EBSQ Examinations
General Surgery

Coloproctology
EBSQ Examinations

Next EBSQ Examination

Examination datePlaceApplication deadline
27th SeptemberThessaloniki, GreeceAugust 16th

Application will open on May 24th

All candidates – including new candidates and those who postponed or failed previously – must apply through the QuizOne platform accessible through the buttons below
We do not accept any document as support to applications by any means other than uploaded on the dedicated web-platform. Documents received by any other means will not be considered as part of an application.

Please note that once the deadline date to apply is passed, no application will be acceptable by any means.

Before clicking the “Apply” button, please carefully read the EBSQ policies and Eligibility criteria and ensure that you are ready to submit all required documents.

Please also ensure that you pay the fees before the deadlines.

Places are limited. Do not wait until last minute to finalise your application as places will be offered on a first come, first serve basis from date of application completion.

Candidates are responsible for their own application and its follow-up. Checking up regularly emails, and junk emails, is highly recommended – the UEMS Section of Surgery will not be responsible for any missed information sent via email.

We strongly recommend applicants to organise their trip to the EBSQ Examination venue after they have been a confirmed candidate. The UEMS Section of Surgery will not be responsible for any financial decision the applicant made.


We kindly encourage applicants to submit their documents and payment as early as possible.

You wish to apply to the EBSQ Examination in Coloproctology for the first time or you were assessed as not eligible in a previous attempt to participate to the exam. You are a new candidate. Please click below:

You didn’t succeed once in a previous session of EBSQ Examination in Coloproctology and you want to give it another try?

Please click below:

You were assessed eligible in a previous session of EBSQ Examination in Coloproctology, you were not able to attend the Examination and you want to attend the next session?

Please click below:

Fellowship of the European Board of Surgery

To apply for certification as Fellow of the European Board of Surgery (FEBS) in the specialty of Coloproctology offered by the “European Board of Surgery” and the “Division of Coloproctology”, a candidate has to undergo a two-step quality validation process: Eligibility (Part I) and Examination (Part II).

A candidate successfully passing the Eligibility and Examination will be qualified as: Fellow of the European Board of Surgery (FEBS) in Coloproctology.

The Fellowship of the UEMS is a significant high-level indication of professional competence and excellence. It basically reflects the ongoing important European standardisation, harmonisation and quality assurance process in medicine.

At present, the fellowship of itself has no automatic legal recognition in the European Union or any other country. Individual recognition of qualifications by the national authorities is supported by the EBSQ committee and the number of countries officially adopting the Board exam is continuously rising. The future perspective of this European diploma is to be seen in unanimous legalization within the ongoing project of the European harmonization process of medical education.

The title does not in itself imply an automatic right to independent practice, nor does it automatically enhance participation in national social security systems of the European Union.

The candidate for the EBSQ title in coloproctology should be a future opinion leader in the management of colorectal diseases in his hospital and/or country. Profound knowledge, including current literature of all colorectal and proctological diseases will be tested to become an EBSQ Coloproctology certified specialist.

Examination organisation & rules

Eligibility requirements

All applicants must be from or currently working or have been trained in an European Union UEMS (UNION EUROPEENE DES MEDECINS SPECIALISTES) or associated UEMS country.

The minimum acceptable duration of training for EBSQ COLOPROCTOLOGY is 7 years. This must include a minimum total of 5 years in specialist surgical units. Candidates must have completed 2 or more extra years in coloproctology.
Experience acquired as a specialist or consultant on a unit with senior or more experienced colleagues may be taken into account, but at least one year of advanced training must be undertaken in a nationally recognised unit. Trainers should be ideally EBSQ certified.

Eligibility assessment

Eligibility of an application will only be reviewed by the board once all required documents are provided and the Eligibility fee has been paid. Once these conditions are met, applications are treated by “first-come, first-served” principle. Incomplete applications or unpaid fees will result in delay of evaluation of your application.
Please read the instructions carefully and submit all required documents to support your application.

