I get asked how I prepared for the Part 1 and 2 exams. I didn’t really know how to give a good answer before because I never gave much thought about how I studied. But here’s a few tips that are helpful particularly for Parts 1 and 2.

Tip #1: Podcasts are gold 🥇

• I didn’t want to waste time on my commute, so I searched for podcasts to listen to and stumbled upon this surgery podcast called Behind The Knife. Their ABSITE series is particularly helpful for the MHKICBSC and the MRCS. They discuss high yield topics that are likely to appear in these exams. The episode titled “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL ON YOUR WAY TO ABSITE” really helped me with at least a couple of questions, which I feel might make it or break it 🤓
• Let’s go back to the 80/20 rule: 20% of what you study contributes to 80% of results. So go for the high yield topics.
• Head over to their website at behindtheknife.org and listen to their ABSITE series on your preferred platform.
• The ABSITE is offered to surgery residents by The American Board of Surgery to assess a resident’s progress in their training.

Tip #2: Use Your Final MB Notes 📚

• Don’t throw away your surgery notes after Final MB! Thinking back, I mainly studied using my own surgery notes from med school and tuned my mind as if taking the Final MB exam. The question styles in Parts 1 and 2 resemble that of the Final MB Surgery exam. Each sentence in the question stem gives you hints on what they want in the answer. Try to decipher the question sentence-by-sentence. Ask yourself: What are they trying to imply by giving us this information?

The Membership Examination of Hong Kong Intercollegiate Board of Surgical Colleges (MHKICSBC) was established in place of the MRCS in Hong Kong in 2008.

Parts 1 and 2 are comparable to the MRCS Part A, while Part 3 is comparable to the MRCS Part B OSCE.

It is required for surgical trainees who wish to become a member of the following surgical colleges in Hong Kong:

• Hong Kong College of Emergency Medicine
• Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Hong Kong College of Otorhinolaryngologists
• The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong

The MHKICBSC examinations in March 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The College has decided to move the Part 1 and 2 exams to 30 June.