Passing the General Surgery Oral Board Exam

We regret to inform you that you were not successful in the Certifying Examination… It was the consensus of your examiners that your performance during the examination was not of the level required for certification.

That’s the way the letter reads if you do not pass the General Surgery Oral Exam. In order to avoid being among the roughly 20% of test takers who receive this letter, it is important to know what to anticipate and how to prepare for this final test that leads to board certification.

Passing the General Surgery Oral Board Exam, compiled by Dr. Marc Neff, helps candidates prepare for the experience in a different way than other review books. In addition to covering concepts frequently addressed on the test, it also alerts you to "common curveballs" and "strikeouts"– the unexpected problems or seemingly benign actions (or inactions) that could result in a missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis, and thus result in failure to pass the exam.


This is the first study guide to expose the potential traps and pitfalls of the General Surgery Oral Board Exam by providing examples of how the questions may be asked and what not to say in response. Designed to be used in conjunction with medical textbooks and other study guides, Passing the General Surgery Oral Board Exam prepares candidates to think on their feet and answer exam questions confidently and accurately.