Specialist exam for head and neck surgery —The problems of exam—

Abstract

The present paper reviews previous specialist exams and points out some problems. The first problem is that many areas overlap between Section A, Cancer Treatment Overview, and Section B, Head and Neck Parts Overview. A major revision of Section B, including the possibility of eliminating the whole section, should be considered. Other problems include uneven numbers of questions among different areas, variations in the style, and lack of instructions. These problems may be resolved by presenting a sample along with a request for exam designing. As for the interview section, the length of time was extended from 7 minutes to 20 minutes two years ago. Some possible issues, such as deciding appropriate questions and unifying evaluation criteria among interviewers, should be addressed in the future.