SmartMRCS: A Question Bank Built to Protect Its Questions
MRCS Part A preparation on the web — study mode, timed mocks, spaced repetition and content protection, with mobile applications under development
- Industry
- algarra7 Ltd (UK) — postgraduate surgical education
- Region
- United Kingdom
- Project Type
- Exam-preparation platform — web (mobile apps in development)
- Live Project
- Visit Site ↗
01
The Problem
MRCS Part A is a single-best-answer written examination split into two papers: Applied Basic Sciences and Principles of Surgery in General. Candidates need volume — thousands of questions — but volume alone does not tell them where they are losing marks. They need to study by paper, subject and topic, sit timed exams under real pressure, and come back to their mistakes at the right moment. For the client the bank itself is the business. A question bank that can be screenshotted page by page can be copied and resold, so protecting the content mattered as much as presenting it.
- Two papers with overlapping subject names — the same topic can exist under Paper 1 and Paper 2.
- Candidates revise on phones in short sessions, often without a reliable connection.
- The question bank is the client's core asset and had to be hard to copy.
- Payments had to work on the web now and stay ready for the app stores without double-charging anyone.
02
The Solution
Built for algarra7 Ltd, for which I am exclusive technical partner, SmartMRCS runs on the same exam platform I engineered for SmartFRCS, reshaped around MRCS Part A. Every question belongs to a paper, a subject and a topic, so candidates can work through one area properly before moving on. Study mode shows why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong; timed mocks run under exam conditions, either ready-made or built by the candidate from chosen subjects; progress shows accuracy by subject and topic, attempt history and questions due for review. The question bank is protected at every reading surface: a personal watermark on the web, and a DRM-backed capture shield that blanks protected content in supported browsers; native capture blocking is designed into the mobile apps now in development. Plans are fixed-term and never renew automatically.
Approach
- Paper → subject → topic classification, with progress scoped by paper so identical topic names never merge.
- Study mode with full explanations, saved questions and review of past mistakes.
- Timed mock exams with a question navigator, plus a custom exam builder by subject.
- Spaced repetition that schedules questions for review based on the candidate's answers.
- Grading on the server, mirrored in the client, ready for offline practice in the mobile apps now in development.
- A public ten-question demo exam with no sign-up, leading into registration.
Key Decisions
- Reuse a proven platform rather than start again: SmartMRCS inherits the SmartFRCS engine, billing and admin, and only the exam model changed.
- Protection that fails honestly: where a browser cannot enforce the capture shield, the content is watermarked or concealed — never presented as "secure" when it is not.
- Fixed-term access instead of subscriptions: plans unlock the full bank for one, three or six months and nothing renews.
03
Screens from the product
04
Technologies & Architecture
Backend
Frontend
Database
Infrastructure
Security
Integration
Architecture Notes
- 1Laravel API and React client on MariaDB behind Cloudflare; the Capacitor mobile apps are in development on the same codebase.
- 2Grading logic lives on the server and is mirrored on the client, so answers are graded instantly and re-checked by the server.
- 3Content protection combines a per-user watermark and a DRM-backed browser shield; native capture blocking is built into the mobile apps in development.
- 4Registration is protected by Cloudflare Turnstile and rate limiting.
05
Challenges & Trade-offs
Topic names repeat across the two papers, so a naive progress table would merge a candidate's Paper 1 anatomy results with Paper 2.
Study progress and custom exams are scoped by paper as well as subject and topic, so each result belongs to exactly one place.
Browsers cannot prevent screenshots, and pretending otherwise misleads the client.
A layered approach: DRM-backed concealment where the browser supports it, a personal watermark that makes every leak traceable, and native blocking designed into the mobile apps in development.
06
Outcomes & Impact
SmartMRCS is live at smartmrcs.com with 4,793 questions — 2,904 for Paper 1 and 1,889 for Paper 2 — each with an explanation, a free demo exam that needs no account, and Android and iOS applications under development on the same codebase.
- Live at smartmrcs.com with 4,793 explained questions across Paper 1 and Paper 2.
- Study mode, timed and custom mocks, progress analytics and spaced review in one account.
- Mobile applications for Android and iOS under development on the same codebase.
07
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which exam is SmartMRCS for?
- The MRCS Part A written examination, organised into Paper 1 (Applied Basic Sciences) and Paper 2 (Principles of Surgery in General).
- How is SmartMRCS related to SmartFRCS?
- They are separate products for different examinations, built on the same platform I engineered. That shared foundation is why SmartMRCS could focus on its own exam model and content protection.
- Can you build a protected question bank for my exam or course?
- Yes — on the web first, with mobile apps when your product is ready for them: study and exam modes, analytics, payments and content protection. Tell me about your questions and your learners, and I will propose the right scope.
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