The Secretariat of the JCIE and the Intercollegiate Specialty Boards represents the four Surgical Royal Colleges. The Secretariat, based at the Central Administration Office, 2 Hill Place, Edinburgh, is responsible for the administration and conduct of the Intercollegiate Specialty Examinations on behalf of all four Colleges. These examinations are commonly referred to as the ‘Exit Examination or FRCS Specialty’.

Q2>	How much is the fee?
A2>	The entry fee for all examinations from 1^st January 2007 is £1,700 or €2580 The fee is payable by cheque and your cheque must accompany your application.

Q3>

Where does all the money from the fees go?

A3>

The Intercollegiate Specialty Boards is self financing and therefore the fees need to cover not only the running costs of the Intercollegiate Examinations including venue charges, patient expenses examiners’ accommodation and travel expenses but the running costs of the Boards, the JCIE and the entire administration services including IT, finance and overheads such as offices salaries and pensions.

Q4>	Do the Examiners receive payment for examining?
A4>	No, Examiners do not receive fees for examining. There is a huge amount of commitment and goodwill involved in the examination process. Examiners, in general, feel that they are contributing and putting back something into the system.

Q5>	What happens when you receive my application?
A5>	Once your application is received, we will send you a formal acknowledgement of your application and fee, your cheque will be banked accordingly.

Q6>	What happens at the closing date for the examination?
A6>	Closing dates are *strictly* adhered to. It is your responsibility to ensure that your full application and fee is received by the closing date.

Q7>	How do I know if my paperwork is in order?
A7>	An acknowledgement slip will be sent from the Applications Officer once your application is complete and we have received your three structured references. At that stage your application will be forwarded to the Board for eligibility. If your three references are not received by the closing date, then your application will be deemed incomplete and your fee will be refunded.

Q8>	When will I know if I am eligible to sit the examination?
A8>	You will receive a formal letter from the Head of Intercollegiate Specialty Examinations, normally within two weeks of the closing date for the examination informing you of your eligibility status.

Q9>

What checks are carried out during the eligibility process?

A9>

The Applications Officer checks that all referees, who have completed a structured reference form, are on the UK or Irish Specialist Register. The Applications Officer will also ensure the applicant has been medically qualified for at least 6 years.

A list of those who have been approved for eligibility will be sent to the relevant Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) at the Joint Committee on Higher Surgical Training (JCHST) for information.

Q10>	Do I need to let you know if I have a Medical Condition(s)?
A10>	If you have a medical condition which, you feel, could have an effect on your examination performance then you must put this in writing to the Head of Intercollegiate Specialty Examinations immediately after receiving your eligibility letter and guidance notes for the examination.

Q11>

What are the penalties if I withdraw from the examination after the closing date?

A11>

First of all, any Candidate withdrawing from any examination must do so in writing to the Intercollegiate Office.

The following are penalties are strictly adhered to:

i) The full entrance fee may be returned or transferred to a future examination when written notice is received prior to the closing date for receipt of applications

ii) Half the entrance fee may be returned or transferred to a future examination when written notice is received not less than 21 working days before the commencement of the examination

iii) Within 20 working days of the examination, no refund of the fee will be made to candidates who withdraw or fail to attend, except in the most exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Board

Q12>	What happens if I fail to get to the Examination on the right day?
A12>	No allowance will be made if you are late for an examination or absent from an examination as a result of misreading the timetable. It is your responsibility to ensure you are there on time and on the right day.

Q13>

What happens if I am sick during the Examination and cannot complete it?

A13>

If you are unable to complete the examination due to illness you must:

1. Report your illness immediately to the Senior Secretariat present and explain why you are leaving

2. Visit a medical practitioner on the date in question and request the completion of a Medical Certificate form.

3. A Medical Certificate MUST be provided.

4. The Medical Certificate MUST be dated on the day of the examination. The Intercollegiate Specialty Boards will NOT be able to accept Medical Certificates dated after the examination.

Q14>	Is there an Appeal Mechanism?
A14>	Yes, there is. There is no right of appeal against the result of an examination, but there is an appeal mechanism if you have a grievance with regard to the conduct of the examination where you consider there to have been a procedural irregularity.

Q15>	What would happen if a candidate were to infringe the Examination Rules?
A15>	If you infringe the examination rules, or are found to be in possession of any unauthorised recording device you would immediately be reported to the Head of Examinations. You would automatically be deemed to have failed the examination.

Q16>	What is the procedure after I have passed the Examination?
A16>	Immediately following an examination, the Head of Intercollegiate Examinations sends a formal list of successful candidates to each of the four Surgical Royal Colleges.

Q17>

Successful Candidates – affiliated to one of the Colleges and hold either the FRCS, AFRCS or MRCS

A17>

If you are successful and hold a Fellowship, Associate Fellowship or Membership in Surgery-in-General, you will, in due course, be advised by your affiliated College of the process for applying for election to, or award of the Fellowship to which you may add the appropriate suffix indicating the Specialty in which you were examined e.g. [FRCS (Tr and Orth)]. Please note that this will also be the College through which your CCT, if applicable, will be recommended.

If you are a Fellow of more than one College, you are required, at the time of application, to nominate one College from which your award will be made.

It is a requirement of the four Royal Surgical Colleges of Great Britain and Ireland that Fellows, Associate Fellows and Members must be in good standing and have maintained payment of their subscriptions with their affiliated or designated College prior to sitting the examination.

Q18>	How long will it be before I can use the suffix?
A18>	Success in the Intercollegiate Specialty Examination does not automatically confer a Fellowship. The designation FRCS (Suffix) must not therefore be used until all the formalities above have been completed.

Q19>	*What happens if I am successful in the Examination but am not* affiliated to one of the four Surgical Royal Colleges (i.e. I do not hold the FRCS/AFRCS or MRCS)?**
A19>	If you are not affiliated to one of the four Surgical Royal Colleges of Great Britain and Ireland (i.e. you do not hold the FRCS/AFRCS or MRCS) you will be required, at the time of application, to nominate one of the four Surgical Royal Colleges from which you would like to receive information on the process for applying for election to, or award of, the Fellowship.

Q20>	I passed the Intercollegiate Examination some time ago but had no FRCS/AFRCS/MRCS at that time. I have now been awarded an FRCS without examination and would like to know if I am now entitled to use the suffix for my Specialty and get a new certificate?
A20>	No new certificate can be issued. However, we can send you a formal letter confirming that you are now entitled to use the suffix FRCS [specialty].

Q21>

What are the official suffixes?

A21>

The following suffixes may be added to your existing FRCS/AFRCS/MRCS:

Cardiothoracic Surgery - (C-Th)

General Surgery - (Gen. Surg)

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery - (OMFS)

Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery - (Tr and Orth)

Otolaryngology - (ORL-HNS)

Paediatric Surgery - (Paed.Surg)

Plastic Surgery - (Plast)

Neurosurgery - (Neuro.Surg)

Urology - (Urol)

What is meant by Intercollegiate?

What happens when you receive my application?

What happens at the closing date for the examination?

How do I know if my paperwork is in order?