The Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) is often considered as a mark of excellence for surgeons across the globe. This qualification is awarded by the Royal Colleges of Surgeons in England, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Ireland.

The FRCS qualification is awarded in several specialties, including Cardiothoracic Surgery, General Surgery, Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology, Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery, Urology, and Ophthalmology.

The JSCFE is an examination offered by the four royal surgical colleges in England, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Ireland to the international surgical community. Passing the JSCFE awards you the FRCS qualification.

The FRCS General Surgery examination consists of two parts: FRCS General Surgery-Section 1 and FRCS General Surgery- Section 2.

Candidates have a maximum of 7 years to complete the entire examination process.

Candidates have a two-year period from their first attempt to complete Section 1, with a maximum of 4 attempts allowed and no re-entry.

Candidates are allowed a maximum of 4 attempts for Section 2, with no re-entry permitted.

There are no exemptions from either Section 1 or 2 of the examination.

Section 1 – £520

Section 2 – £1965 – applicable for all Section 2 examinations being held from 1 January 2024.

There are three parts to the FRCS (Ophthal) examination: Parts 1, 2 and 3. Part 1 and Part 2 are written examinations and Part 3 consists of structured oral and clinical examinations.

The FRCS Ophthalmology Part 1 and Part 2 examinations are generally held twice a year, while the Part 3 clinical exam takes place five times a year.

The examinations are held in the UK and at a number of international centres.