Examinations for doctors

Examinations for the medical doctor (as in achieving a specialist status) are usually divided into two parts:


1. Membership examination
2. Fellowship examination (also called the "Exit" examination)

The membership examination is often itself comprised of several parts, with the first examination focusing on the basic sciences of medicine (e.g. Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, etc.) - the so-called "part 1 examination". The remaining parts of the membership examination then focuses on patient management - usually those skills and knowledge that are required to run a department rather independently.

The fellowship examination are designed to examine candidates to see if they deserves the specialist status - advanced knowledge on the subject, latest development, and increasingly, management skills are examined, often in a face-to-face manner, known as the 'viva' examination.