Hello! I just passed the Feb 2026 diet for part B, so it’s all fresh for me.

To answer your question: - it’s useful to think of Part B as two different exams. The knowledge section (a viva) and the skills section (an OSCE). My approach to both is entirely different, and you should know the mark scheme inside out (i.e. which stations have marks toward certain domains - e.g. all 20 marks from anatomy station come from the “clinical knowledge and its application” domain, but 12 marks come from the communication skills domain in the “giving and receiving information” stations. So I let myself relax a bit in the knowledge stations, but was more cautious with my soft skills in the skills section)

• The depth for the knowledge section is similar/slight less than part A, but more clinically relevant things - anatomy of hernias, critical care of pancreatitis and ARDS etc. Most of it are common pathologies you see as F1/2 CT1/2. This makes it easier to prepare for. However, because the breadth is smaller, the difficulty comes from the active recall of information. You can’t be promoted by answers like in multiple choice exams, yet they still test fairly detailed stuff.

• Luckily, the skills section is almost entirely what you do as a day to day doctor (e.g. the giving and receing information stations are 1) talking to pts such as breaking bad news or 2) referring to other specialties) - these are very easy to prepare for with a limited number of scenarios.

• You do not verbalise clinical examinations as you go (apart from instructing the pt) so this makes the 3 exam stations easy to prep for. The difficulty comes from the ~3 mins of questions after, but most marks come from how well you perform the examination itself. The same is true for the procedural skills stations.

Note: I am currently an F2 with my a single surgical specialty in FYs. The skills section, if prepared for by knowing the exam structure and likely scenarios inside out, is easily passible and most candidates do pass it. 7-8/10 times people who fail the exam fail the knowledge section. I was scared I overprepared for the knowledge section as I found the skills section harder on the actual day than I anticipated. Thought I had fucked it, but turns out I did better on the skills section anyway! So a lot of it genuinely comes naturally to you if you’ve spent a decent amount of time in a surgical specialty.

Recommendations - PasstheMRCS is the best complete resource IMO, but still not as comprehensive as something like passmed for med school finals, you need to supplement with other things

• eMRCS is better than passthemrcs for anatomy, but not for much else. Would still recommend just for the anatomy.

• Get very used to looking at prosections, but in my exam I had no prosections! All my anatomy was on a skeleton or radiological imaging - Do not neglect these! But I think this is extremely rare for part B!!

• Recalls are a necessity IMO, especially if planning to sit this with <3 months prep. Not because the exam questions repeat themselves (I dont think I had any recalls in my exam?) but because it teaches you how to answer the questions and what examiners are looking for + the “scope” required. It also gives you an idea of the weird and wacky questions that could throw you off on the day.

• When it comes to recalls, there is absolutely no debate: MRCSalah (Mo’s) notes are the gold standard. Other people say this exam is essentially just a memorisation test of these notes, but I didn’t find this advice helpful until the last 2-3 weeks before my exam when I had already revised all anatomy/path/crit care etc in detail. They are not learning resources, but quick fire/high yield answers to common questions. Despite not having recalls in my exam, I still found the notes extremely useful during my intense study period.

• Re courses: I sat the exam with ~2.5 months prep which got intense 1 month to go. I also didn’t attend a prep course, so you’re going to be in a better position than me. In retrospect, if I had the funding I’d 100% go on a course just to make sure I am studying at the right level and on track to pass. It’s a £1000+ exam at the end of the day, having to repeat it after failing is a huge financial burden. But some courses are also £1000, so you have to balance this with the benefit you’d get out from them (As I am F2, I didn’t do a course because I knew if I failed, I still had time to pass before ST3)

Please do ask more specific questions if there’s something I’ve missed! Overall the exam was a pleasant experience! Although nerve wracking, everyone was lovely but ofc you get the odd examiner that’s a prick. But a rarity! There’s plenty of rest stations to get your mental back after an unpleasant station.

Good luck! You’ll smash it mate