FMGE 2026 Surgery: High-Yield Topics for the Last 2 Weeks

With FMGE 2026 scheduled for June 25, the Surgery section offers 20–25 scoreable questions — and focused revision of 10 core topic clusters over the next two weeks can meaningfully lift your overall score.

FMGE 2026 is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). Surgery is one of the top-contributing clinical subjects, tested through case vignettes that assess diagnosis, investigation choice, and management sequencing — not pure recall. In the final fortnight, strategic topic selection matters far more than broad coverage. This guide identifies the highest-yield Surgery topics based on previous FMGE session trends and outlines a day-wise revision approach for the remaining two weeks.

• FMGE 2026 exam date: June 25, 2026
• Surgery contributes approximately 20–25 questions out of 300 total.
• Passing mark: 150 out of 300 (50%) — no negative marking applies.
• Top-priority areas include hernias, thyroid surgery, intestinal obstruction, breast carcinoma, and burns.
• FMGE Surgery questions are predominantly clinical-vignette based — prioritise management and diagnosis pattern recognition.

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FMGE 2026 Surgery Section Overview

Surgery consistently ranks among the top three clinical subjects in FMGE by question volume. Alongside Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Surgery shapes whether you clear the 150-mark threshold. The section tests your ability to handle surgical emergencies, classify tumours, choose investigations, and decide on operative versus conservative management.

All FMGE questions carry one mark each, and there is no penalty for wrong answers. This means every Surgery question you get right has a direct, uncomplicated impact on your final score. With two weeks to go, you should not attempt to revise Surgery from scratch — instead, map your revision to the clusters that appear year after year.

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High-Yield Surgery Topics for FMGE 2026

The topics below are drawn from patterns seen across previous FMGE sessions. Dedicate the bulk of your remaining Surgery time to these clusters.

1. Hernias

Hernias are among the most consistently tested Surgery topics in FMGE. Focus on the anatomy of the inguinal canal, direct versus indirect inguinal hernia (based on relationship to the inferior epigastric vessels), femoral versus inguinal hernia differentiation, and complications — strangulation, incarceration, obstruction. Know Richter’s hernia, Maydl’s hernia (hernia-in-W), and the surgical approaches including Lichtenstein tension-free repair.

2. Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery

Papillary carcinoma (most common thyroid cancer), lymph node spread patterns, MEN syndromes (MEN 2A and 2B with medullary carcinoma), and complications of thyroidectomy — recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, hypoparathyroidism — are high-frequency FMGE vignettes. For parathyroid, revise primary hyperparathyroidism features and surgical indications.

3. Intestinal Obstruction

Know radiological signs of small versus large bowel obstruction, causes (post-operative adhesions being most common in adults), volvulus (sigmoid: coffee bean sign on X-ray; caecal), and intussusception in children. Management sequencing — when to operate versus conservative management — is the most common question frame.

4. Appendicitis

Clinical features, the Alvarado score, position variants of the appendix and how they alter presentation, and complications including perforation and peri-appendicular abscess. Understand the Ochsner–Sherren regimen for conservative management and its indications.

5. Breast Surgery

Invasive ductal carcinoma (most common breast cancer), TNM staging, sentinel lymph node biopsy, modified radical mastectomy versus breast-conserving surgery — decision based on tumour size and location — are standard FMGE Surgery questions. Also revise fibroadenoma characteristics, cystosarcoma phyllodes, and Paget’s disease of the nipple.

6. Colorectal Carcinoma

Carcinoma colon versus rectum — clinical presentation differences, Duke’s staging alongside TNM, surgical options. Abdominoperineal resection versus anterior resection decision based on the tumour’s distance from the anal verge is a classic FMGE question type. Also revise Hirschsprung disease and its diagnosis (rectal biopsy showing absence of ganglion cells).

7. Burns

Rule of Nines for total body surface area (TBSA) estimation and the Parkland formula (4 mL × weight in kg × %TBSA, half in first 8 hours) are direct mark-givers. Revise depth classification (superficial, partial-thickness, full-thickness), criteria for skin grafting, and inhalation injury management.

8. Biliary Surgery

Obstructive jaundice workup, Courvoisier’s law (palpable gallbladder with painless jaundice suggests malignancy), acute cholecystitis management, and carcinoma gallbladder staging. Choledochal cysts and Todani classification (Types I–V) appear frequently in recent FMGE papers — a one-page classification table is worth writing.

9. Vascular Surgery

Varicose veins — Trendelenburg test, CEAP classification, and management options. Buerger’s disease (thromboangiitis obliterans) in young male smokers. Differentiating arterial from venous ulcers based on site, pain, and base appearance is a reliable vignette topic.

10. Head and Neck Swellings

Branchial cyst (lateral neck, derived from second branchial cleft), thyroglossal cyst (midline, moves with tongue protrusion and swallowing), and pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid (most common salivary gland tumour) are tested every few sessions. Know surgical approaches and the risk of facial nerve injury in parotid surgery.

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Topic-wise Weightage Table

The table below summarises Surgery sub-topics with their approximate question contribution and revision priority, based on previous FMGE session trends.

Question distribution is based on previous FMGE session trends; actual distribution varies by session.

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Last 2 Weeks Revision Strategy for Surgery

You have 14 days before the June 25 exam. The three-phase plan below keeps you from spreading too thin.

Days 1–5: Very High Priority Topics

Cover hernias, thyroid and parathyroid, intestinal obstruction, and appendicitis. Do not read textbook chapters — use concise FMGE-oriented notes and solve 25–30 Surgery MCQs per topic each day. Build classification tables for MEN syndromes, Todani cysts, and hernia types on paper — these become morning-of-exam reference cards.

Days 6–10: High Priority Topics and Timed MCQ Practice

Cover breast surgery, colorectal carcinoma, burns, biliary surgery, and head and neck swellings. Shift to timed MCQ blocks of 50 Surgery questions per session, drawn from previous FMGE years. Burns questions on Rule of Nines and Parkland formula are near-certain marks — do not skip them.

Days 11–14: Full-Length Mocks and Selective Revision

Stop adding new material. Attempt two full-length 300-question mock tests and spend 30 minutes after each test reviewing every Surgery question you got wrong. Revise vascular and trauma basics on Day 12, then do a rapid flashcard pass of all Surgery one-liners on the final two evenings.

Key Revision Tips

• Every Surgery question is a management vignette — practice identifying the next best step, not just the diagnosis.
• Memorise surgical anatomy one-liners: boundaries of the femoral canal, contents of the triangle of Calot, course of the RLN.
• Attempt every question on exam day — there is no negative marking, so leaving Surgery questions blank is a wasted opportunity.
• For colorectal tumours, always check the distance from the anal verge — it drives the surgical approach question.
• Write out the Parkland formula and Rule of Nines grid once a day for the first week until they are completely automatic.