Exam topics
The disciplines
The three disciplines examined in the Generic Surgical Sciences Examination (GSSE) can be explored as topics.
Anatomy
The anatomy component comprises 80 questions in the topics:
Abdomen, CNS, developmental, head and neck, histology, lower limb, pelvis, thorax, upper limb.
Physiology
The physiology component comprises 60 questions in the topics:
Cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, metabolism and nutrition, neurophysiology, physiology of blood, respiratory, urinary tract.
Pathology
The pathology component comprises 65 questions in the topics:
Antibiotics, general pathology phenomena, immunology, infection, neoplasia, pathology of blood, pharmacology, statistics, tissue response to injury.
Planning your study
One way to plan your study is to develop a schedule based on the syllabus topics. Decide on the number of weeks you are going to study, then allocate a topic to each, for example:
- Week 1 - Upper limb anatomy
- Week 2 - Endocrine physiology
- Week 3 - Pelvis anatomy
Listen to successful candidates
Listen to two successful candidates talking about how they studied for the exam.
"Generate a study plan well out from the exam..."
"You need to think about whether you want to study in disciplines…or whether you'd prefer more on subjects…"