Cases, discussion & exam tips.
Read an image case and commit to your call, debate management, swap exam-day experiences, and share what worked when you studied — a friendly place to pressure-test your reasoning before the exam.
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Organising mock vivas with colleagues was the single best thing I did
Three of us preparing for FRCS met weekly for 8 weeks and took turns running structured vivas. The person being examined got no advance warning of the topic, the 'examiner' had 10 minutes, and the third person gave feedback. The insight from being on the examiner side was invaluable — you immediately notice the difference between confident, structured answers and rambling ones. It also forced me to study topics I would otherwise have avoided. I'd recommend at least 3-4 mock rounds minimum.
EBOT oral exam: they expect you to handle being wrong gracefully
During the EBOT oral, one examiner gently challenged my management plan for a distal radius fracture with an unusual fracture pattern. I doubled down on my initial answer instead of pausing to reconsider. Looking back, they were giving me space to correct myself — the ideal response was to acknowledge the point, re-evaluate, and modify the plan. The exam tests composure and judgement under pressure just as much as knowledge. If an examiner pushes back, pause before you push back harder.
FRCS (Tr & Orth) clinicals — what the day actually felt like
Sharing my experience of the FRCS clinical day to help those coming up. The intermediate cases reward a slick, rehearsed examination routine more than encyclopaedic knowledge; the short cases move fast, so commit to a finding and move. Time pressure is real — practise examining to a metronome with a colleague watching. What surprised others on the day?
FRACS operative surgery viva — how the station ran for me
A reflection on the operative surgery viva. Examiners pushed hardest on the steps I glossed over — positioning, the interval, neurovascular structures at risk, and what I would do when it goes wrong. Having a structured "approach script" for the common exposures saved me. Happy to answer questions; what did others find the examiners drilled into?
What I would do differently in the 6 months before the exam
Hindsight notes for anyone with ~6 months to go: start timed question practice far earlier than feels comfortable, rehearse vivas out loud with a partner weekly, and stop hoarding new resources — depth in a few beats breadth in many. I left viva practice too late. What would you change?