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FRCR 2B exam

Also known as the Final FRCR (Part B) exam

The final FRCR 2B exams are held twice a year, in April and October.  Exact exam dates can be found on the RCR website.  Candidates are permitted to enter the 2B examination once they have passed the Final FRCR Part A (also known as the 2A exam) and have been in formal clinical radiology training for at least 34 months.

The FRCR 2B exam consists of three components: rapid reporting (also known as ‘rapids’), reporting (also known as ‘long cases’) and a viva.  Here’s some help for each component:

Block

Information, tips, scoring system and checklist for the rapid reporting part

Information, tips and scoring system for the reporting part

Information, tips and scoring system for the viva part

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FRCR 2B Scoring system

It is important to have a good understanding of the scoring system for the FRCR 2B exam so here it is!

2B courses, books and online resources

A comprehensive list of recommended courses, revision books and online resources including links to practice rapids, long cases and vivas for the FRCR 2B exam

Just remember, although these exams will likely be a stressful experience, revising for them is often said to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of radiology training!

You’ll see a huge variety of cases in a short period of time.  Your consultant colleagues will have piles of cases to show you so you need to quickly get used to sitting in the ‘hot seat’.  Practise is key here.  It should be second nature to present whatever is thrown up in front of you by the time you get to the exam.  See as much as you can from as many different consultants as you can.  Quite a few of the cases I was shown actually turned up in the exam so don’t underestimate the importance of seeing a large variety of cases.

Lastly, don’t doubt yourself.  You can’t know everything, but you got this far and after all the written exams in the past, this one will feel much more natural.  You’ll be doing what you do every day.  Good luck!

FRCR 2B scoring system

The 2B marking scheme is complex so here’s an overview to give you a good understanding for the FRCR 2B exam

The FRCR 2B exam consists of three components:

Each of the exam components are marked out of 8.  Scores from the two viva components, long cases and rapids are combined to give a total score out of 32.  The overall pass mark is 24 and candidates must obtain a mark of 6 or above in a minimum of two components to pass.

FRCR 2B pass/fail flowchart
FRCR 2B pass/fail flowchart

Key points:

  • There is no concept of passing one part (e.g. viva) only
  • There is no ranking of candidates (other than for awarding the Rohan Williams medal)
  • A mark of 23½ represents a borderline fail.  Any candidate achieving this result automatically has their scores from all components reviewed.  The purpose is not to alter the marks, but revisit the reasons for the marks that have been awarded in order to ensure than failure by half a mark is appropriate.

The mark schemes are slightly different for each component of the exam and are described in more detail below along with top tips and links to useful resources.  More information from the Royal College of Radiologists.

What is the scoring system for the rapid reporting?

The rapid reporting component consists of reporting 30 images in 35 minutes.  Roughly half of cases are normal and half are abnormal, however the ratio of normal to abnormal varies between sittings.

Marks are allocated as follows depending on the type of image:

Image typeCandidate responseMark
Normal imageCorrectly classified+2
 Incorrectly classified (appropriate false positive)+1
 No answer given0
Abnormal imageCorrectly classified and correctly identified+2
 Correctly classified but incorrectly identified0
 Incorrectly classified (false negative)0
 No answer given0

(Source: Final Examination for the Fellowship in Clinical Radiology (Part B) Scoring System. Published by: The Royal College of Radiologists)

Following the marking each candidate will have a score between 0-60.  An overall rapid reporting mark (out of 8) is then awarded using the table below:

Total marksOverall mark
0-484
49
50-515
52-53
546
55-56
57-587
59
608

(Source: Final Examination for the Fellowship in Clinical Radiology (Part B) Scoring System. Published by: The Royal College of Radiologists)

More information on the rapid reporting component of the FRCR 2B exam.

What is the scoring system for the long cases?

The long cases component consists of reporting 6 cases in 60 minutes.

Individual cases are marked out of 8 as shown below:

Candidate responseMark
No answer offered3
Fail: significant observations missed; correct diagnosis not made4
Borderline: appropriate if there are two main diagnoses in the case but only one is mentioned; some observations missed5
Pass: most observations made correctly; principal diagnoses correct6
Good Pass: additional relevant material included in a “pass” grade answer7
Excellent: a perfect answer, clear and confident8

(half marks may be awarded)

(Source: Final Examination for the Fellowship in Clinical Radiology (Part B) Scoring System. Published by: The Royal College of Radiologists)

Following the marking each candidate will have a score between 18-48 (minimum mark for each case is 3).  An overall reporting mark (out of 8) is then awarded using the table below:

Total marksOverall mark
18-254
25½-28
28½-315
31½-34
34½-376
37½-40
40½-437
43½-46
46½-488

(Source: Final Examination for the Fellowship in Clinical Radiology (Part B) Scoring System. Published by: The Royal College of Radiologists)

More information on the long cases component of the FRCR 2B exam.

What is the scoring system for the viva?

The viva component consists of 2 x 30 minute viva sessions.  Candidates are scored on images shown by two pairs of examiners. Each pair of examiners will examine for 30 minutes. Within each pair examiner A will ask questions while examiner B marks, then after 15 minutes the examiners swap places and examiner B asks questions while examiner A marks. Candidates can obtain a maximum of 8 marks from each pair, giving a maximum total of 16 marks for the viva component.

Marks are allocated from each pair of examiners as follows:

Performance DescriptionCommentsScore
Very poor answerKey findings missed even with help
Wrong or dangerous diagnosis
4
Poor answerSlow to spot abnormality
Poor differential diagnosis
Needed help to get correct answer
5
Principal findings seenSome abnormalities seen with help
Principal diagnosis correct
Limited differential
6
Good answerKey findings spotted quickly
Correct deductions made and correct diagnosis
Good differential offered
7
Excellent answer – all findings seenCorrect diagnosis and deductions
No errors
Succinct/accurate report
Excellent differential
8

(Source: Final Examination for the Fellowship in Clinical Radiology (Part B) Scoring System. Published by: The Royal College of Radiologists)

More information on the viva component of the FRCR 2B exam. 

If you have anything you would like to add to this page or know of any useful tips/resources for future exam candidates, then please contact us and we will consider adding to this page!

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