Overview

Introduction

The General Surgery MCQ Examination (GS Examination (MCQ)) 2025 is a postgraduate examination for exit certification. Completing the GS Examination (MCQ) is one of the requirements for exit certification and for specialist registration as determined by the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB). The examination is jointly developed by the ABMS Assessment Services (ABMS-AS), LLC, the relevant Member Board of its affiliate, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and the Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH).

ABMS is a not-for-profit organisation that assists the American medical specialty boards in the development and use of standards in the evaluation and certification of specialists.

MOH has collaborated with ABMS-AS to develop specialty-specific psychometrically validated multiple-choice-question (MCQ) examinations for Singapore. The examination blueprints have been designed to ensure that the content is relevant to the practice of medicine in Singapore. The GS Examination will complement the structured formative training of the residency programme and other clinical assessments required in the programme.

Any specialty certificate issued by MOH does not entitle the holder to reciprocal certification privileges in the U.S.

Purpose of the examination

The SAB determines the qualifications, experience and training programmes which are to be recognised for registration as specialists under the Medical Registration Act, and grants Certificates of Specialist Accreditation to persons who meet these requirements. You can obtain current information from the section on specialist accreditation in Singapore.

To receive the Certificate of Specialist Accreditation in a specialty, a doctor must meet the graduate medical education training requirements, demonstrate clinical competence in the care of patients, meet the licensure requirements with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC), and pass the required postgraduate examinations.

The General Surgery Examination

The GS Examination, comprising 2 components, shall be the exit examination for General Surgery residents. Successful completion of both GS Examination components must be achieved, together with certification by the Programme Director that the resident has completed all training requirements as stated in the Country Addendum, before a certificate of completion of General Surgery Specialist Training may be issued.

Candidates must successfully complete both the GS Examination (MCQ) and the GS Examination (Clinical) as well as fulfil all requirements within the Country Addendum in order to be certified to have completed General Surgery Specialist Training.

Either GS Examination (MCQ) or GS Examination (Clinical) may be undertaken first, provided the eligibility criteria for the respective examination is met. Neither examination is a pre-requirement to successfully complete, before the other examination can be undertaken. In other words, the sequence of sitting the Exit Examination components is not important.

GS Examination (MCQ)

The GS Examination (MCQ) will comprise 200 multiple-choice questions. This is administered for surgeons in training, who are either residents in a JCST-accredited General Surgery residency programme in Singapore or who have been certified by their programme director, to have successfully completed residency training in Singapore. Eligible residents must be at least in their R5 year and must be certified by their residency programme director to have satisfactorily completed at least 54 months of residency training at the time of the examination.

In addition, they must have completed both the intermediate examination requirement as defined within the Singapore Country Addendum for General Surgery (MRCS examinations) and the final MMed (Surgery).

The GS Examination (MCQ) may be taken by doctors who have completed residency training, provided they have not exceeded the overall eligible time window from the onset of residency training, as allowed by JCST, to successfully complete their exit examinations.

All general surgeons in training who started residency training on or after July 2011 are required to take the GS Examination (MCQ). JCST and the General Surgery RAC will waive the need for residents to sit for the annual ITE, ABSITE, if they take part in the GS Examination (MCQ) in the same calendar year.

GS Examination (Clinical)

This is the Joint Specialty Fellowship Examination in General Surgery, which comprises Viva and Clinical components. It will be administered not earlier than 3 months before the date of completion of final year of senior residency.

Eligible candidates for the GS Examination (Clinical) must be either residents in a JCST accredited General Surgery residency programme in Singapore, or who have been certified by their programme director to have successfully completed residency training in Singapore.

Although eligible residents may be allowed to sit for the GS Examination (Clinical) not earlier than 3 months before the date of completion of the final year of senior residency, the Joint Specialty Fellowship in General Surgery will not be formally awarded to residents who pass the GS Examination (Clinical) until they have been formally certified by their programme directors to have successfully completed the entire duration of their residency training and have satisfied all other requirements as stated within Singapore Country Addendum for General Surgery residency training, including the operative case load requirements of 750 cases within the entire duration of residency as well as at least 150 cases within the final year of senior residency.

The GS Examination (Clinical) may be taken by doctors who have completed residency training, provided they have not exceeded the overall eligible time window from the onset of residency training, as allowed by JCST, to successfully complete their exit examinations.

MCQ Examination Committee

The General Surgery MCQ Examination Committee comprises medical educators and senior clinicians who are appointed as subject matter experts to be involved in the joint development of the examination materials with ABMS-AS. The examination materials are protected by copyright laws and are intended to be delivered in a secured test environment.

Computer-based testing

The GS Examination (MCQ) is a multiple-choice examination administered by computer. The code used for this examination is GS Examination. Pearson VUE is the designated Test Vendor for administering the computer-based examination in a secured test environment. Upon successful scheduling of the examination with Pearson VUE, candidates will receive a Confirmation Email which will indicate the location of the allocated Test Centre.