - New questions have been recently added to the exam and candidates found these tough as they were lengthy, descriptive and were not familiar with this new style.
> Some questions do not go into enough detail and provide generic answers eg. “Flaps” whereas the exam will list different types of flaps.
> You don’t understand why you got the answer wrong – the explanations don’t make sense due to lack of underlying knowledge.
> You don’t cover the whole syllabus and you can’t easily identify your weak topics.
We know candidates who score +90% with the online question banks but only scored average of 60% in the actual exam. The common response when asked why they failed - they didn’t supplement the question banks with other study or resources.
For more advice, tips and updates, please follow us on instagram: @smashingeducation
The MRCS Part A courses are suitable for junior surgical trainees preparing for the examination.
- Please note, the 3 day course is a revision course which is usually held 6 weeks before the exam.
Prior preparation is strongly advised to maximise the benefits of this revision course.
Feedback from previous candidates - What I would do differently to prepare for the courses:
1. Study in advance so that I can focus on my weak subjects
2. Ask and prepare more questions
3. Interact more! This is key to all of our courses! The more you interact and engage, the more you will get out of the course. It will also help you to remember the topics, keep you focus and engaged.
We are here to help! We will teach you the concepts for this exam. You will not only be taught by a MCQ writer, but also a qualified and experienced consultant surgeon.
SMASHING Education aims to help you pass the exam!
| SMASHING Education:
> Proven track record in teaching and candidates succeeding!
> Understand the Exam!
> Structured teaching!
> Simplification of facts!
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