Passing the FRCS, Ivor A. Sewell. Pp. viii + 331. Butterworth Scientific, Guildford, Surrey, 1989. £10.95. The Fellowship examination of the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons presents a tremendous hurdle to surgeons in training. Many of them take these examinations without any, or only little, exposure to formal teaching, while others supplement their studies, carried out in odd moments of their off-duty, by attendance at short 'cramming' courses. It is not surprising, therefore, that these

more »

... ations have a fierce failure rate, with less than 20% ofcandidates being successful at first attempt. As an aid to passing, this examination, the author (who has tutored postgraduates for many years), has written a useful guide for surgical trainees. Not only does Mr Sewell give guidance to the format of the examination, and how the candidate should tackle the written, clinical and oral parts of the FRCS, but he also offers good advice on how to organise study and training and the implication and responsibilities of becoming a Fellow. Furthermore, there is sound counselling both for the candidates who fail and for the ones who succeed with regard to future career opportunities. Certainly this is a book which any aspiring examinee would do well to study.