Who has to sit the MSRA?

In surgery, Core Surgical Training uses it, and so does Neurosurgery ST1, where for 2027 it makes up 40 per cent of the shortlisting score. For 2026 entry, Core Surgical Training and ten other programmes required it, including General Practice, Radiology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. NHS England confirms the list each recruitment year.

How much does the MSRA count for surgery?

For Core Surgical Training in 2027 it does two jobs. It decides who is interviewed (about the top 1,200 scorers are invited), then it counts for 10 per cent of your final score, with the portfolio station and the management and clinical station worth 45 per cent each. A full portfolio won't get you an interview on its own: your MSRA score does.

There are two sittings for 2027. January is open to every specialty, and the CST window is 5 to 18 January 2027. February is only for people applying just to Core Psychiatry, General Practice or both, so if you are applying for surgery you will sit in January. You sit it at a Pearson VUE test centre; sitting it remotely is a reasonable adjustment, approved case by case.

Is there a pass mark?

No. Scores are normalised against everyone who sits it, and there is no published maximum, so last year's good score is not this year's target. What counts is where you rank against everyone else.

MSRA · 2027 Exam

MSRA

For Core Surgical Training, your MSRA score decides whether you are invited to interview, then counts for 10 per cent of your final score. One sitting, two papers: Professional Dilemmas and Clinical Problem Solving.

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Single best answer, extended matching and ranking, in the exam's own formats, with every answer explained.

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2027 Update:Surgical candidates sit it between 5 and 18 January 2027, at a Pearson VUE test centre.

The examination

What you are sitting

Clinical Problem Solving gives you about 52 seconds a question, so practise in timed blocks as well as by topic. Professional Dilemmas has no negative marking, so never leave one blank. And because scores are normalised against everyone who sits, there is no fixed score to aim for: what counts is where you rank.

minutes, in one sitting: 170
questions over two papers: 136
of the 2027 CST score: 10%

Format: One computer-based assessment of 170 minutes with two papers: Professional Dilemmas, then Clinical Problem Solving
Professional Dilemmas: 50 situational judgement questions in 95 minutes: ranking items and choose three items, with no negative marking
Clinical Problem Solving: 86 questions in 75 minutes, roughly half Extended Matching and half Single Best Answer, across 12 clinical topic areas
Role in surgery: For 2027, Core Surgical Training invites about the top 1,200 MSRA scorers to interview, and the MSRA is 10 per cent of the total selection score
When and where: A January sitting open to every specialty (February is for Core Psychiatry and General Practice only), at Pearson VUE test centres; sitting remotely is a reasonable adjustment, approved case by case

Run by NHS England, delivered with Work Psychology Group and Pearson VUE. Sat at application, before interview, for Core Surgical Training and other programmes. Checked against NHS England: the MSRA and NHS England: applying for core surgical training, accessed 2026-07-26. Formats and fees are the bodies’ to change; always confirm against the official page before you book.

The revision platform

Everything for the MSRA, on any screen

Read the notes on a tablet, answer questions on your phone between shifts, and see every answer marked and explained. One account works on your computer, tablet and phone.

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Structured notes
Every topic from definition to prognosis, with illustrations and flowcharts.
Track your progress
Your level in every specialty, with focus areas that open the questions to practise next.

From a leg vein to the lung. A clot from a deep leg vein breaks off, travels through the right side of the heart and lodges in a pulmonary artery.

Ask the tutor
Ask about any answer; the reply names the note to revise.
Timed mock papers
4 full papers under exam timing, with a report at the end.

Structured notes
Every topic from definition to prognosis, with illustrations and flowcharts.
Track your progress
Your level in every specialty, with focus areas that open the questions to practise next.
Ask the tutor
Ask about any answer; the reply names the note to revise.
Timed mock papers
4 full papers under exam timing, with a report at the end.

Questions

Common questions

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