1. Organisation of the examination

1.1. Definition

At the end of the academic year the BeSTRO organizes the knowledge test for the residents in their 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of training. This test allows residents to prepare themselves for the official examination which should be fulfilled in their 4th year of training.
The knowledge test is based on the subjects that have been taught during the teaching courses and seminars organized by the BeSTRO during the academic year and consists of 90 English multiple choices questions (MCQ) and an oral examination by three different juries.

1.2. Examination date and location

The knowledge test is organised annually in mid-June. The date, time and location are communicated to the students approximately six months beforehand.
Students have to be present at the exam at the latest on the hour it is expected to start. Students who arrive late for a written exam, may still be allowed to take the exam but the end time of the exam will not be adjusted in that case.

1.3. Written and oral examination

The examination consists of a written and an oral part. During the written part the students are invited for the oral exam. To pass, the scores on the written and the oral examination should both be at least 50 %. As the language of the teaching courses is English, the multiple choice questions (MCQ’s) are also in English. In principle the oral part of the examination is taken in English. However, if the student prefers to do the oral exam in French or Dutch, he/she should inform the secretary of the society a month in advance. The oral part will consist of three juries who will question the student on different clinical cases. Each jury of the oral examination is composed of 2 examiners and 1 observer. The observer takes notes and participates in the deliberation.

1.4. Second examination in the same academic year
There is no re-examination within the same academic year.

2. Taking part in the examinations

2.1. Conditions to take part in the examinations

At the exam, students must be able to prove their identity with their identity card (ID card). Before the start of the written examination, the presence of the students is registered. The ID cards of the participating students remain with the supervisor of the written exam. At the end when handing in the examinations, the ID card is returned to the student. Students can, upon request, receive an official proof of participation in the exam.

2.2. Not taking part in the examination

Students who are registered for the examination, but who cannot participate in it, need to report this as soon as possible to their supervisor and/or the secretary of the society.

3. Course of the examinations

3.1. Examiner

In the case of blood or family ties up to and including the fourth degree between a student and an examiner, the latter should request the chair of the examination committee to appoint a replacement at least a month before the examination will take place. The examiner cannot at the end of the (partial) examination announce the result to the student.

3.2. Information prior to the examinations

The students are invited to register for the examination through the BeSTRO website (www.bestro.be) by e-mail. The examination regulations are published on the website.

3.3. Examination format and duration

3.3.1. Written examination

The written part consists of 90 English MCQ’s covering the subjects that have been taught during the teaching courses and seminars organized by the BeSTRO during the academic year.
Each individual student receives a booklet with the 90 MCQ’s and a response form on which he/she has to note the – according to him/her – right answer. Each MCQ has five answer options. Students receive a point (+1) when they provide the correct answer. When the student responds incorrectly, the student loses -1/4 (with 5 answer options). If the student does not know the answer, the student can leave the question empty and loses/earns no points (0).

3.3.2. Oral examination

The students will be examined by two/three juries for the oral examinations. There is no preparation time for the oral examination. All students receive the same clinical cases. The cases are presented by the juries in a structured way:
  1. clinical symptoms/clinical examination
  2. imaging
  3. general management
  4. radiotherapy
  5. follow-up
For each case a list with items that are expected to be answered/mentioned to pass, is made. Any extra knowledge of the student leads to a higher score.

3.4. Non-participation in an exam

If students do not participate in an exam, the exam is evaluated as ‘not taken’ (NT). If the student does not participate in one of these evaluations, the general principle is that the students receive NT for the entire examination.

4. Deliberation

4.1. Criteria for passing the examination

Students pass the written examination if a score of at least 50 % including guess correction is obtained.
Students pass the oral examination if a score of at least 50 % is obtained after adding up the results of the individual juries. If the score for an individual jury is below 8/20 the student fails the oral examination.
Students pass the exam as a whole only if they pass both parts.

4.2. Arrangements

The BeSTRO has taken the following measurements to avoid fraud during the (preparation) of the examinations:
  • the students have to hand in their ID card before they receive their exam booklet (and response form);
  • smart phones are not allowed during the written examination;
  • the students get their ID card back after having handed in their exam booklet, response form and all other sheets of paper used during the exam.

5. Announcement and discussion of examination results

5.1. Announcement of the scores

The final score of the examination is communicated to the student by individual e-mail with the stagemeester/maître de stage in copy in the week following the examination. It is up to the stagemeester/maître de stage to decide if he/she informs the local stagemeester/maître de stage.
The scores of the oral examinations are discussed by the different juries at the end of the oral examination. An overall score for the oral exam is given but not yet communicated to the students. The scores of the written examination are anonymous for the students, as to allow them to evaluate their scores. The students have to remember the number of their booklet in order to know their results. They recieve an overview of the scores per booklet ( no name will be mentioned). However, in order to be able to communicate the final scores to the student and the stagemeester/ maître de stage in copy, the student has to note his/her name on every examination paper.

5.2. Discussion of the results and right to feedback

After the examination, the written part is evaluated (this is optional). Students have to hand in their response form and all other sheets of paper used during the exam before the evaluation. After the evaluation of the written examination, they will get their ID card back after having handed in their exam booklet.

Students have the opportunity to receive feedback during the first seven calendar days after the announcement of the examination results. The written exam and the scores on the oral exam can be reviewed by the student in the presence of one of the examiners. In case the student wants a feedback conversation on a specific oral part, an appointment with at least one of the members of the jury can be made.