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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 Oral examiner, Annual Mock- Yorkshire and Humber deanery​

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

Sanjeev pic.jpeg

Click here for more information about Mr Sanjeev Pathak, Course Director & Educator.

Suitable for September 25 sitting

MRCS PART A COURSES

SUMMARY INFO:

belfast course

Belfast Course:

Location:

Course timing: 

Friday 25th to Sunday 27th July 2025

Grand Central Hotel, Belfast, BT2 7FF

8.30am - 5pm daily (approx)

Total Places:

Price:

Booking Terms & Conditions

14

£650

Click here to read (including refund details)

SUMMARY INFO:

sheffield course

Sheffield Course:

Location:

Course timing: 

Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd August 2025

Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S1 1WB

8.30am - 5pm daily (approx)

Total Places:

Price:

Booking Terms & Conditions

20

£550

Click here to read (including refund details)

book MRCS PART A COURSE

Suitable for September 25 sitting

1. Complete the form
2.  Specify course you would like to attend: Belfast or Sheffield. 
3. If there are spaces, we will be in touch with a payment link and joining instructions 

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 

MRCS PART A COURSE

DETAILS & more INFO

sitting: September 2025

Course Details, Itinerary & Location details
Booking status: OPEN - complete contact form

| Belfast: Fri 25th to Sun 27th July 2025

| Sheffield: Fri 1st to Sun 3rd August 2025

 MRCS Part A 3-day Attendance Revision Course

MRCS Part A 3-day revision course, Belfast
| Location: Grand Central Hotel, Belfast, BT2 7FF
| Dates: Friday 25th to Sunday 27th July 2025
| Total places: 14
| Price: £650

MRCS Part A 3-day revision course, Sheffield
| Location: Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S1 1WB
| Dates: Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd August 2025
| Total places: 20
| Price: £550 

Booking status: OPEN

book MRCS PART A COURSE

1. Complete the form
2.  Specify course you would like to attend: Belfast or Sheffield. 
3. If there are spaces, we will be in touch with a payment link and joining instructions 

Please ensure you have read and understood the booking terms and conditions including the refund details prior to booking

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 5pm (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.

Refreshment and a light lunch will be provided. 

 

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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 ensure you have read and understood the booking terms and conditions including the refund details prior to booking

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

WhatsApp Image 2022-03-24 at 22.10_edited.jpg

"

 

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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