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MRCS PART A
MR SANJEEV PATHAK,
COURSE DIRECTOR & EDUCATOR
Mr Pathak has a longstanding passion for teaching
and training medical students,
junior doctors and fellow
consultant colleagues
Member of the National Selection for Higher Surgical Training Committee (ST3 Urology) - interview panel
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 Part B exam preparation course - oral examiner​
Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer
Consultant
Urological Surgeon
CCrISP & START course instructor
Former intercollegiate FRCS (Urol) MCQ writer
Former Demonstrator in Anatomy - the University of Oxford Medical School
Former RCS SURGICAL Tutor
Over 30 years teaching experience
MRCS PART A
COURSES
!! Please note, this is a fast paced course which covers the majority of the MRCS syllabus over the 3 days.
Please take this into consideration prior to booking as this course may not be suited to your educational requirements.
!! PLEASE read before booking !!
April 2026 sitting
Course dates: Fri 6th to Sun 8th March 2026
Location: Sheffield Hallam University
Total spaces: 20
Bookings status: OPEN
september 2026 sitting
Course dates: Fri 17th to Sun 19th July 2026
Location: Sheffield Hallam University
Total spaces: 20
!! Bookings open: Fri 22nd May 2026 at 12pm
Suitable for April 26 sitting
book MRCS
PART A COURSE
SUMMARY INFO:
sheffield course
UPDATE:
3 spaces remaining
Sheffield Course:
Location:
Course timing:
Fri 6th to Sun 8th March
Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S1 1WB
8.30am - 5.30pm daily (approx)
!! PLEASE read before booking !!
!! Please note, this is a fast paced course which covers the majority of the MRCS syllabus over the 3 days.
Please take this into consideration prior to booking as this course may not be suited to your educational requirements.
REFUNDS:
Please ensure you have read and understood the booking terms and conditions including the refund details prior to booking.
No refunds will be issued 6 weeks before the start of the course
RETURNING CANDIDATES:
If you have attended the course previously and want to attend again, please message BEFORE booking.
HOW TO BOOK MRCS PART A COURSE
3 spaces remaining
1. Click button below and complete the form
2. We will be in touch with payment instructions if the space is remaining
MRCS PART A COURSE
DETAILS & more INFO
sitting: april 2026
Course Details, Itinerary & Location details
Booking status: OPEN
| Sheffield
| Dates: Fri 6th to Sun 8th March
MRCS Part A 3-day Attendance Revision Course
MRCS Part A 3-day revision course, Sheffield
| Location: Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S1 1WB
| Dates: Fri 6th to Sun 8th March
| Total places: 20
| Price: £625
Booking status: OPEN
!! Please note, this is a fast paced course which covers the majority of the MRCS syllabus over the 3 days.
!! Please take this into consideration prior to booking as this course may not be suited to your educational requirements.
Returning candidates
If you have attended the course previously and want to attend again, please message before booking.
As we have limited spaces, we want to allocate the spaces to candidates who have not attended the course before.
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 Belfast and Sheffield.
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 sessions.
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 - Mr Sanjeev Pathak
Course timing: 08.30am to 5.30pm (approx each day)
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> Course slides will be emailed a few days before the start of the course.
> Please note, we only offer live attendances courses with no recordings.
>Please check Inbox and SPAM folder for correspondence.
> Refreshment and a light lunch will be provided. If you have any allergies, please provide details for the catering team.
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| SMASHING Education
We have a proven track record in teaching and candidates succeeding with over 25 years teaching and examining experience.
o Understand the exam from the examiners point of view and learn the tricks of how questions are set.
o Structured high yield teaching! We will explain the subjects in a way that you will remember and understand.
o Simplification of facts! We will make this fun and simple with easy mnemonics.
o Interactive and engaging.
SMASHING Education aims to help you pass the exam!
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Due to limit places, we would encourage you to book early to avoid disappointment.
​
Follow us on Instagram: @smashingeducation - Feedback, updates and Part A Competitions
!! Please note, this is a fast paced course which covers the majority of the MRCS syllabus over the 3 days.
!! Please take this into consideration prior to booking as this course may not be suited to your educational requirements.
Please ensure you have read and understood the booking terms and conditions including the refund details prior to booking.
No refunds will be issued 6 weeks before the start of the course
!! PLEASE read before booking !!
!! Please note, this is a fast paced course which covers the majority of the MRCS syllabus over the 3 days.
Please take this into consideration prior to booking as this course may not be suited to your educational requirements.
REFUNDS:
Please ensure you have read and understood the booking terms and conditions including the refund details prior to booking.
No refunds will be issued 6 weeks before the start of the course
RETURNING CANDIDATES:
If you have attended the course previously and want to attend again, please message BEFORE booking.
HOW TO BOOK MRCS PART A COURSE
3 spaces remaining
1. Click button below and complete the form
2. We will be in touch with payment instructions if the space is remaining
sample video
MRCS Part A 3-day revision course
follow us on instagram for more reviews and regular updates: @smashingeducation
MRCS PART A REVIEWS
MRCS Part A 3-day revision course
follow us on instagram for more reviews and regular updates: @smashingeducation
"
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
HOW TO PASS MRCS PART A
| 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:
Our advise is simple: Ditch the MCQ's until you know the and more importantly understand the concepts! It's a tried and tested method and the majority of our candidates pass both MRCS Part A and easily pass MRCS Part B with us!
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. 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.
5. 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
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