SZABMU MD vs MS Part-I: Which Paper II Should You Prepare?

One of the first questions SZABMU residency candidates ask is how MD and MS Part-I differ. The short answer is that half of the exam is identical: Paper I is the common basic-sciences paper. The difference lies entirely in Paper II.

What Is the Same

• Both have two papers of 100 single-best-answer MCQs each.
• Paper I is the same: Anatomy 30%, Physiology 30%, Pathology 20%, Biochemistry 10%, Pharmacology 10%.
• Both results are valid for two years.

What Differs: Paper II

	MD (applied medicine)	MS (applied surgery)
Heaviest topics	Inflammation, infection and sepsis (12%); most systems at 10%	Fluids and electrolytes (20%); inflammation and sepsis (15%)
Systems covered	Cardiovascular, respiratory, gastroenterology, hepatology and nephrology, neurology and rheumatology, endocrinology, haematology	Endocrine, GIT, urology, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, gynae/obs, ENT/eye
Small topics	Immunology and ICU (5% each)	Infections, urology, orthopaedics, ENT/eye, anaesthesia (5% each)

Which One to Prepare

You prepare for the degree and specialty you are applying for: medicine and allied disciplines sit the applied medicine paper, and surgery and allied disciplines the applied surgery paper. Paper I preparation transfers fully between the two, so you can build it once. Then use the SZABMU MD QBank for the medicine Paper II or the SZABMU MS QBank for the surgery Paper II.

Details of the weightage are in the pattern guide, and the sample questions for each paper in medicine and surgery posts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same Paper I preparation for both?

Yes. Paper I is identical for every discipline.

Which allied disciplines sit the surgery paper?

Those in the Surgery and allied group in the SZABMU road map; check the current notification for your specialty.

Which has more fluids and electrolytes?

MS: 20% of Paper II, compared with 10% in the MD paper.

Check the current SZABMU notification for which specialties are grouped with medicine or surgery.