Oral/Practical Exam

Eligibility

Candidates must pass all three parts of the Radiation Oncology Written Exam to be eligible to take the Radiation Oncology Oral/Practical Exam.

Requirements

At the time of application, you must submit the following to the AOBR:

• A completed application
• Examination fee of $800

Exam Dates and Deadlines

The Radiation Oncology Oral Exam is offered once each year, generally every spring. Applications are due Dec.  1. For a list of currently scheduled exam dates, please visit our Important Dates page.

Exam Content

The Radiation Oncology Oral/Practical Exam is five hours long. Eight cases will be presented at oral film interpretation stations. The cases are on the following topics:

• Gastrointestinal Tract
• Gynecologic Malignancies
• Genitourinary Tract
• Lymphoma/Leukemia
• Head, Neck, and Skin
• Breast
• Central Nervous System and Pediatric Malignancies
• Lung and Mediastinum, Soft Tissue and Bone

Each case is 20 minutes long and will be presented with minimal or no history. Candidates are instructed to respond to each case as follows:

• Description of study
• Location of pathology
• Description of pathology
• Differential diagnosis
• Most likely diagnosis
• Work-up questions

Exam Failure

A candidate who fails at least six oral subsections at a single sitting must repeat the complete Oral/Practical Exam at the next scheduled date. Candidates have three consecutive opportunities to appear for and pass the Oral/Practical Exam. If a candidate fails to pass the Oral/Practical Exam after three attempts, he or she must submit a new application, fee and documentation and will be required to repeat the complete written and oral exams.

If a candidate passes six or seven of the subsections, he or she may be re-examined in only the failed subsections at the next available administration of the oral exam.