Successful completion of the Part I (Written) exam is a requirement for admission to the Part II (Oral) examination.  The Oral Examination is designed to test the candidate's knowledge, judgment, and ability to correlate information in the management of clinical problems in all aspects of general thoracic and cardiac surgery (including congenital cardiac surgery).

EXAM FORMAT

The format of the Oral Examination is as follows:

Candidates are interviewed by two examiners in each of three rooms for a total of six examiners.  One of the three rooms will focus on cardiac surgery problems, one room will focus on general thoracic surgery problems, and one room will be split, with cardiac and general thoracic surgery scenarios. Candidates are given four scenarios in each room, for a total of 12 scenarios for the entire exam.  In order to pass the exam, candidates must receive a passing grade from the majority of the cardiac examiners and from the majority of the general thoracic examiners.

The Oral Examination is usually given in Chicago, IL, once a year at the end of May or in early June.

EXAM RESULTS

At this time, Oral Exam results are mailed to the candidate usually within two weeks to the address on file with the Board office. No results are given over the phone or Internet.