Rules and information about EBOPRAS Examination

History and Value of being a Fellow of EBOPRAS

The European Board Examination in Plastic Surgery is organised by the EBOPRAS examination committee and is intended both as a quality mark, and to help in the harmonisation of standards in EU and UEMS member countries. Passing the EBOPRAS Examination does not give a right to work in a member country of the UEMS. Such rights are granted by the National Authority in each country.

However, in some European countries (Malta, Netherlands, Slovenia and Switserland), the authorities have adopted the EBOPRAS examination as a part of their process for granting specialist status in Plastic Surgery. In other countries, the European Board examination is not an alternative to any national examination.

The European Board Examination in Plastic Surgery was first held in Brussels in 1994.

Eligibility for the EBOPRAS exam

The examination consists of two parts (Part 1 and Part 2)

Eligibility for Part 1:
A candidate must:

• Be either a specialist in Plastic Surgery registered by the relevant national authority in a UEMS (associate) member country, or
• On an official training programme in Plastic Surgery in a UEMS (associate) member country.

Eligibility for Part 2:
A candidate must:

• Have passed the Part 1 MCQ examination no longer than 3 years before the date of the oral exam, and
• Not have failed Part 2 more than 3 times since passing Part 1, and
• Be either a registered specialist in Plastic Surgery or a trainee, who has completed 4 years of specialist Plastic Surgery training in an approved training programme. In either case this must be in a UEMS (associate) member country.

UEMS (associate) member countries are listed on the UEMS website (www.uems.eu).

Candidates who fail either Part 1 or Part 2 may resit at a later date, but must pay the fee again through their account, and accept the rules applicable at the time of the resit. However, candidates who fail Part 2 four times or who do not pass Part 2 within 3 years of passing Part 1 will need to resit and pass Part 1 again before they can retake Part 2.

Candidates can use the portal of EBOPRAS to create their account with EBOPRAS. This account will be password protected. Candidates can manage their own bookings through their account. Cancellation fees may apply (see below). Registration for an exam is preceeded by a verification process, which may take some time. Trainees need to enter the name of their Director of Training, which - in case he is not known with EBOPRAS - will have to be verified by the National Delegate, that can be selected froma drop down menu. Once verified, the Director of Training will receive a verification request for the trainee. Medical Specialist in plastic surgery who want to sit the exam will be verified by the national delegate only.

Examination format & timing

The examination consists of two parts (Part 1 and Part 2), and the dates and venues for the exam are published on this website as soon as they are known.

Part 1 - Multiple choice question paper (MCQ)
Part 1 is a written examination, normally held twice a year, usually in Winter and Summer. It consists of 120 multiple choice questions (MCQ) in English only, covering the EBOPRAS syllabus, which is available on this website as part of the European Training Requirements.

The MCQ-exam tests theoretical and clinical knowledge. Three hours are allocated to complete the exam. The questions are intended to avoid the use of national features or proper names as much as is possible, replacing these with concepts which should be widely understood. Invigilators will be present during the exam and will be available to help candidates understand any difficult English words. Candidates who arrive after the exam has started will not be admitted. All MC-questions and their answers will be tested for their performance and scrutinised for ambiguity or error. Questions which the examination committee considers to be incorrect or ambiguous will be withdrawn from the exam. The pass mark for the exam is set using an educationally accepted method.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have moved from a paper format exam to a digital format exam of the Part 1 exam. This implies that the exam is now held at a number of locations all over Europe, limiting the travel distance for most candidates (see exam dates and venues).

Each candidate has to bring his/her own laptop/tablet to the announced exam venue and can take the exam through a secured website. Before the exam, candidates will receive detailed information by email about the requirements of their laptop/tablet and have to log in to the exam browser to test their machine using the login details provided. This is an obligatory step to prevent problems at the exam site.

Any candidate found copying, attempting to copy or record any part of the exam including the questions, or cheat in any other way, will fail the exam, be banned from sitting in future, and be reported to the relevant National Authority.

Each candidate will receive their result (pass or fail) by email as soon as it is available (usually on the day). Candidates’ exact marks will not be published.

Candidates who fail the MCQ exam may resit at a later date. They will be required to register and pay the fee again through their account and must agree to the rules applicable at the time of the resit. There is no limit to the number of attempts at Part 1.

Part 2 - Oral examination
The oral exam is intended to test if the candidate is fit for safe independent practice in Plastic Surgery. The ability to clinically apply knowledge is assessed and the questions of the examiners are usually based on clinical pictures depicting problems that Plastic Surgeons encounter. The pictures are divided into categories, and each candidate will normally be asked a question from each of the eight categories: congenital abnormalities, trauma, burns, hand surgery, tumours, reconstruction, aesthetic and breast.

The exam consists of two oral sessions, each lasting about 25 minutes, and covering half the categories. The two oral exams are conducted in English, normally by two separate pairs of examiners. If, when applying for the exam, the candidate has requested assistance with one of the main EU languages other than English, (French, German, Italian or Spanish) then an examiner who speaks the requested language will be present.

Under normal circumstances, the exam takes place in a fully live session during Spring and Autumn. COVID-19 has forced us a number of times to cancel and move to a hybrid exam, in which one examiner is present live and one examining via video connection. If at all possible, we prefer a fully live exam.

There may be an additional examiner present who could be an examiner in training, outside observer, or a senior examiner assessor.

Each topic in each oral is marked independently by each of the examiners. The outcome of one oral does not affect the second. The grades for each oral are totalled at the end of the examination to determine whether or not a candidate has passed.

The result of the examination (Pass or Fail) will usually be available on the same day as the exam and will be sent to each individual candidate by email.

Note

There is a deadline for payment for each exam, which is advertised together with the exam date on this website. Because of the verification steps and the time it takes to get confirmation of completion of payment, the whole process may take quite long. Therefore, you are strongly advised to start your application on time! Application that are not complete at the time of the deadline will not be accepted.

There is a limit on the number of places available for each exam which means that applications may close earlier than the published closing date. Applications received after capacity is filled, will be carried forward to the next exam date, and/or put on a waiting list in the event of a cancellation.

Once you have created an account any further action can be run through your account. You do NOT need to start a new registration

Cancellation and postponement policy

In the event of you cancelling your examination date or postponing it to a later date, the following levels of refund shall apply (after deduction of EBOPRAS expenses of €50):

More than 12 weeks - 100%: you can move yourself to the next exam date without penalty
8-12 weeks - 50%: you lose 50% of your exam fee
4-8 weeks - 25%: you lose 75% of your exam fee
< 4 weeks - 0%: you lose your complete exam fee

If you cancel for a certain exam, or postpone your registration to a future date, extra costs may be inflicted depending on the moment of moving yourself to the next exam and you will be instructed to pay the difference.

Syllabus

Plastic surgery is a very broad subject and EBOPRAS does not recommend a specific book or books for study. The European Training Requirements can be found on this website, and questions in the exam may be based on any part of that syllabus.

Preparation for exam

EBOPRAS does not offer preparation courses for the exam; however, once a year a European Course in Plastic Surgery is held over a period of 3 days just before the EBOPRAS examination in Autumn. This provides an opportunity to hear speakers who are specialists in their field and meet colleagues from many European countries. Please note that the course is not comprehensive and is not linked to the examination questions.

Past papers of EBOPRAS exams are not available. Various books of MCQs are published, which candidates may find helpful, but none is endorsed or recommended specifically by EBOPRAS.

Loss or damage to EBOPRAS Fellowship Certificate

If you lose your certificate, your name remains on the definitive list on the website, and we can provide a letter to state that you are a Fellow of EBOPRAS. Please note that generally replacement EBOPRAS certificates will not be issued should they be lost. Certificates will only be replaced in the event of damage and if the damaged original is sent by registered mail to the home address of EBOPRAS with a covering letter. A charge of €50 will be levied for the replacement.

Secretariat

EBOPRAS does not have a secretariat devoted to the exam and dealing with candidates. While we try to respond speedily, we are busy surgeons so please be patient.

Fraud

Candidates who make false statements in relation to their application will be disqualified, and may be reported to the UEMS, ESPRAS, their National Medical Authority, training scheme, and/or hospital.

External events

In the event of external events leading to the cancellation or postponement of an examination, EBOPRAS will not be responsible for any financial losses incurred by candidates.

No legal right can be derived from the rules. By creating an EBOPRAS account and paying for the EBOPRAS examination, the candidate accepts these rules.

We suggest that you save or print a copy of this document for future reference, as it contains the answers to most questions we get asked.

Visas to attend the examination

Some candidates may require entry visas for the country where the examination takes place. The application system can generate a letter, if required, to confirm that you are a candidate for the examination. EBOPRAS will only provide a visa support letter for a candidate, and not for relatives. The letter will normally be sent to you by email, for you to print. You are advised to apply for the exam early if you require a visa for travel.

Some candidates experience difficulty in obtaining a visa. In this case, candidates may be unable to get to the exam venue. EBOPRAS has no control over this, and cannot be held liable for your costs if you cannot attend the exam.

Title and Certificate after having passed the EBOPRAS exam

Those candidates who have passed both parts of the exam and are specialists in Plastic Surgery and registered by the relevant national authority in a UEMS country are entitled to receive their EBOPRAS certificate, and be able to call themselves “Fellow of EBOPRAS”, and use the abbreviation FEBOPRAS behind their name. Their names will be posted on the EBOPRAS website which holds the official list of Fellows.

Trainees who pass the exam will not receive their certificate, nor become a “Fellow of EBOPRAS” nor be listed on the website, until they have uploaded a copy of their Specialist Diploma into their account (which is subsequently checked by their national delegate) and their postal address to their account. They will receive a 'trainee certificate' that testifies that they have passed both parts of the exam.

APPLYING FOR EBOPRAS EXAMINATION

If you wish to apply for Part 1, you first must register with EBOPRAS using the online system and create a login name and password. This only needs to be done once. This process will generate an online account, which can be used for enrolling in the exams.

If you have completed your registration on an earlier date and sent us the necessary papers, your registration is still valid, and you will have received an email from us with a link that allows you to create an account.

If you have not received such an email, or you are completely new to EBOPRAS, register here: