MRCS in the UK is held at a few different locations but the examination format is approximately the same. It is an intercollegiate examination which means you can choose membership into any one of the 4 colleges (England, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ireland). The list of examination centres around the world are expanding year after year as RCS strikes out more deals with local colleges. Examiners in centres outside of the UK will be a mix of local and UK examiners. Certain places lack facilities such as prosection samples hence only photos/plastic models will be used in the anatomy section. Please see the past year accounts for details.
Reports from Coventry - apparently most stations are repeated year after year? Do not take my word for it. Its best to be prepared for all scenarios and be a well-rounded doctor rather than an incompetent person bent on gaming the system.
Edinburgh - Ah, the ex-favourite college for Singaporean Candidates. There were so many Singaporeans who flew up during my exam (50+ out of 200) in 2012 that the immigration officers at the airport asked our friends who were up for just holidays whether they were taking the MRCS as well after seeing that they are from Singapore. The perception is that the overseas examination is easier to pass as you are up against more non-Singaporean candidates (but not that true as you have so many Singaporeans going up there too!). Depending on the number of candidates, your examination may not be in Edinburgh itself but rather all throughout Scotland or even England. During my year, there were 4 venues - Edinburgh, Southampton, Sheffield and Coventry. This affects the screening guidelines that you should read (Scottish vs English NHS). NICE applies to the whole of UK. There were choices you could choose previously (3 out of 4 big topics) and the candidates were divided by the topics they chose. Sheffield was traditionally the place for candidates who are weighted heavily on head and neck while Edinburgh was the place for those who chose Neuroscience. Coventry fielded more candidates who chose orthopaedics. Trunk and thorax candidates were randomised. They try to spread out the international candidates evenly across the different centres. As you can see - for the Edinburgh college - Southampton is the only location in England while the rest of the exam venues are in Scotland. I memorised the screening guidelines for colorectal cancer and breast cancer for Scotland (my exam was in Edinburgh) and they differ from the English NHS trust ones.
The Singapore exam has a traditionally slightly lower passing rate compared to the UK as it attracts more Singaporeans and that means that everyone around you are hardcore muggers too! That said, the Aug 2012 exam scared so many people away that there were only 13 candidates (all Singaporeans) and 12 passed - so go figure. I do not have the pass rates for each centre and everything you hear from others are all anecdotal reports but with moderation from the UK examiners, passing standards should be the same around the world although pass rates will clearly depend on the quality of candidates during that diet.
Accomodation in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is littered with cheap apartments that beats most hotels. RCS also offers its own hotel at 10 Hill Place. You can easily check out other places nearby with tripadvisor as well.
I stayed at flat 40, Drummond House which was literally just across the road from the examination venue. 500 pounds for 6 nights, easily accomodates 4-5 pax inside and Maggie is a great host. 3 seperate rooms (one double bed, one room with 2 singles, another room with a single. Living room with a decent table, many chairs, free wifi, cable TV, iron, ironing board, washing machine, clothes dryer, hairdryer, 2 toilets, kitchen with stove, microwave, utensils. Tesco just nearby. Amazing place this is.
Contact for the flat 40, Drummond House apartment is Maggie at: maggie@kelsocottages.co.uk
Expenses in Edinburgh
This can be a very expensive examination. Your budget should be around 5K SGD (up to 6-7K if you travel a fair bit). I guess this is a fair motivation not to fail the examination. This includes:
1. Exam fees (Approximately 800+ to 900+ pounds)
2. Flight (you can either fly direct to Edinburgh by BA ~ 1.5 to 1.6K SGD or fly to Heathrow via SIA ~ 1.4 to 1.5K SGD and train up ~ 60 to 100 pounds)
3. Accomodation - Depends on what you stay in, plan to acclimatise about 4 to 5 days before the exam ~ budget about 150 to 200 pounds if sharing accomodation
4. Food - Tescos, M&S and the occasional eat-outs
5. Travel - Since you are already here, might as well travel around Scotland/UK. If you fail, at least its a holiday that you got to see some really nice scenery. Scotland looks like a page out of National Geographic. Think about the movies that featured Scotland - Prometheus, Skyfall, Brave (Ok I know this is a cartoon but still!). You have to travel around! The Isle of Skye is not to be missed! And the whiskies will keep you happy. The 3 day-2 nights tour of the Isle of Skye by Rabbie's is highly recommended by myself and many others (I do not think you will have time to plan your own holiday when you are studying for the exams right?).
Money to change? 50 to 75 pounds is really comfortable for daily expenses there if you have already settled everything else (flights, trains, accomodation) via credit card.