FCPS Part 1 Surgery MCQs by Subject: General Surgery, Anatomy & Pathology

FCPS Part 1 Surgery and Allied is often assumed to be mostly clinical surgery, but in HighYield's Surgery question bank, General Surgery, Anatomy and Pathology are the three largest subjects by question volume — between them accounting for more of the bank than every other subject combined. Below is a sample across all three.

General Surgery

1. Murphy's sign — pain and inspiratory arrest on palpation of the right upper quadrant — is classically associated with:

• A) Acute pancreatitis
• B) Acute cholecystitis ✅
• C) Acute appendicitis
• D) Peptic ulcer perforation

2. McBurney's point, used to localise maximal tenderness in acute appendicitis, lies:

• A) At the midpoint between the umbilicus and pubic symphysis
• B) One-third of the way from the anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus ✅
• C) Directly over the umbilicus
• D) At the midpoint of the inguinal ligament

Anatomy

3. The appendix is most commonly found in which anatomical position relative to the caecum?

• A) Pelvic
• B) Retrocaecal ✅
• C) Subcaecal
• D) Pre-ileal

4. Intramuscular gluteal injections are given in the upper outer quadrant specifically to avoid injury to which nerve?

• A) Superior gluteal nerve
• B) Inferior gluteal nerve
• C) Sciatic nerve ✅
• D) Pudendal nerve

Pathology

5. Courvoisier's law states that a palpable, non-tender gallbladder in a jaundiced patient is unlikely to be caused by:

• A) Carcinoma of the head of pancreas
• B) Cholangiocarcinoma
• C) Gallstones ✅
• D) Ampullary carcinoma

6. Linitis plastica — diffuse thickening and rigidity of the stomach wall — is the classic presentation of which histological subtype of gastric cancer?

• A) Papillary adenocarcinoma
• B) Signet ring cell carcinoma ✅
• C) Tubular adenocarcinoma
• D) Mucinous adenocarcinoma

Don't Neglect the Basic Sciences

Candidates who drill only clinical surgery topics and treat Anatomy and Pathology as MBBS-level revision consistently under-perform — at FCPS Part 1 depth, these subjects are tested with the same rigour as General Surgery itself, and in HighYield's own bank they carry more questions combined than the clinical subject does alone.

HighYield's FCPS Part 1 Surgery and Allied question bank covers every subject in the paper, each question explained. See our FCPS Surgery Syllabus guide for the full breakdown by group, or check the most repeated FCPS Part 1 Surgery MCQs to prioritise your revision. Try the first 20 questions free, no sign-in required.