ESMO Examination for Medical Oncologists

Since 1989, the ESMO Examination has endorsed that a medical oncologist possesses the knowledge, skills and aptitude essential for the optimal treatment of cancer patients.

ESMO Exam application form

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When and where?

Date: Saturday 28 September 2013
Main session: European Cancer Congress 2013, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Parallel sessions: Cairo, Egypt, Berlin, Germany; Ahmedabad-Gujarat, India; Lucern, Switzerland

Registration fees and deadlines

Deadline ESMO Member FMH, AIO, DGHO*
Early registration: 31 March 2013 € 60 € 300
Late registration: 22 July 2013 € 200 € 300
On site registration
(ESMO members: main session only)
€ 300 not applicable

*The ESMO examination is open to ESMO Full and Junior members, members of the AIO and DGHO (Germany) and members of the FMH (Switzerland)

About the exam

The ESMO Examination is a valuable assessment tool for practising medical oncologists and an excellent opportunity for medical oncologists in training to assess their knowledge.

Successful candidates will be certified for five years. After five years recertification can be attained either by re-taking the ESMO Examination (on passing, recertification is valid for a further five years) or for ESMO members participation in the ESMO Medical Oncologist’s Recertification Approval (MORA) which is a proof of continuing medical education – allowing ESMO members to remain certified in medical oncology. If approved, the recertification is also valid for five years.

CME points

The ESMO Examination is accredited with 50 category 1 ESMO-MORA CME points.

Examination format

Questions cover all fields of medical oncology, including: basic elements of tumour path histology, epidemiology and biology. Besides all cancer types, the ESMO Examination includes practice-oriented issues on diagnosis, staging, management, evaluation and prognosis of cancer patients.

  • Written examination of 150 minutes
  • Pass score: 60% of correct answers
  • 100 multiple choice questions are divided as follows:
    • 60 type A questions
    • 20 type B questions
    • 20 type K questions
  • You can find a detailed description of the different question types in the 2013 ESMO Examination Instructions

Preparing for the examination

To prepare for the ESMO examination, we recommend that applicants follow scientific updates published in the major oncology journals, including Annals of Oncology , and other educational material produced by ESMO.

Please take a look at the following resources from previous sessions of the ESMO Examination:

ESMO Examination analysis is powered by the University of Bern, Switzerland. Representatives from the Institute for Medical Education of the University of Bern have acknowledged the authority of the ESMO Examination and its value as a high-quality assessment tool.