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Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) Syllabus
Exit exam for higher surgical trainees to complete specialist surgical training in the UK.. The complete Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) outline — 7 subjects, 31 chapters and 144 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
5 chapters · 27 topics · 44 sub-topics
Professional Practice, Ethics and Leadership4 chapters · 20 topics · 17 sub-topics
General and Gastrointestinal Surgery5 chapters · 25 topics · 29 sub-topics
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery4 chapters · 19 topics · 25 sub-topics
Vascular Surgery4 chapters · 16 topics · 13 sub-topics
Urology4 chapters · 18 topics · 11 sub-topics
Specialty Surgery: Plastics, ENT, Paediatric, Cardiothoracic and Neurosurgery5 chapters · 19 topics · 20 sub-topics
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) flashcard decks
434 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Generic Surgical Sciences and Critical Care — 67 cards
- Professional Practice, Ethics and Leadership — 77 cards
- General and Gastrointestinal Surgery — 63 cards
- Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery — 51 cards
- Vascular Surgery — 60 cards
- Urology — 64 cards
- Specialty Surgery: Plastics, ENT, Paediatric, Cardiothoracic and Neurosurgery — 52 cards
How to work through the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Generic Surgical Sciences and Critical Care carries 27 topics while Vascular Surgery carries 16. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS).
The ~140 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) syllabus?
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) covers 7 subjects: Generic Surgical Sciences and Critical Care, Professional Practice, Ethics and Leadership, General and Gastrointestinal Surgery, Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Urology and Specialty Surgery: Plastics, ENT, Paediatric, Cardiothoracic and Neurosurgery. Together they contain 31 chapters and 144 named topics.
How much do you have to study for Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS)?
The full Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) outline breaks down into 31 chapters, 144 topics and 159 sub-topics. Generic Surgical Sciences and Critical Care is the largest single subject with 27 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) syllabus?
Roughly 140 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 7 weeks.
Are there Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) flashcards?
Yes — 434 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United Kingdom and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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