Examination content

The OT Examination (MCQ) is designed to evaluate the extent of the candidate's knowledge and clinical judgment in the areas in which an otolaryngologist should demonstrate a high level of competence. Expertise in the broad domain of otolaryngology, and the diagnosis and treatment of both common and rare conditions that have important consequences for patients will be assessed.

The examination content is consistent with a pre-established blueprint developed and used by the American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. ABMS Assessment Services, LLC (ABMS-AS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Singapore, modified the blueprint to ensure that the content and relative percentages reflect practice of otolaryngology in Singapore. The blueprint will be reviewed and revised annually to ensure that it is current.

The majority of questions are based on patient presentations occurring in settings that reflect current medical practice. Questions requiring simple recall of medical facts are in the minority; the majority of questions require integration of information from several sources, prioritisation of alternatives, and/or utilisation of clinical judgment in reaching a correct conclusion. Some questions require interpretation of pictorial material, such as clinical photographs, audiograms, radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging scans, computed tomograms, endoscopic and laryngoscopic findings, and photomicrographs (e.g. histology and cytology).

The content areas covered and their relative proportions on the examination are as follows:

The examination content is also classified by patient care processes, which are represented in the following relative proportions on the examination: