Home >  Education and Trainees >  Examinations > Surgical Sciences Examination

Print

Surgical Sciences Examination

All SET Trainees will undertake a Generic SET Surgical Science Examination (SSE) a Specialty-specific SET Surgical Science Examination and a Clinical Examination. Click here for more information ( pdf ).

The Surgical Sciences Generic Examination consists of 2 x two and a half hour papers, each of 120 multiple choice questions drawn from the disciplines of Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology.

A minimum standard is required in each of the Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology Sections of the examination, at the same sitting, before a candidate can be deemed to have passed the Surgical Sciences Generic Examination.

Click on the links below for further information

Updated application forms will be available in early November 2010

• Examination Dates and Locations
• Examination Reading List ( pdf)
• Examination Format
• Examples of Questions
• Scoring System
• Answering System
• Item Analysis
• Conduct of the Surgical Science Examination – Generic Component ( pdf)
• Conduct of the Surgical Science Examination - Specialty Specific Component ( pdf)

As of the 23rd of April 2009, No Examination Application documents will be accepted as faxed copies, under any circumstances.
ALL Examination Application documents are to be either scanned and emailed, or posted to the College by the published closing dates - No late applications will be accepted.

Preparation for the Surgical Science Examinations

In order to prepare for the Surgical Science Examination the College has the following resources available.
*Please note to access these resources you must be a current trainee and be logged in to the website.

• Anatomedia
• Multiple Choice Question Bank (MCQs)
• Case studies
• Resource units

Accredited courses

• University of Otago - Postgraduate Diploma in Surgical Anatomy

Surgical Sciences Examination Syllabus

General Features

• The Surgical Science and Clinical Examination Committee has defined a comprehensive syllabus for the Surgical Science and Clinical Examinations, and the Multiple Choice Questions in the Examination are wholly based on the subject matter contained within the syllabus.
• The syllabus covers the disciplines of Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology.
• Subcommittees of the Board of Basic of Surgical Training for each of these disciplines recommend the syllabus and set and review questions related to each area.

Aims

• The Examination is designed to test the candidate's knowledge, understanding and application of the sciences basic to the practice of surgery.

Level

• The required level of knowledge, understanding and application will be such as to provide a sound basis for training in any surgical specialty without requiring the level of special knowledge, understanding and application appropriate to any given specialty.

Click on the links below for detailed features of each area of the Surgical Sciences Examination

• Anatomy
• Genetics and Molecular Biology
• General Pathological Phenomena and Tissue Response to Injury
• Immunology
• Microbiology (Infection and Antibiotics)
• Neoplasia
• Pathology
• Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Physiology

Surgical Science Examination FAQs

Click here for the Surgical Science Examination FAQs