FRCS Urol exam preparation, built around the JCIE syllabus
I built SmashUrology while I was preparing for my own FRCS(Urol). It covers both halves of the exam now: a question bank and flashcards for Part 1, and VivaSuite with the Viva Bank and Exam Room for Part 2. Everything is organised around the JCIE urology syllabus and written off the EAU and NICE guidelines.
Licensed by BAUS for its FRCS courses
Is SmashUrology built for FRCS Urol?
Yes, that's what it was built for. The question bank is written for Section 1, the viva content is written for Section 2, and both follow the JCIE syllabus for urology. Questions are based on the EAU Guidelines and NICE, and when someone flags one, a urologist reads it and checks it against the current guidelines.
I started writing questions as a registrar because I couldn't find a bank that tested guideline knowledge the way the exam did. I passed FRCS(Urol) in 2025 (here's my Part 1 results breakdown) and kept building. BAUS now use SmashUrology for delegates on their FRCS courses, and trainees in over 35 countries use it. There's more about me and the team on the About page.
The FRCS Urol exam in a nutshell
The FRCS(Urol) is the Intercollegiate Specialty Examination in Urology. It's run by the JCIE for the four surgical royal colleges (Edinburgh, England, Glasgow and Ireland), and it's the exit exam you need for CCT. There are two sections.
Section 1 (Part 1) - written
- Two single best answer papers
- 120 questions per paper, 2 hours 15 minutes each
- Computer based at Pearson VUE test centres in the UK and Ireland
- Standard set by examiners to decide who's eligible to proceed
- 2 years from your first attempt, maximum 4 attempts
Section 2 (Part 2) - clinical and oral
- All vivas - no patients
- You sit across from two examiners at each station
- Scenario based clinical questions across the whole syllabus
- Held at host centres in the UK and Ireland
- Pass standard is a day one consultant in general urology
- Maximum 4 attempts, 7 years to finish the whole exam
| No more EMIs | Section 1 used to be one SBA and one EMI paper. The JCIE changed it to two SBA papers in January 2021, so ignore older guides that still talk about EMIs. |
|---|---|
| Who can apply | UK and Irish trainees who've completed phase 2 of the curriculum with an ARCP outcome 1, or who are within 2 WTE years of their CCT date. You need 3 structured references, and one has to be your TPD. There's a separate route if you're not in training. |
| Dates | The JCIE publishes sitting dates and closing dates on its website. Applications close at 5pm UK time on the closing date and late ones roll over to the next sitting. |
| Trained outside the UK? | The Joint Surgical Colleges Fellowship Examination (JSCFE) is the international version, run to the same standard. |
From the JCIE guidance notes for applicants (July 2025) and the JCIE Urology Syllabus Blueprint. Rules do change, so double check with the JCIE before you apply.
What the JCIE syllabus covers
The syllabus is set out in the JCIE Intercollegiate Specialty Examination in Urology Syllabus Blueprint (2023). It maps every part of the curriculum to the way it's assessed. Knowledge gets tested in Section 1 and Section 2, and clinical judgement mostly comes up in Section 2 scenarios.
The core modules are basic science, clinical pharmacology, research methodology, stone disease, urinary tract obstruction, UTI, incontinence, oncology, andrology, paediatrics, renal function and nephrology, emergency urology, trauma and radiology. On top of that there are modular curricula for the subspecialty areas like female urology, reconstruction, neurourology, male infertility and transplantation.
A few things get missed. The research methods module wants you comfortable with odds ratios, confidence intervals, trial phases and screening principles. Radiology includes radiation protection and isotope imaging. Transplant goes into HLA matching, cross matching, immunosuppression and dialysis access. And there's more female urology in there than most people expect, including prolapse, fistulae and urethral diverticulum.
Part 1: the question bank
The question bank has over 2,100 SBAs, all with explanations that go through why the wrong answers are wrong, not just why the right one is right. You can do questions by topic, sit timed mock tests, and flag anything you disagree with so it gets reviewed.
The analytics break your scores down by topic so you can see where you're dropping marks. There's also a leaderboard, overall and by topic, so you can see how you're doing against everyone else revising for the same exam.
The biggest part of the syllabus and the biggest part of the bank. Diagnosis and staging, MDT decisions, localised, advanced and metastatic disease.
UDT, VUR, PUJ obstruction, hypospadias, the acute scrotum, UTI, enuresis and neuropathic bladder in kids.
Male factor infertility, sperm retrieval, ED, Peyronie's, priapism, ejaculatory disorders, hypogonadism.
Metabolic work-up, medical expulsive therapy, SWL, URS and PCNL, stents and complications.
Anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and the stats they love to ask: odds ratios, confidence intervals, trial phases, screening.
Male and female LUTS, retention, BPH medical and surgical options, strictures and bladder neck stenosis.
Pyelonephritis, abscess, GU TB, prostatitis, epididymitis, Fournier's, STIs, IC/BPS, retroperitoneal fibrosis.
SUI and urge incontinence, OAB, neuropathic bladder, prolapse, fistulae, urodynamics.
Renal, ureteric, bladder, urethral, testicular and genital trauma.
This is our weakest area. The transplant and dialysis stuff in the syllabus is detailed, so read around it.
Numbers as of 28 September 2026. Emergency urology questions sit inside the relevant topics above.
Flashcards
For the stuff you just need to know cold, there are over 1,500 flashcards across 19 categories. Good for the commute or ten minutes between cases.
Part 2: VivaSuite
The viva is a different skill. You can know everything and still come across badly if your answers aren't structured. VivaSuite has two parts to help with that.
Viva Bank
Over 80 scenarios with model answers, and we add more all the time. They go beyond the standard stations and try to cover the range of questions you can get asked on the day, because examiners don't always stick to the obvious. Read the scenario, work through the questions, then compare your answer to the model one.
Scenarios cover uro-oncology, emergency urology, stones and infection, paediatric urology, BPH and andrology, and bladder dysfunction.
Exam Room
A live viva with an AI examiner. You say your answers out loud, it pushes back with follow-up questions like a real examiner would, and you get scored feedback at the end. It's the closest thing I've found to practising under a bit of pressure without needing a consultant free on a Tuesday night.
The Exam Room in action.
How I'd prepare
Baseline, then topic by topic
Do a timed mixed block to see where you are. Then work through the syllabus module by module, starting with oncology, stones and functional. Keep the EAU and NICE guidance open as you go.
Mocks and mistakes
Timed mock tests, then go back through every wrong answer properly. Flashcards for the facts that won't stick. Check the leaderboard if it keeps you going. I've broken down where marks go in my own Part 1 results.
Start talking early
Don't wait for your Part 1 result to start viva practice. Go through the Viva Bank to build your structure, then use the Exam Room to practise saying it out loud. Practise with colleagues and consultants as well - two examiners across the table feels different to one.
More revision tips on the blog.
Working with BAUS
SmashUrology is licensed by BAUS. Delegates on the BAUS Scientific Basis of Urology course get access for Part 1, and delegates on the BAUS FRCS course get access for Part 2. We've also worked with the Singapore Urology Association.
If you run a training programme or course, get in touch about group access for your trainees.
Questions people ask about FRCS Urol
What is the FRCS Urol exam?
It's the Intercollegiate Specialty Examination in Urology, run by the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations (JCIE) on behalf of the four surgical royal colleges in Edinburgh, England, Glasgow and Ireland. It's the exit exam for urology training in the UK and Ireland, and you need it for CCT.
What's the format of FRCS Urol Section 1?
Two single best answer papers, each with 120 questions and 2 hours 15 minutes long. It's computer based at Pearson VUE test centres, and the pass mark is standard set by trained examiners.
Does FRCS Urol Part 1 still have EMI questions?
No. The JCIE moved all Section 1 exams from one SBA and one EMI paper to two SBA papers in January 2021. A lot of older guides online still mention EMIs, so be careful what you read.
What happens in FRCS Urol Section 2?
For urology it's all vivas, there are no patients. You sit across from two examiners at each station and get asked scenario based clinical questions, at a host centre in the UK or Ireland. The pass standard is a day one consultant in the generality of urology.
How many attempts do you get at FRCS Urol?
For Section 1 you get 2 years from your first attempt, with a maximum of 4 attempts. Section 2 is also a maximum of 4 attempts, and the whole process has to be done within 7 years (pro rata if you're less than full time).
Who can apply for FRCS Urol?
UK and Irish trainees need to have completed phase 2 of the curriculum with an ARCP outcome 1, or be within 2 whole time equivalent years of their CCT date. You also need 3 structured references, one from your training programme director. There's a separate route for doctors who aren't in training.
How long should I revise for FRCS Urol Part 1?
BAUS suggest roughly six months of dedicated revision for Section 1. Most people fit that around a full rota, so start earlier rather than later.
Is SmashUrology based on EAU or NICE guidelines?
Both. FRCS Urol is a UK and Ireland exam so the questions are written off the EAU Guidelines and NICE, alongside landmark trials and the main textbooks.
Can I use SmashUrology for FEBU as well?
Yes, the same question bank covers FEBU Part 1. There's a separate FEBU exam preparation page that maps it to the European syllabus.
Give it a go
Try the demo questions first and see if you like the style. There are plans for Part 1 and Part 2 on the pricing page. Good luck, and let me know how you get on.
Written by Ibrahim Ibrahim, Consultant Urologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow (MBChB, MSSc, MRCS(Glas), FRCS(Urol)) and founder of SmashUrology.
Advisory board: Professor Bhaskar Somani, Professor of Urology and Consultant Endourologist.Last checked against the JCIE guidance notes and Urology Syllabus Blueprint on 28 September 2026. SmashUrology is independent - we're not affiliated with or endorsed by the JCIE or the surgical royal colleges.