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Overview of Final FRCR Part A, Clinical Oncology
- December 31, 2019
The Royal College of Radiologists expects candidates attempting the FRCR Clinical Oncology examinations to have a broad knowledge and understanding of the management of patients with cancer.
In this article, we will be explaining what you can expect from the Final FRCR Part A Clinical Oncology exam (also known as FRCR 2A), the costs associated, where you can sit the exam, and we will also provide some helpful study resources and tips to give you the best possible chance of passing.
How Much Does It Cost?
As of writing this article, the current cost for the Final FRCR Part A examination is £343 for members of the Royal College of Radiologists and £404 for non-members.
When and Where Can I Sit the Exam?
The examination can be sat in Singapore, Hong Kong and Kolkata – India and in London, Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK.
Final FRCR Part A exams are held twice a year, usually in February and again in either August or September
Am I eligible to Sit the Exam?
In order to be eligible, you will need to have passed the First FRCR Clinical Oncology exam.
Final FRCR Part A Exam Format
The examination consists of two papers that have 120 questions. The questions will be multiple choice for both papers, in which answers will be labelled A-E, and you will need to choose what you believe is the most correct answer. You will have 3 hours to answer each paper.
The papers will consist of questions about the following types of tumours, and each subject will feature the number of questions described:
Paper 1
|
Tumour Type |
Number of Questions |
|
Respiratory |
24 |
|
Urology |
24 |
|
Head and Neck |
24 |
|
Skin |
12 |
|
CNS |
12 |
|
Gynaecology |
24 |
Paper 2
|
Tumour Type |
Number of Questions |
|
Breast |
24 |
|
Lower Gastrointestinal |
24 |
|
Upper Gastrointestinal |
24 |
|
Haematology |
12 |
|
Miscellaneous (thyroid, sarcoma, unknown primary, regulations, palliative care) |
38 |
|
Image Based |
10 |
Equipment for the Exam
For this examination, you will be expected to bring an HB pencil, an eraser and a pencil sharpener. Calculators will not be necessary for this exam.
Results
After the exam, a list of successful candidates will be shared on the Royal College of Radiologists website. This list will only contain your candidate number, so your identity will remain protected. You will receive your results via email or post, and these will be sent out as soon as possible after the list of successful candidates has been posted. The email or letter will explain the level that was required in order to pass and information of your performance against this level. You will also be informed of the scores you received, and a breakdown of how you performed in each section.
Pass Rates
The Royal College of Radiologists reported that in 2018, 48% of candidates passed the FRCR Part A exam. The number of non-UK trained candidates that passed were 26% and the pass rate for non-UK trained candidates taking the exam for the first time was 33%.
If You Don’t Pass
If you don’t pass the examination, you have a total of six attempts at Part A. It can be discouraging if you fail, however this can be a useful opportunity to help you work on any areas that you struggled with in your previous attempt.
Once you do pass, you will have three years from the date of the successful Part A examination to pass Part B. If you don’t pass Part B within those three years, and you still wish to complete FRCR, you will need to pass Part A again.
Revision Resources
The best thing you can do to try and pass, whether you’re taking the test for the first time, or whether this is another attempt, is to prepare and to make use of the study resources available to you. The Royal College of Radiologists provides several useful resources to help candidates prepare for the Final FRCR Part A examination. They provide some sample questions, as well as exam instructions and an answer sheet. You can find those here:
Books
Get Through Final FRCR 2A by Teck Yew Chin, Susan Cheng Shelmerdine, Akash Ganguly and Chinedum Anosike
SBAs for the Final FRCR 2A (Oxford Specialty Training: Revision Texts) by Richard Linsday, Scott Gillespie, Rory Kelly, Raghuram Sathyanarayana, Nicholas Napier and Paul Burns
Revision Notes for the Final FRCR Part A, Second Edition (Postgrad Exams) by Kshitij Mankad, Edward T D Hoey and Sahil Chhabda
Websites
RXPG Online Revision Strategies
Facebook Groups
FRCR 2A & 2B Clinical Oncology
Tips for Passing the Exam
Prepare
Start preparing for the exam in advance – one of the best pieces of advice we can offer you is to start studying early, the more well acquainted you are with the types of material that might come up in the exam, the more likely you will be to pass!
Courses
If you can find a suitable course, we would recommend taking it to better prepare you. Courses are usually either held face to face or online. These can be expensive but are also a particularly good resource and many doctors feel that they are worth the money. If you live in the UK, the Royal College of Radiologists shares preparation courses being held in UK hospitals, you can find those here.
Practice
We highly recommend using the practice materials provided by the Royal College of Radiologists and the books we mentioned previously to help you prepare for the exam. If you can time yourself whilst you answer questions, it will give you a more accurate idea of what the real exam will be like on the day.
Familiarise Yourself with the Syllabus
The Royal College of Radiologists recommends that you familiarise yourself with the Clinical Oncology syllabus and curriculum, as this is what you will be examined against. You can find the most up to date version of these here.
Relocation to the UK
If you’re a clinical or medical oncologist who would like our support in securing an NHS post, email your CV to [email protected] and we can guide you on your journey to the UK.
Are you a member of our Facebook group? When you join IMG Advisor, you will join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of blogs and vlogs to the group every day. We will also be on hand to answer any relocation queries you may have.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 45 videos on everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS.
Listen to BDI Resourcing on the go with IMG Advisor the Podcast. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher and Buzzsprout. We have a number of episodes with tips and advice on obtaining GMC Registration and securing an NHS job.
References
Rcr.ac.uk. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/co2b_spring_2018_examiners_report.pdf [Accessed 30 Dec. 2019].
Rcr.ac.uk. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/co2a_candidate_guidance_notes.dec_2019.pdf [Accessed 24 Dec. 2019].
Rcr.ac.uk. (2019). Final FRCR Part A Examination | The Royal College of Radiologists. [online] Available at: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/clinical-oncology/examinations/final-frcr-part-a-examination [Accessed 24 Dec. 2019].
