MRCS Part B
MRCS Part B is a 17-station OSCE marked in two components — Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills — which must be passed independently. Each nine-minute station is scored against a published marksheet, not an examiner's impression. The preparation that moves scores is spoken, timed practice against that marksheet — which is what VivaVoice runs as a full mock exam.
Part B is an objective structured clinical examination of 17 stations, each nine minutes, sat in a single day. Stations divide across Applied Knowledge — anatomy, surgical pathology, applied surgical science and critical care — and Applied Skills: communication, history taking, and clinical and procedural skills. The two components are marked separately and both must reach the pass standard, so a strong component cannot rescue a weak one.
The circuit runs anatomy and surgical pathology stations, applied surgical science and critical care stations, communication encounters covering giving and receiving information, history taking, and clinical and procedural skills stations. Each is a defined nine-minute task with one minute's reading time. A station-by-station breakdown follows on this site as the station guide publishes.
Every station scores against a structured marksheet tied to defined domains — clinical knowledge, clinical and technical skill, communication, and professionalism — alongside an overall pass, borderline or fail judgement. The pass mark is set per exam by borderline regression, so it varies by diet. Marks are awarded for specific content and behaviours, not general impression: candidates who know the material still drop marks on structure, timing and omissions.
The fee is in the region of £1,200, with local taxes added at some international centres. Fees are set by the Royal College and can vary, so confirm the current figure before you apply. Diets run through the year across the UK and international centres including India, Egypt, Malaysia and the UAE — application deadlines fall roughly three months before each diet. Results are usually published three to four weeks after a UK sitting; the Royal College does not publish a fixed timetable.
Most failed stations are lost on performance, not knowledge: timing, unstructured answers, missed safety points, and communication that does not meet the marked domain. These gaps do not show up in silent reading — they surface only when you answer out loud, under time, against the marksheet. That is also why a borderline candidate can convert to a pass with technique alone.
VivaVoice runs the complete OSCE circuit as a timed mock exam. An AI coach examines you on each station, then maps feedback to the marksheet domains — where marks were won, where they were lost, and what a stronger answer covers. You track how your scores move across attempts. One station is free to try.
Sai Chauhan, Founder · VivaVoice