Intercollegiate Membership examination of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (MRCS Part A)

MRCS Part A examination

The MRCS Part A examination will be delivered on-screen in partnership with Pearson, using their network of computer-based test centres around the world. You will need to book and attend a Pearson test centre to sit your MRCS Part A examination. This webpage provides you with further information about this process.

We encourage all candidates to book as early as possible once the window opens, as availability is limited and seat allocation cannot be guaranteed later in the window. ICBSE and Pearson are working closely together to make as many suitable seats available as possible worldwide, including in locations where additional capacity is being sourced.

If you have any concerns about your booking or test centre options, please contact your College at the earliest opportunity.

Pearson Candidate Test Centre Exam Schedule Timeline

1. College Exam Application deadline: 3–4 weeks

2. Pearson Test Centre Booking Email Sent

3. Test centre scheduling window: 1–2 Weeks

4. Test Centre Schedule Window Ends

Note: After the test centre schedule window ends: candidates not allowed to make new or amend their existing test centre booking and the exam takes place as scheduled.

Scheduling your examination

Before using this website to schedule your examination, you must have successfully applied to sit the MRCS Part A with one of the four Surgical Royal Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland.

After registering for the examination, you will receive an email from Pearson telling you how to book your examination test centre. This will outline information about the scheduled booking window, and further information on how to book your seat at an available test centre through the Pearson portal.

During this window, you can schedule, reschedule, or cancel your test centre seat booking. We encourage you to book your test centre seat as soon as possible as there may be a limited number of seats available at certain locations, and these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Candidates should be aware that there is no central list of which test centres are available before the schedule window opens. This is because test centres available will be specific to each examination sitting, and some test centres may become unavailable during the schedule window if their examination seat capacity is reached.

All test centres available will be shown in the Pearson portal during the specific dated schedule window. Please contact Pearson customer service team directly if you have any test centre booking or availability queries.

Please note that to be able to sit the MRCS Part A examination, you must book your Pearson test centre seat within the above specified test centre schedule window period. No refunds or transfers will be available to candidates who have not logged into the Pearson portal to book a test centre during the above schedule window. Candidates must complete the seat booking process, ensuring that they confirm their booking on the final page of the process and receive an email confirmation. If a candidate does not receive the email confirmation within 24 hours, they should contact Pearson customer service immediately. Candidates who are having difficulty securing a seat must contact the Pearson customer service team in the first instance. If still unsuccessful, candidates must notify their college of application by email during this booking window period.

More information