FRCS Plast Exam

The regulations relating to the examination, its format and details on how to apply can be found on the Intercollegiate Specialty Board website.

The examination is designed to determine whether candidates have the necessary knowledge and skills to have reached the standard required to practice independently as a consultant within the NHS. The full range of the specialty is tested including basic sciences. Although the examination is rigorous, the examiners try to ensure that it is fair and reliable. Quality assurance measures are in place to safeguard this.

Candidates entering the examination should look on it as the equivalent of putting forward management plans and taking part in case discussions that typically occur during grand rounds or outpatient clinics in a hospital setting. The emphasis is on the ability of the candidate to show that he or she is safe to practice and can communicate effectively, rather than on the demonstration of how much factual knowledge has been accumulated.

It is recognised that the examination is stressful, but the examiners try to put candidates at ease as much as they can.