NLE Surgery MCQs: Practice Questions With Explanations

Sample NLE (NRE) theory MCQs from Surgery and Allied — 48 of the 200 theory questions by PM&DC's own weighting — covering abdominal, endocrine and pediatric surgery, each with the correct answer explained.

Surgery and Allied makes up 48 of the 200 questions on the NLE (NRE) theory paper — second only to Medicine and Allied, and together the two make up exactly half the exam. Below is a sample set of Surgery MCQs in the same clinical-vignette style tested on exam day.

Abdominal & GI Surgery

1. A direct inguinal hernia protrudes medial to the inferior epigastric vessels, through which anatomical landmark?

A) Deep inguinal ring
B) Hesselbach's triangle ✅
C) Femoral canal
D) Obturator canal

2. Rebound tenderness at McBurney's point is most classically associated with:

A) Acute cholecystitis
B) Acute pancreatitis
C) Acute appendicitis ✅
D) Diverticulitis

3. In a patient with a prior history of abdominal surgery presenting with small bowel obstruction, the most common underlying cause is:

A) Malignancy
B) Adhesions ✅
C) Hernia
D) Intussusception

4. Charcot's triad for ascending cholangitis consists of fever, jaundice, and:

A) Right upper quadrant pain ✅
B) Epigastric pain radiating to the back
C) Hematemesis
D) Left iliac fossa pain

Endocrine & Pediatric Surgery

5. The most common histological type of thyroid cancer is:

A) Follicular carcinoma
B) Medullary carcinoma
C) Papillary carcinoma ✅
D) Anaplastic carcinoma

6. Injury to which nerve during thyroidectomy classically causes hoarseness of voice?

A) Vagus nerve
B) Recurrent laryngeal nerve ✅
C) Superior laryngeal nerve
D) Hypoglossal nerve

7. A child presenting with "currant jelly" stool and a palpable sausage-shaped abdominal mass most likely has:

A) Pyloric stenosis
B) Intussusception ✅
C) Meckel's diverticulum
D) Volvulus

Why Surgery Deserves Priority in Your NLE Prep

Medicine and Surgery together account for exactly half the NLE theory paper's clinical-sciences questions, which is why our NLE exam guide recommends focusing here first. Surgery in particular rewards pattern recognition — classic triads, eponymous signs, and anatomical landmarks that repeat across sessions in slightly different clinical dress.

HighYield's NLE question bank covers Surgery alongside every discipline on the theory paper, including a dedicated Surgery subject bank, with every question explained. Start with your first questions free, no sign-in required.