The oral examination evaluates your clinical experience, problem-solving ability and surgical judgment to ascertain your familiarity with the current literature on colon and rectal diseases and surgery. Each candidate undergoes at least three 30-minute oral examinations by three two-member examining teams made of board members.
We offer the oral examination in the fall of each year. You must have passed the ABCRS Written Examination and be certified by the American Board of Surgery in order to participate.
If you plan to take the oral exam in September, please complete the oral exam fee by June 1, 2025. The exam fee is $1,200. If you register between June 2 and June 8, a $200 late fee will be added on. We will not accept any payments after June 8, 2025.
You can pay the exam fee by check, money order or credit card. Credit card payments can be made within the ABCRS portal. Checks and money orders should be submitted to the board office. Once we receive payment confirmation, you will be registered for the 2025 ABCRS oral examination.
Withdrawal from Examination
A candidate who withdraws must notify the Board office at least ten business days before a scheduled examination. A candidate, who fails to appear for examination or withdraws without giving at least ten days’ notice as defined above, will forfeit $200 of the designated examination fee and will have to resubmit the forfeited amount before being admitted to the next scheduled examination.
We make every effort to be as prompt as possible in notifying candidates of their examination results. Notification letters may be expected four to six weeks following the examination. Examination results will be posted to your ABCRS profile.
If you pass the oral examination, we will issue you a time-limited certificate. Certification is valid for five years from the date of certification, after which your certificate will no longer be valid.
Unethical and unprofessional behavior is denoted by any dishonest behavior, including: cheating; lying; falsifying information; misrepresenting one’s educational background, certification status and/or professional experience; and failure to report misconduct. The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery has adopted a “zero tolerance” policy toward these behaviors, and individuals caught exhibiting such behaviors risk being permanently barred from certification, reported to state medical boards, and/or legally prosecuted for copyright or other violations.
Unethical behavior is specifically defined by the ABCRS to include the disclosure, publication, reproduction or transmission of ABCRS examinations, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purposes. This also extends to sharing examination information or discussing an examination while still in progress. Unethical behavior also includes the possession, reproduction or disclosure of materials or information, including examination questions or answers or specific information regarding the content of the examination, before, during or after the examination. This definition specifically includes the recall and reconstruction of examination questions by any means and such efforts may violate federal copyright law. All ABCRS examinations are copyrighted and protected by law; the ABCRS will prosecute violations to the full extent provided by law and seek monetary damages for any loss of examination materials.