Application documents

Candidates must attach the following documents to their online registration on the QuizOne platform:

Application checklist

  • EBSQ Coloproctology Application Form, which must be filled electronically. Handwritten application will be not considered as eligible.
  • Declaration of 2 trainers signed (within the Application Form)
  • National certificate of specialised training (CCST)
  • EBSQ Coloproctology LOGBOOK or equivalent logbook of operations according to the instructions (all operations must be listed and patients must be anonymised), which answers the eligibility criteria of operative experience which are detailed in this document.
  • Short updated CV including publications list
  • A scan of your ID card or passport with your photo and your name in Latin letters

Note: If visiting trainees have trained within a EU, UEMS or associated UEMS country and had a similar training to those who can subsequently take the CCST, even though such candidates may not be allowed to take the CCST for reasons of refusal of permanent residence, they should be deemed equivalent to CCST and be acceptable as candidates for the EBSQ. The EBSQ Certificate will denote that it is without national cost and does not confer right of domicile.

Examination fees

The total fees for applying for the EBSQ Examination in Coloproctology are €700:

  • €200 for the Eligibility Assessment
  • €500 for the Examination

Payments must be made via Paypal directly on the QuizOne platform dedicated to registrations before the deadlines dates.

The eligibility fee is to be paid when the applicant registers for the exam.

The examination fee should be paid once the eligibility of the applicant has been confirmed, within two weeks following confirmation of selection, to finalise the registration for the examination.

All fees paid are non-refundable. The exam fee may be transferred to another exam sitting if more than 90 days’ notice is given.

For those who have been assessed eligible, you may postpone/retake the exam for up to 24 months without having to pass and pay the eligibility assessment again. After 24 months you must go through the eligibility assessment again.

Cancellation policy

Cancellation/Postponement up to 90 days before the exam:

  • Exam fee (if paid) postponed to next sitting + an admin charge of 90 euro will be charged when candidate re-apply for the exam.

Cancellation/Postponement less than 90 days before the exam:

  • Exam fee is not transferred to the next exam and not refundable.  When re-applying for the exam, the candidate must pay the exam fee again + 90 euros administration fee.

Reasonable cancellations within 90 days of the exam will be considered on a case by case basis at the discretion of the Board of Examination. Supporting documentation is required.

For those who have been assessed eligible, you may postpone for up to 24 months without having to pass and pay the eligibility assessment again. After 24 months you must go through the eligibility assessment again and pay its fee. 

All fees paid are non-refundable.

Re-issue of certificates

Fellows are responsible for their Certificates. New Certificates will not be re-issued in case of loss.

If there is an error on your certificate you must contact the office within 3 months of receiving the certificate to have the certificate reissued.

The EBSQ Examination

Organisation

The number of candidates is limited and may vary from examination to examination.

If the maximal number of candidates has been reached, all further eligible candidates are put on a waiting list. You will be informed periodically by the UEMS office if a candidate cancels.

The examination will be cancelled if there are less than 10 candidates. You will be notified within 3 weeks after the application deadline. Do not make travel arrangements before this date. If the examination is cancelled, eligible candidates can choose any other dates and will be on the priority list.

Examination content

The EBSQ Examination in Coloproctology includes a written case discussion and two “viva voce” examinations with two pairs of EBSQ certified examiners.

The written and oral exams are both in the English language only.

The written part is a case description with several questions regarding assessment of the patient and treatment options. Questions will also include current literature and/or ongoing studies. Answers must be given by writing.
This test is limited to one hour.

The two oral parts are:

  • General part: The first oral examination is a 30 minutes session of clinical case discussions with interpretation of diagnostic tools, specimen analyses and local status.
    You will be shown a picture and asked specific questions regarding diagnosis, treatment options and outcome.
    This part will test your clinical knowledge.
  • Academic part: During these 30 minutes session a current publication will be discussed. You will receive the paper (in English) one hour before the start of the oral examinations.
    You will be asked specific questions in regards to interpretation of this paper, similar to a review of a submitted manuscript.
    Knowledge on basic statistics will also be tested during this part.

Results and failure

To pass the examination, the candidate has to pass all three parts (>=60% correct answers/points) and have an average score >=66% points for the entire examination, while the written part counts double.


Examples:

  • Written 70%, General 55%, Academic 65% = candidate fails because general <60%.
  • Written 61%, General 63%, Academic 58%, overall 64% = candidate has passed all parts (>60%), but still fails the examination because the overall score was <66%.
  • Written 70%, General 75%, Academic 65% = candidate passes the examination.

Additional Information

For details on the organisation and the rules attached to the EBSQ examination in Coloproctology, please read carefully the following document: