CSHK Part 1 MCQ study plan

Map the General Surgery syllabus into acute abdomen, hepatobiliary, gastrointestinal bleeding, breast/endocrine, and trauma buckets, and allocate study sessions to each by weight

Work through acute abdomen and peritonitis decision pathways (resuscitation, imaging choice, operative vs conservative) until you can justify each step aloud

Drill hernia anatomy and repair principles, including strangulation risk and mesh selection, with self-written summary cards

List the urological emergencies that present on a general surgical take (obstructive uropathy, testicular torsion, Fournier's gangrene) and state the first three management steps for each

Complete 40 mixed General Surgery and Urology MCQs untimed and log every wrong answer with the underlying knowledge gap

Consolidate hepatobiliary and pancreatic topics: gallstone disease, cholangitis, pancreatitis severity scoring, and pancreatic masses

Compare colorectal conditions (obstruction, diverticular disease, malignancy, fistula) and articulate when stoma formation is preferred

Review breast and endocrine surgery basics: triple assessment, thyroid nodule workup, and parathyroid disease

Practise interpreting typical investigation patterns (liver function derangement, amylase, tumour markers) without relying on images

Time 50 General Surgery MCQs under exam conditions and review all flagged items

Build a framework for cardiothoracic assessment: chest pain differential, dyspnoea workup, and preoperative risk stratification

Explain indications and complications for coronary revascularisation, valve surgery, and lung resection

Describe thoracic trauma priorities including tension pneumothorax, haemothorax, and flail chest management

Classify vascular disease presentations: acute limb ischaemia, chronic claudication, critical limb-threatening ischaemia, and aortic aneurysm

State the indications, contraindications, and follow-up for carotid endarterectomy and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Work through peripheral arterial and venous disease management algorithms, including anticoagulation and thrombolysis choices

Review vascular access, varicose vein management, and diabetic foot assessment principles

Consolidate cardiac surgery complications (tamponade, arrhythmia, bleeding) and their immediate management

Complete 60 mixed Cardiothoracic and Vascular MCQs and reclassify errors into knowledge, reasoning, and misreading faults

Map neurosurgical topics into trauma, tumour, vascular, spinal, and hydrocephalus categories and rank them by exam yield

Explain traumatic brain injury assessment: Glasgow Coma Scale scoring, pupillary signs, and when to image urgently

Describe raised intracranial pressure physiology and the stepwise medical and surgical management options

Review spinal cord compression, disc herniation, and cauda equina syndrome red flags with time-critical actions

State the presentation and initial management of subarachnoid haemorrhage, intracerebral haemorrhage, and hydrocephalus in adults

Organise paediatric surgery topics by age of presentation: neonatal, infant, and older child

Explain neonatal emergencies including bilious vomiting, necrotising enterocolitis, and congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Describe inguinal hernia, undescended testis, and acute scrotum differences between children and adults

Review paediatric trauma and appendicitis differences in presentation and investigation thresholds

Complete 40 Paediatric Surgery MCQs and note every instance where adult assumptions misled you

Cover wound assessment and healing principles, including factors that delay closure and scar management

Explain skin graft and flap classification with selection criteria and common failure causes

Review burns assessment: surface area estimation, fluid resuscitation formulas, and referral criteria

Describe common plastic surgery presentations such as hand infections, tendon injury, and skin lesion excision margins

Run 40 Plastic Surgery MCQs and cross-check answers against your earlier domain notes for overlap

Revisit every logged error from weeks 1 to 7 and rewrite the correct reasoning for the 30 highest-yield gaps

Sit two full-length timed mixed-domain papers and record accuracy per domain

Drill weak domains until each reaches a consistent threshold on repeated question sets

Rehearse a fixed per-question time budget and a flag-and-return strategy under timed conditions