CSHK Part 1 MCQ

It is the first written component of the CSHK Membership Examination. The College presents the pathway as Part 1 and 2 Examination followed by Part 3 Examination, so Part 1 is an early hurdle on the route to membership, taken before the later parts rather than after them.

It is designed for trainees progressing through the College's Basic Surgical Training and aiming at Ordinary Membership and then Higher Surgical Training. The College publishes separate guidance on BST registration, training requirements and supervision, and you should confirm your own eligibility against those pages before applying.

Expect a broad foundation in surgical science and clinical surgery rather than one narrow specialty. The College's Fellowship Examination lists seven specialties - Cardiothoracic, General, Neurosurgery, Paediatric, Urology, Plastic and Vascular Surgery - so build core knowledge that transfers across all of them instead of over-specialising early.

Treat it as a demanding, competitive paper: it filters candidates entering the membership pathway, and the breadth of specialties means shallow coverage of one area will not carry you. The realistic risk is uneven preparation - strong in your own specialty, weak in the others - so audit your weakest domains early.

The College publishes an Examination Schedule and Examination Information section covering format and timing, and these are the authoritative pages. Details are not reproduced here because they change between diets; check the College's examination pages directly for the diet you intend to sit.

Retake arrangements are set by the College and are not stated on the pages summarised here, so confirm them directly before you plan. Practically, assume you may need a later diet and build a study plan that leaves room for a second attempt rather than one compressed push.

Use the College's Examination Schedule page for dates and its Announcement and Latest News sections for notices. The College has, for example, issued an important notice on revision of Part 1 Examination Result Letters for the October 2024 diet, so read announcements before assuming how results are issued.

Start with core surgical science and general surgery, since these underpin every specialty, then rotate through the remaining listed specialties so no domain is left untouched. Finish with mixed applied questions under timed conditions, and revisit your weakest areas in the final weeks rather than rereading familiar material.

Three recur: ignoring specialties you do not rotate through, memorising facts without practising applied clinical reasoning, and poor pacing on the day. A fourth is relying on outdated second-hand information - always verify format, dates and result procedures against the College's current published pages.